THE National Toshaos Council (NTC) wishes to express its concerns on the issues of forced prostitution and child labour linked to Amerindian women and children as contained in the United States Report on Trafficking in Persons 2010.
The NTC wishes to resolutely state that the Council is unaware of any widespread incidences of trafficking in persons let alone forced prostitution among Amerindian women and children and therefore is unhappy with the contents of the reports. The NTC is highly supportive of the Ministry of Amerindians Affairs Focal Point on HIV/AIDS programme which includes other issues such as (alcohol and drug abuse, child abuse and domestic violence and education on the possible risks of trafficking in persons). Such interventions have targeted hinterland areas such as North Pakaraimas, North and South Rupununi, Upper Mazaruni, Region Number Six and Region Number One and in the process reaching out to hundreds of Amerindians including women. The awareness programme is in the NTC opinion, the correct approach in empowering our hinterland residents who include Amerindians, so that they make right life choices and avoid any possible situation that can lead to abuse. US TIP Report 2010 omitted the TIP specific awareness efforts made by Government which constitute effort to militate against Guyanese being entrapped in any of the situations to which the report alluded.
With respect to child labour, it has always been the traditional practice for Amerindian families to take along children to farms and other work related environment usually located miles away from home during the out of school periods. This practice cannot be mistaken and deem as forced child labour.
The NTC affirms that Guyana is never known to be a source country where children or women are confined into a situation of modern day slavery. And therefore wishes to state that the report is not accurate and creates a distorted image of the situation of indigenous women and children in our country that is far from the truth. We object to the insinuations conveyed in the report and find it inexplicable that the report does not even speak to the issue of the progress that Amerindians have made in this country.