Jamaican lawmaker Heroy Clarke, Member of Parliament for St. James Central, has vowed to continue his push for mandatory DNA testing at birth to combat the issue of paternity fraud.
Clarke, who introduced the proposal in the 2021 State of the Constituency Debates, emphasized that paternity fraud is a serious issue that causes deep emotional and social repercussions for families.
“Quite a number of persons really want it to happen because we are seeing families broken because of this situation,” Clarke said. “There are men who build relationships with children who are not their own, and it is only when it goes to court that the truth comes out. By that point, families are already broken.”
Clarke’s call for DNA testing was further fueled by recent high-profile revelations that two well-known Jamaicans—an entertainer and a sports figure—discovered they were not the biological fathers of children they had been raising.
The discoveries were facilitated by 876DNA, a local DNA testing company, whose principal, Terron Dewar, revealed that nearly half (47%) of their cases returned adverse paternity results in 2024. Dewar also noted that 70% of the inquiries to his company come from women, including grandmothers, sisters, and partners seeking clarification for the men in their lives.
Paternity fraud not a new issue
Paternity fraud is not a new issue. A 2016 study by Dr. Herbert Gayle, a leading anthropologist at the University of the West Indies, found that 25% of Jamaican men are unknowingly raising children who are not biologically theirs. This phenomenon, often referred to as “raising a jacket,” has long been a concern in the Caribbean nation.
The issue is also impacting Jamaican men in the diaspora, particularly those seeking to have their children join them in the United States. DNA tests are required by the US Embassy in Kingston to prove biological relationships. However, a leaked diplomatic cable revealed that one in 10 men who present DNA test results at the embassy are informed that they are not the biological fathers of the children they are attempting to sponsor.
Further evidence of the widespread nature of paternity fraud comes from a 2019 report by Polygenics Consulting, a Jamaican company offering DNA testing services. According to the report, 70% of paternity tests conducted by the company since 2015 returned results that confirmed the man was not the biological father. Polygenics Consulting emphasized that the majority of these tests are conducted due to doubts raised by the men themselves, many of whom are seeking DNA verification for immigration purposes.
Despite the growing concern, Dr. Gayle cautioned against making DNA testing mandatory at birth. He argued that such a policy could increase the likelihood of domestic violence and other forms of aggression. “When men discover that a child is a ‘jacket,’ the normative reaction is one of violence or aggression towards the partner,” Dr. Gayle said. “In a setting where it [paternity fraud] is as common as one in five cases, why would you want to expose all parties to such a national policy?”
While many Jamaicans continue to joke about the “jacket” issue, it remains a serious matter in the courts. Women who knowingly name the wrong man as the father on a child’s birth certificate can face penalties under the Registration (Births and Deaths) Act, including a fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment for up to three months.
