THE Ministerial Task Force on Trafficking in Persons has hailed the recent decision of a magistrate’s court to jail a woman who was found guilty of trafficking in person.The Task Force said it had on September 8, 2016, voiced its concern regarding the conviction of Ms. Joyce Lawrence of Plantation Grove, due to the fact that no jail time was ordered in accompaniment with the restitution ordered on the charge of ‘trafficking a 16-year-old female for labour exploitation’ and a fine levied on the charge of ‘unlawful withholding of an identification document’.
However, the Task Force expressed its satisfaction with the latest conviction for trafficking in persons in the Magistrates’ Court. On December 22, 2016, Ms. Sharleen Oxley, residing in Pattenson, Greater Georgetown, Guyana and Cayenne, French Guiana, was convicted of the offence of trafficking in persons in Georgetown Magistrates’ Court One. The sentence given was three years imprisonment together with restitution for the survivor in the sum of two million Guyana Dollars (G$2M).
“The Task Force is pleased that the prosecution was successful in establishing a case beyond a reasonable doubt against the perpetrator of the crime, that a conviction was achieved, and that the penalties meted out were in accordance with the Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act No. 2 of 2005.”
The Task Force said it continues to contend that it is essential that verdicts in cases of trafficking in persons in Guyana are in line with local legislation and commensurate with the crime committed. “In this particular case, the Task Force is of the opinion that the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court through Her Worship, the Chief Magistrate, has set a satisfactory precedent which can serve as a deterrent to potential offenders and should become a standard from which there is no regression.”
The Task Force said too that it remains committed to working with the judicial and prosecutorial authorities in Guyana to improve efforts in ensuring successful prosecutions in cases of trafficking in persons, just penalties for perpetrators and last, but certainly not least, fair treatment and compensation for victims/survivors of the crime.
