Persaud urges miners to rid sector of prostitution

TIMES INT'L

BY JOMO PAUL

Natural Resources Minister Robert Persaud addressing the gathering at the lottery in Bartica
Natural Resources Minister Robert Persaud addressing the gathering at the lottery in Bartica

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud has urged miners to rid the sector of the prostitution tag it carries and work to preserve the environment even as they pursue their fortunes.

He was at the time addressing the opening of a Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) mining permit lottery at the Bartica Community Centre ground. Prostitution and allegations of human trafficking is rampant in the mining community.

Delivering the feature address at the opening of the lottery at the Bartica Community Centre, the Minister said it was important that miners remain cognisant of the ecological effects of mining in the pursuit of riches.

He also pointed to the stigma of prostitution and trafficking in persons (TIP) that is predominantly attached to the mining sector, and urged that miners take this into account and work to eliminate the stigma attached to mining.

The Minister said: “I want you to recognise your environment and social responsibilities… we want to encourage you as much as we want to support you to be engaged in environmentally responsible mining. The utilisation of our natural resource could be done in a way that takes into account the possible impact it could have on environmental degradation, the impact it could have on the long-term viability of our eco-system.”

The Minister pointed out that each miner has a committed responsibility to see that the eco-system is protected when mining and illegal activities are at a minimum in the industry. This way, he highlighted, the industry will be moving from strength to strength on the social and ecological front.

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