For the last 10 years, the United States has been issuing reports about countries around the world as it relates to trafficking in humans. Let me say from the outset this is a particularly heinous crime, is modern day slavery and should see a world – united front and true partnerships addressing this issue with a view to stamping it out and saving lives. The United States, for the first time has rated and ranked itself in the 2010 report.  They have ranked themselves at tier 1.
Guyana, by comparison, has been placed on the tier 2 watch list.

Tier 1 countries are countries whose governments comply with minimum standards for eliminating trafficking.

In section 110 (3) of the US’ Trafficking and Victims Protection Act (TVPA) it is stated that when determining whether the government of a country is making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and consequentially what rank that country should be given, the Secretary of State shall consider—

(A) the extent to which the country is a country of origin, transit, or destination for severe forms of trafficking;

(B) the extent of noncompliance with the minimum standards by the government and, particularly, the extent to which officials or employees of the government have
participated in, facilitated, condoned, or are otherwise complicit in severe forms of trafficking; and

(C) what measures are reasonable to bring the government into compliance with the minimum standards in light of the resources and capabilities of the government.

Taking cognizance of A above, clearly the extent of the problem in a particular country (that is whether the numbers of victims are significant or not) has to be taken into consideration when determining how seriously a country is trying to meet the minimum standards set forth in the TVPA and, consequentially, what ranking a country shall receive.
The US TVPA says in its “findings” that there are over 50,000 persons trafficked into the US each year. The 2010 report itself fails to give a number of victims for the reporting period. Guyana has said that it does not have significant numbers of victims. Moreover, no evidence of said significant numbers has been presented by the government of the United States of America.
As it relates to B above, it is true that the report says that there have been no reports over the reporting period of any official being complicit in trafficking in the United States. It is also true that there has never been a report in Guyana (or a complaint in any of the successive reports issued about Guyana) that officials in Guyana have been complicit in this crime. Further the State Department issued reports have repeatedly said that Guyana “is making significant efforts to comply with the minimum standards….”
With respect to C above, given that authorities in Guyana have had no more than 20 serious complaints since 2004 even with all the millions of dollars expended to raise awareness, host public discussions, provide shelter, care and counseling to alleged victims and persons vulnerable to victimization, reintegrate vulnerable persons with their families even when those families are from foreign countries, those Guyanese citizens who have complained that excessive funds are being spent on trafficking as compared to other issues in Guyana may well be justified. Given the magnitude of the scale of the problem in the US, one can reasonably argue that the US is not spending in its own country to match the scale of the problem there.
If the US’ ranking of itself at tier 1 is accurate, then, having regard to the above, should Guyana have been ranked at the tier 2 watch list?  You decide.