Five Guyanese forced to live, work in Suriname – under harsh conditions without pay – probe underway
Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett
Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett

A JOINT investigation is underway by law enforcement authorities in Guyana and Suriname following the reported case of Trafficking in Persons (TIP) in which five Guyanese were trafficked to the neighbouring Dutch-speaking country and forced to work under harsh conditions on a farm, without pay.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a press release, said that on the afternoon of Friday last (November 21) the Embassy of Guyana in Paramaribo, Suriname, was informed by the Surinamese authorities that five persons, who indicated that they were Guyanese nationals, were at a Surinamese police station and were being sent to Guyana the following day.

In view of the fact that the Embassy was also advised that the persons were victims of TIP, two officials, including the Ambassador, immediately visited the station outside the city of Paramaribo to interview the five males.

Details regarding the allegations of trafficking were obtained during that interview and a report was submitted to Guyana’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs the very afternoon, given the seriousness of the allegations.

The report to Guyana’s Foreign Ministry included details provided by the individuals about their passage to Suriname, the known name of the alleged perpetrator and where they were located since they arrived in Suriname.

The Guyanese Embassy in Suriname was able to confirm that four of the men are from Region 1 and one from Region 4.

While all five men were asked to provide telephone numbers for their relatives in Guyana, only four were able to do so. The Embassy was therefore able to make contact with the relatives of three out of four of the individuals who provided contact numbers. There was no response from the number provided by one of the individuals, the ministry reported.

The release added that from the interview, it was also ascertained that the five persons were indeed Guyanese nationals. This confirmation was required since they were all without identification documents.

Given the circumstances and the absence of the necessary travel documents (which is an offence ordinarily), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs facilitated their release upon entry into Guyana.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry said the report received from the five men has been provided to the Ministry of Home Affairs and the relevant law enforcement authorities of both countries are in contact under the mechanism which exists between the two countries.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to advise the public to be wary of ‘too lucrative to be true’ job offers outside of Guyana and where promises of securing the necessary travel documents and work permits are made.

Given a previous experience of a similar nature which was reported to the Foreign Ministry, even greater vigilance is advised for the interior communities.

Meanwhile, the Guyana Police Force, in a press release yesterday, confirmed that it is investigating the circumstances under which two sets of Guyanese nationals were victims of TIP in Suriname.
The Force also alerted members of the Guyanese society to be cautious when they are considering similar job offers.

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