The establishment of three shelters across Jamaica for battered women might become a reality within months, as the Bureau of Women's Affairs is still counting millions of dollars collected from a mediathon held earlier this year.

Up to Tuesday, more than $6.5 million had been collected from pledges made by the public and the corporate fraternity when Sisters to Sisters, in collaboration with the Ministry of Information, Culture, Youth and Sports, hosted the mediathon on April 13.

Seeking assistance from ministries

Faith Innerarity, permanent secretary in the ministry, said assistance has also been sought from the water and housing ministry.

"Extensive work is being done in terms of identification of the locations," said Innerarity. "Some possibilities have been identified."

A target of $10 million was set by the organisers of the mediathon, which was a seven-hour, all-female fund-raising concert, to build three shelters to complement the one that currently exists. A portion from proceeds raised by the mediation will also go towards advancing the work of the Women's Centre Foundation of Jamaica, which assists young women in crisis.

Karen St Juste, administration coordinator of Sisters to Sisters, said more than $13 million in cash and kind had been donated to the bureau.

Target exceeded

"Calculating cash and kind, we have exceeded our target," she said.

St Juste appealed to the public to continue making donations and to follow through on unfulfilled pledges. More than $9 million in pledges were made during the mediathon.

"We really need it," said St Juste.

A number of women continue to be battered by their partners. Statistics show that between 1995 and 1999, reports of spousal abuse jumped from 333 to more than 1,150. Those reports increased at the turn of the century with the most recent data showing reports standing at 1,246. "There is so much that we want to do," said St Juste.