Action plan launched to combat Trafficking in Persons in Guyana

Jun 14, 2019 News

The Government of Guyana through the Ministerial Task Force on Trafficking In persons, Ministry of Public Security, yesterday launched their National Plan of Action for the Prevention and Response to Trafficking in Persons, for the period 2019-2020.

The participants at the ceremony yesterday.

The Coordinator (ag) of the Technical Arm of the Ministerial Task Force on Trafficking in Persons, Ministry of Public Security, Mr. Oliver Profitt, said during the welcome that they wanted to make this an official public document, as it is a document that has been guiding their activities from the beginning of the year, so they taught it necessary to make it officially known to the public.
He went on to say that the action plan is based on the 4P paradigm (pattern) of Trafficking In persons (TIP), which are Prevention, Protection and Reintegration, Prosecution and Partnership. Each paradigm was represented, as the individuals present were all part of entities that were involved in carrying out them. Overall partnership prevailed and was very important as they all had to work together to get the job done.
Profitt further noted that time out is taken to meet monthly. Plans are being implemented at these meetings, with the blessings of the ministers on the task force to fight TIP in Guyana.
The task force has been put together, headed by the Vice President and Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan , who is also the Chairman.
He said that a combination of ideas and agendas are put forward, but they all have one aim and that is to significantly reduce TIP in the country. Resources and thoughts are pooled with that goal in mind.
Ms Abike Samuels, the Deputy Director of Social Services at the Ministry of Social Protection, apologised for Minister Amna Ally’s absence.
She said, “In this life we only have two choices, to do something or to do nothing. Today the task force on trafficking in persons chose to do something; they are launching their plan of action.
As stated in the copy of the 2017-2018 action plan many sub committees became operational and the implemented anti TIP initiatives for the first time with varying degrees of success. The Ministry of Social Protection is proud to be part of this initiative in preventing and responding to Trafficking In Persons.
She added that TIP is just one of the social areas in which her ministry is actively involved. It is also involved in training and awareness, sensitization programmes and just as importantly the protection and reintegration of victims.
The said efforts will be continued in the 2019-2020 plan, with particular emphasis on improving partnerships with local and international agencies.
She said, “The work of the unit will continue to be felt not only in the capital city but also in the length and breadth of Guyana. Our best case scenario is when a report for 2019-2020 is recorded there will be a significant reduction, if not total elimination of these cases.”
Vice President, Minister of Public Security and Chairman of the Ministerial Task Force on Trafficking In Persons, Khemraj Ramjattan, expressed his satisfaction with the attendance of the collaborating partners of the Task Force so that they could launch the 2019-2020 leg of the National Plan of Action.
“We know the dangers of human trafficking and because of the work of this task force that is coming down more and more to wider sections of the Guyanese public, and it is as was said by other persons before me that it is modern day slavery. We know in the historical context it took about 200 years to traffick about 10-15 million out of Africa. Today we see over 30 million bring trafficked over the last 15 years from countries unto other countries” the minister said.
He went on to say that they have to continue the enhancement of these partnerships to combat TIP and so it has been a very successful two-year plan that they have now gone past and they have to now ensure that the further two year plan of 2019-2020, they implement successfully.
Resources will come and they are in the sight of great things in just a couple of months’ time and so it is going to happen, but they just have to hold fort at his moment as the darkest moment if just before dawn and they are just about to reach morning now.
He congratulated the members of the task force and encouraging them to keep pushing as they still had a lot of work left to be done but they will get there.