Ce’Cile Calls Out Paternity Fraud In Cheeky ‘Wikid Woman’ Tweet

Bad Gyal Ce’Cile is calling on mothers to desist from committing paternity fraud, also known as “a jacket” in Jamaica.

“Good morning. I don’t know who needs to hear this… But don’t give that man that jacket. You damn well know that baby ain’t his  #wikidwoman”, Ce’cile wrote in a Tweet on January 26.

Her choice of words might have been met with some laughter, however, the practice in Jamaica and the Caribbean at large is common.

Good morning. I dont know who needs to hear this..but don't give that man that Jacket. U damn well know that baby ain't his #wikidwoman

— Ce'Cile (@IAMTHECECILE) January 26, 2022

Statistics out of the Family Court some eight years ago showed that 34.5 percent of Jamaican men tested during court proceedings turned out not to be the fathers of the children.

According to Caribbean National Weekly, a 2019 report by Polygenics Consulting, a Jamaican company that offers DNA testing, indicated that of all the paternity tests that the company has conducted since 2015, when it became operational, 70 percent were not the father. Polygenics Consulting told the newspaper that “persons who contact us have had some reason to doubt paternity, and as such this statistic is based on that condition.” Additionally, the company confirmed that many of the tests they administer are for immigration purposes, but declined to provide a specific number.

The report from this consulting agency does not reflect the nation’s statistics, but what it does show is that there is deception between partners in Jamaica, and for the act of giving “a jacket” women are of course at the helm. 

A woman who knowingly names the wrong man as her child’s father on the birth certificate is seen as committing a breach of the Registration (Births and Deaths) Act. For this offense, she can be charged and mandated to pay a fine not exceeding $250,000 or face imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, if found guilty.