GUYANA again was hailed for its excellent work in the fight against human trafficking by the United States Government and has remained on the Tier 1 ranking.

THIS is the fourth year since the Coalition Government took office that it has been able to escape the wrath of the report, owing to the significant improvements that have been made in the fight against human trafficking and the administration’s efforts at suppressing it.

Hardly would anyone forget this country’s experiences over the years prior to the Coalition Government coming into office, from being on the Tier 2 watch list to the then administration lashing out at the United States for its yearly assessments. Fighting human trafficking, like any other crime, requires among other things, political will; this is often measured by the resources made available to tackle the scourge and the deployment of those resources, both human and material, to address the issue.

Trafficking In Persons (TIPs), also referred to as human trafficking, is among the many existing acts of known international criminality. It is a many-headed beast; it is known for its cunning brutality that first ensnares its victims. It achieves this by using subtle guise before applying the element of cruel subjugation that instills fear; fear designed for the response of total submission for the grand iniquitous design of exploitation of those in its death-like grasp, in whatever form as decided by the controllers.

For an understanding of the criminal phenomenon that is TIPs, one must refer to Article Three of the ‘United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons,’ which defines it as “The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability, or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.”

Therefore, in every detail as outlined above, TIPs is not only a very serious crime that violates human rights; ensnares thousands of men, women and children in the deadly grips of traffickers, but also a pervasive act of cruel criminality that has domestic, regional, and international dimensions, as alluded to above. Further, the reach of this monumental sin is embedded in every country, whether as one of origin, transit or destination for victims. Thus, it is in the category of a transnational crime and is known to be perpetrated with or without the involvement of organised crime groups. Its hellish and devious mechanisms that are used to imprison its numerous unsuspecting victims, makes for an undoubted description of irrefutable modern-day slavery. Three examples support this fact:
*Through acts of coercion, trafficked persons are held against their will, providing services to the traffickers or to others.

* They are not allowed to leave on arrival at their destination.
*Their work or services range from bonded labour to sexual exploitation.
The ascension of the coalition, A Partnership for National Unity+ Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Government, has seen a completely different approach that could be described as pro-active, and results-oriented to a very serious social problem that has been in existence and festering within the borders of Guyana for some significant time, without any effort and genuine response to its growing threat by the former administration.

Without any fear of contradiction, it is fair to say that despite existing legislation in the form of Combatting of Trafficking in Persons Act, 2005, in Guyana, that prohibited all forms of trafficking in persons, as well as prescribing very stringent penalties, there was shockingly marked indifference and what had been an approach of denying the existence of such a grave criminality, that continued to grow, concomitant with the rise in the price for gold, which attracted untold numbers of coastlanders and foreigners to Guyana’s goldfields.

We cannot forget the advent of Ms. Simona Broomes as President of the Guyana Women Miners Organisation (GWMO), and now Minister within the Ministry of the Presidency, whose many missions into the many hinterland communities, rescuing many young women – mainly teenagers– which finally exposed the true reality and extent of human trafficking in Guyana. And these journeys– dangerous in scope– she carried out without any security protection and assistance from the then PPP/C administration, except receiving grudging criticisms from them that underlined shocking indifference. Indisputably, some of the first arrests and convictions were secured as a result of her sterling efforts, for which she was duly recognised by the United States’ Department of State.

Fast forward to the current efforts by state authorities in combatting this iniquitous trade; there has been significant progress as evidenced by improved legislation, more arrests and improved convictions of the unconscionable who participate in this horrible affront. Led by a Ministerial Task Force for Trafficking in Persons (TIPs), and the Ministry of Social Protection in which there are designated departments, with a specialised Counter Trafficking in Persons Unit and personnel, that coordinates counter -trafficking activities with law-enforcement authorities, dozens of trapped females have been rescued from hotels and bars, with the shadowy organisers/perpetrators of this evil trade being arrested and arraigned before the courts.

Let it be understood that Trafficking in Persons is second only to drug trafficking in its criminal activity. Therefore, its financial lure serves as a great incentive for its controllers to want to maintain and manage its obnoxious trade and existence. At best, it is a great corrupter of morals and must be defeated by national efforts. Already, the results of the efforts towards this scourge are being realised by greater inter-agency cooperation. The public too must be commended for its communal cooperation with the relevant authorities.