In a startling revelation, two prominent Jamaicans—a celebrated entertainer and a renowned athlete—discovered in 2024 that they were not the biological fathers of the children they had been raising. This revelation has reignited debates on paternity fraud and its emotional and familial consequences, prompting calls for legislative action.
Heroy Clarke, Member of Parliament for St. James Central, has renewed his push for mandatory DNA testing at birth to confirm paternity. Clarke, who first proposed the measure during the 2021 State of the Constituency Debates, told THE STAR he plans to table a formal motion in the House of Representatives by Tuesday.
Clarke cited a report by local DNA testing company 876DNA, which revealed that 47% of tested men in 2024 were not biological fathers of the children they raised. Though lower than the 70% figure reported by Polygenics Consulting, the numbers remain alarmingly high.
“This confirms my motion that this is a very prevalent issue in Jamaica,” Clarke asserted. “We are seeing families broken because of this situation. Men build relationships with children only to have them shattered in court.”
Adding to the urgency is a report highlighting Jamaica as the global leader in paternity fraud, with a 34.6% rate, followed by Nigeria (30%), Canada (2.8%), the UK (1.6%), and France (1.4%). Clarke described the emotional scars left by paternity fraud as devastating and emphasized that addressing this issue is a moral imperative.
While some critics anticipate backlash, Clarke remains resolute. “Whether there is backlash or not, we must do the right thing,” he said.
Reacting to the news on shared on insatgram, one person commented, “Yes dna testing shud be done but the parents fi pay fa not my rawse tax dollars!! And unnu need fi fix the hospital dem before this is a thing.”
Another person said, “When it’s beneficial Fi them it’s mandatory but why them no implement Child support while they at it too…So the new confirmed fathers are subjected by law to do what is right.”
