Gov’t beefing up efforts to fight human trafficking

In an effort to beef up its fight against human trafficking, the Human Services and Social Security Ministry in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will be holding a workshop to sensitise persons on how to tackle the scourge.
Minister Jennifer Webster on Monday disclosed that the aim of the workshop is to train and sensitise individuals to be focal point persons so that there can be better linkages and identify with persons to understand what the issue is about.
She said that funding has been provided by the UN, and this will see several initiatives being undertaken.  In addition, she said, the Human Services and Social Security Ministry is responsible for the provision of victim support. Additionally, she said government has been extending its reach to the hinterland areas to educate children more on this issue since those communities are more vulnerable, and are at risk.
In its 2012 human trafficking report, the United States urged Guyana to hold trafficking in person offenders accountable by vigorously investigating and prosecuting them. Guyana remains at tier two in the U.S. ranking for countries in the fight against TIP.
A tier two ranking means a country’s government does not fully comply with the U.S. Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s minimum standards, but is making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance with those standards.
In the report, the U.S. said Guyana is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labour.
Guyanese nationals have been subjected to human trafficking in other countries in the Caribbean region. Cases of human trafficking reported in the media generally involved women and girls in forced prostitution.
According to the report, the country’s experts expressed concern that exploitative child labour practices occur within the mining, agriculture, and forestry sectors.
The U.S. recommended that Guyana: boost efforts to hold trafficking offenders accountable, including police, customs, and immigration officers complicit in trafficking; in partnership with NGOs, develop standard operating procedures to guide and encourage front line officials, including police, health, immigration, labour, mining, and forestry personnel in the identification and protection of persons subjected to forced labour and forced prostitution, ensuring that victims are not punished for crimes committed as a result of being in a trafficking situation; foster a climate of open dialogue on trafficking and encouraging people to come forward; and consider developing a working-level task force to complement the policy-level task force that would be able to coordinate the day-to-day efforts of law enforcement, NGOs, prosecutors, as well as labour, health, mining, and forestry officials to address obstacles, plan strategy, and work together on specific cases.