At age three, Shanecia Stewart became sexual prey — a breach of trust by ‘Finger’, her neighbour from the tenement yard where she lived with her parents. Fourteen years later, she would, for the first time, escape the predatory hands of many, not excluding her father, onto a destructive path fueled by trauma.

Now a counsellor, pastor, and author, a liberated Stewart is set to host Destitute. Redeemed. Restored: The Catalyst Summit, with the aim of restoring others. The event, a strategic intervention for societal change, is scheduled for 10 am to 5 pm on June 6, 2026, at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel.

“We have an epidemic of sexual molestation and sexual assault in Jamaica. There are scores of women, girls, and boys who have been suffering and suffering in silence. When I eventually shared about the abuse from my dad with my grandmother, she simply dismissed it as lies against her son. Unfortunately, this experience is not unique, and the hush on sexual abuse is often perpetuated because of it,” Stewart said.