LEADERS of the Guyana Women Miners Organisation (GWMO), which represents the rights of women miners and others who work in hinterland communities, met with United States Ambassador D. Brent Hardt and other Embassy officials on Thursday last. Simona Broomes, President of the GWMO, presented an overview of the organization’s goals, which include highlighting the roles and contributions of women miners; calling attention to the challenges they face; helping to secure financing and access to credit; establishing standardized procedures for resolving challenges; and addressing issues of abuse, trafficking in persons, and forced prostitution.
According to a US Embassy release, Broomes and her colleagues shared perspectives with the Ambassador about the issue of trafficking in persons (TIP) in mining communities, and how the GWMO has assisted victims of this crime.
The organization, she said, seeks to strengthen its network of support to counter TIP in the mining communities.
Ambassador Hardt praised this engagement on behalf of victims, and observed that meeting the challenge from TIP requires the active engagement and collaboration of dedicated NGOs, such as the Guyana Women Miners Association working in close collaboration with the government and the international community.
He noted that, as President Obama had stated, the United States “stand with those throughout the world who are working every day to end modern slavery, bring traffickers to justice, and empower survivors to reclaim their rightful freedom.”
The Ambassador added that trafficking is a global problem, and that close collaboration with grassroots organizations such as the Guyana Women Miners Association, in combination with a victim-centred approach, would help ensure that every man, woman, and child is free from trafficking in persons.
The US Ambassador assured Broomes that the US Embassy looks forward to supporting GWMO’s interaction with its network of TIP partner organisations and institutions, in order to more comprehensively address trafficking in persons.
The GWMO expressed its interest to participate in training opportunities and workshops for HIV/AIDS and gender issues.
As an organisation that promotes gender equality in a sector that has traditionally been dominated by men, the GWMO conveyed its eagerness to learn more, as well as share its valuable insights, the release added.