Reason to Celebrate a Major Govt. Achievement

Jun 18, 2023 Letters

---

Dear Editor,

Amidst the ‘fuss and fight’ over the recently held Local Government Elections, I noticed that not much was made out of the fact that Guyana was yet again given a “Tier 1” ranking, in its efforts to combat Trafficking in Persons” (or human trafficking).

Almost casually, “The Ministries of Home Affairs (and by extension the Ministerial Taskforce on Trafficking in Persons which is co-chaired by the Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. Robeson Benn) and of Human Services and Social Security (Dr. Vindhya Persaud) have acknowledged the release of this United States Department of State 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report, which attested to what I have just stated. I feel it is something to be proud of and for which the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Government must be highly commended.

Let me offer my reasons, as I think that many have very little appreciation for what really constitutes fighting TIP.

First, prevention in countries of origin has been largely neglected which is barely acceptable, having in mind the vital role of preventive measures for reducing the supply side of trafficking and thus undermine the efforts of traffickers.  For example, in Guyana, people from Venezuela, Brazil and Cuba, as well as from as far off  as some African countries have been in the country and with questionable documentation. Add to this the fact that they have been aided and abetted by many locals who have been able, many times, to escape the arms of the law.

Another factor is that “Interagency Cooperation Mechanisms” against human trafficking are poorly developed while, for example, cooperation between security authorities and Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that provide support and protection to victims can enlighten the way, leading directly to the traffickers. Last but not least, the demand side in countries of destination is an under-researched issue that deserves the attention of academics and policy-makers, as after all, we should not forget that trafficking is a supply-demand illicit business process. I think you are getting the picture now, and believe me, there are other serious areas of obstacles.

So, indeed, the rating given to Guyana is “… a testament of the hard work and dedication of individual members of the Task Force, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and all other stakeholders, who assisted through increased reporting, training, awareness, proactive investigations, victim protection and international and local partnership.”

Readers should bear in mind that “The Tier 1 placement in the most recent edition of the Report makes this the seventh consecutive year that the Government of Guyana has maintained sustained efforts to combat this crime, and more so, during and post a global health pandemic, increased use of online platforms, increasing acts of migrant smuggling and evolving recruitment tactics of human traffickers. “

As was pointed out in our local press, “Trafficking in Persons or Human Trafficking remains a deeply entrenched global issue, affecting millions of individuals across borders, age groups and social-economic backgrounds. The literature on the issue says that “Human trafficking is a complex phenomenon related to many different factors, such as migration, economic exclusion, human rights, labour, and gender-based violence, to name a few. For this reason, I am glad that the Government of Guyana is  bringing together officials from multiple departments and agencies who can cover a wide range of issues including, for example, international, Indigenous, law enforcement, immigration and procurement matters, in order to identify interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral anti-trafficking policy responses.

The success and progress of this mind set is quite evident, as “for the first half of the year, the Guyana Police Force’s, Trafficking in Persons Unit investigated twenty-one (21) reported trafficking in persons’ cases, of which, two hundred and forty- four (244) alleged victims were interviewed and screened, twenty-three (23) being under eighteen (18) years of age. It gets better, as some five (5) persons were officially charged and placed before the court between January and May, this year, for offences ranging from trafficking in persons, assault, forgery of currency notes and the operation of a Brothel. The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has recommended that one of the alleged perpetrators, who was charged and sentenced to prison for the operation of a Brothel in May 2023, be further charged with two (2) counts of trafficking in persons.   The Guyana Police Force – TIP Unit will institute these charges shortly.

So again, I commend the PPP/C Government for the great work done so far and for upping the ante in this regard. Keep it up.

Yours truly,

HB Singh.

---

• Achievement, HB Singh., Ministries of Home Affairs, Taskforce, Trafficking in persons

---