Trafficking In Persons… GWMO recommends stiffer penalties, blacklisting perpetrators

Aug 21, 2013 News

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By Keeran Danny
Although grateful that some perpetrators have been convicted for human trafficking, the Guyana Women Miners’ Organization (GWMO) believes that the legislation should be amended to allow for stiffer penalties.
This notion was expressed by Simona Broomes, President of the GWMO, following the sentencing of a husband and wife to five years each for Trafficking In Persons (TIP). Four teenage girls were the victims. The girls were rescued from Oko Backdam, Region Seven in April 2012, thanks to GWMO members.

“I am happy to see them convicted and I want to thank the Magistrate and Irene Sears, member of the GWMO, who attended Court whenever necessary with financial help from the organization. The Magistrate listened to all parties involved and gave her verdict. And, I am just happy that those two are off the streets.”
According to Broomes, while this is a good start, Government and the Opposition need to revisit the legislation to add stiffer penalties for persons found guilty of human trafficking, which is a form of modern day slavery.
“If the penalty is harsher it might deter persons from being involved in the sex trade. Five years is just not enough, especially when the future of our country is put at stake. In America some persons get like 20 and 40 years for trafficking,” she stated.
Broomes emphasized that persons who own brothels and shops involved in “selling flesh” do not operate in isolation. As such, pimps or solicitors of unsuspecting victims should also feel the full brunt of the law.
The woman miner said the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) needs to help eliminate human trafficking by blacklisting perpetrators from mining communities, even if this means revisiting its regulations. She is cognizant everyone has the right to work, but to avoid the cycle of perpetrators having a stronghold in the interior location, GGMC and the police need to do more.
As part of the blacklisting strategy, Broomes recommends that the pictures of perpetrators should be plastered across the mining district and no mining and shop licences should be issued to them.
“Human traffickers have a way of switching mining camps. There was once a woman that police wanted in Region Seven and they ended up finding her in Region One. Now, this woman would have gone there, settled down, and carried out the same activities there,” she opined.
Another troubling issue for Broomes is the bleak future many victims find themselves in after they are rescued. She said victims are fed many promises by the authorities, but none materialize.
Taking the Oko Backdam case as an example, the miner said, “One of the victims has returned to the backdam, one is now a mother and another is in a depressed situation. And the organization has been unable to contact the fourth victim despite many attempts”.
According to Broomes, there needs to be a plan to effectively integrate victims of TIP back into society. The University of Guyana churns out Social Workers yearly, so there are available human resources.
She explained that the University could include training for Counseling sessions specific to the needs of Trafficking victims in its curriculum.
However, as it is, victims staying temporarily at Help and Shelter’s safe house are counseled by volunteers, who are very humane. But, after the victims leave the shelter, there is no facility available to them for additional counseling. They essentially go back in the same environment that made them victims in the first place.
“The system has created no avenue for victims to break the shackles of being victims. Broken promises and the same poverty-stricken world swallow them up again and so the cycle continues. When the going gets tough, the victims go back to the environment they know. Laws shouldn’t be in a sophisticated library, they should be enforced, and there should be programmes and policies for victims,” she said.
According to Broomes, the GWMO wants to build a shelter in Bartica and an area has been identified. However, because of inaction and bureaucracy, nothing has been done as yet.
Broomes said the organization has an idea of what the accommodation would look like and its purpose. She noted that the shelter would allow victims to receive adequate counseling, education, skills training, and exposure to sports and Information Technology.
Speaking on youths generally, Broomes said a study should be conducted on the relevance and focus of shelters and institutions for boys and girls.
“Most of these troubled youths and TIP victims come from these institutions and so we should really see if these institutions are helping youths or making them worse,” she said.
Broomes said she recently attended a workshop facilitated by the Director of Child Care and Protection Agency Ann Greene, which focused on drafting a policy related to youths and social ills. And although it did not cater for TIP victims, the organizers still saw it appropriate to invite the GWMO to the event.

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