…suspected female trafficker faces charges

FOLLOWING receipt of a tip-off about the whereabouts of a missing person who was said to be a TIP victim, the Counter-Trafficking in Persons (C-TIP) Unit of the Ministry of Social Protection (MoSP) organized an impromptu raid in the Omai mining area of Region Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni) last Friday at about 16:00 hrs, and five alleged victims of human trafficking (TIP) were rescued in that operation.

A female perpetrator of TIP who has been wanted by the police is now facing charges.

The C-TIP unit comprised officials of the Ministry of Social Protection (MoSP), the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GG&MC), the Guyana Police Force (GPF), and the Community Policing Group of Linden.

The missing person — the only adult among the victims — is one of four females who were rescued by the team. One alleged male victim had no identification document, and claimed to be underage, the MoSP said in a statement. Three of the alleged victims were reintegrated with their families, while the other two remain under the protection of the MoSP, and are assisting investigators.

The female perpetrator who was hiding from police was netted in the raid, and made her first appearance in a city court on Monday. She was remanded to prison until November 18.

Investigations have revealed that the fourth victim, a 15-year-old, is an alleged victim of human trafficking, since the two required elements of human trafficking as stipulated in the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2005 are present in the statement.

The Omai Mine is one of the largest gold mines in Guyana. A GG&MC source has said that all current business operations in the once-thriving mining area are illegal.