16 TIP victims rescued
Tanisha Williams-Corbin, Coordinator of the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Unit
Tanisha Williams-Corbin, Coordinator of the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Unit

Some 16 suspected victims of Trafficking in Persons (TIP) were on Tuesday removed from a Kitty, Georgetown house and taken into police custody and subsequently protective care, Tanisha Williams-Corbin, Coordinator of the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Unit at the Ministry of Social Protection has confirmed.

Williams-Corbin told Guyana Chronicle Wednesday while she can confirm the raid; she was not at liberty to provide a detailed account of what transpired as the matter is being investigated by the Police. “I can confirm that the police did a raid and 16 young ladies were rescued as suspected victims of trafficking,” she disclosed noting that her department is awaiting a report from the police on the matter.

“We are awaiting the police to tell us what exactly is happening and so only then we’d be able to confirm whether they are victims of TIP.”

According to Williams-Corbin, the “young ladies” who are in protective care are non-nationals. She declined to state their nationalities. “At this point in time I cannot disclose their nationalities because investigations are ongoing,” she said. However, Guyana Chronicle understands that the women are nationals of the Dominican Republic, and Cuba.

Meanwhile, information reaching Guyana Chronicle suggests that three of the 16 ladies in protective custody reportedly escaped from the safe house provided by the Ministry of Social Protection. When asked to comment, Williams-Corbin said, “At this time I would not be able to comment on that.”

She assured however that the women are in protective care as investigations continue.
Meanwhile, in January this year, some 41 foreign nationals believed to be night-club dancers, and eight employees of the Diamond Hotel and Night Club were taken into custody following a raid by the police. That operation was led by the Major Crimes Unit with support from other agencies. The authorities had conducted investigations into whether the foreign nationals were trafficked.

Illegally operated strip clubs have come in sharp focus over the last few years, with a number of raids being conducted by both the Police Force and the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Unit of the Ministry of Social Protection. The government of Guyana has launched an aggressive campaign against TIP here since taking office in May 2015.

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