Jamaica suspends “no sleeves” policy for women

The Jamaica government says it has suspended the no sleeveless-wear policy after reviewing the longstanding practice of prohibiting women wearing sleeveless attire from entry into government buildings.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness in a statement said he has  formally given instructions for the suspension of the attire policy and instructed a full review of government dress code practices.

“It has been found, that while the practice exists to prohibit persons who wear sleeveless from entering Government buildings through “dress codes” established within particular Ministries, Departments and Agencies, there is no law or official government policy on which these are based. “

Empathizes

The statement said that the Cabinet has taken note of the concerns expressed by members of the public and empathizes with the unfortunate experiences shared primarily by women in both extreme and everyday circumstances.

To stop denying access

Holness said he has instructed the Cabinet Secretary to write to ministries, departments, and agencies to make them aware that they are not to deny access or services to persons, based on their sleeveless attire, as this is not the policy of the government.

“To ensure the formulation of a proper policy, in the medium term, the Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport has been mandated to formulate, subject to consultation, a government dress code policy that is aligned with modern considerations as well as the climatic realities of Jamaica,” the statement noted.