TRAFFICKING in Persons (TIP) only became a distinct criminal offence in the Laws of Guyana since Independence.  In 2005, the Combating in Trafficking Act came into the statute books.  This Act was inspired by the United Nations Convention on Transnational Organised Crime.  Most Western nations now treat Trafficking in Persons (TIP) as a criminal offence and the United States has included it among the human rights violations.  The promotion of human rights worldwide has become part of American foreign policy.
Guyanese have an instinctive empathy with TIP victims, since the ancestors of the vast majority of Guyanese were TIP victims when they were brought to Guyana as chattel slaves or indentured servants.  Though the term TIP was unknown in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries when slavery and indentureship flourished, the slaves and indentured servants suffered the worst form of TIP.

In today’s world, over 21 million persons have been enslaved by TIP and the main reasons for such enslavement is for sexual exploitation and labour exploitation.  This number does not include the steadily growing numbers of illegal immigrants from Afghanistan and Bangladesh; and more particularly, those from sub-Saharan Africa who are trying to make their way to Europe.

Guyana came off the watchlist for TIP back in 2016, that is, moving from Tier Two on the Watch List to Tier Two. The new status was revealed in the US State Department Trafficking in Guyana Report. Guyana has since mounted numerous efforts to improve its rating in this area.

The 2016 Report noted that the Government of Guyana does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The report attributed this improvement in status to the country being able to convict a trafficker, on whom a three-year prison sentence was imposed. The convicted trafficker was also required to pay the victim restitution—the first time restitution has been ordered for a trafficking victim in Guyana.

The 2005 Combating Trafficking In Persons Act was effectuated in 2007 when a Task Force was established under the Act.  The Task Force was charged with effectuating action plans and working in partnerships with groups, especially Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).  It also co-ordinates its efforts with all stakeholder agencies, such as the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), the Ministry of Social Protection and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  Such co-ordination prevents duplication of efforts.

The traffickers who profit from TIP make large sums of money and it is often difficult to find or arrest them and sometimes the victims are charged.  Most of the labour-trafficking is done with local people and it is believed that the largest number of persons trafficked for labour come from indigenous communities.  The other group of persons trafficked locally come from the coastal villages and these consist of very young persons, sometimes even children.  Such children and young persons are innocent of the ways of the world and are enticed by promises of a better life which would never materialise.  The persons from the coastal villages are taken to the interior, in particular the mining areas, where the young women are forced into prostitution.  Minister Broomes, in her capacity as a miner, was able to confront the TIP problem and received recognition for her work from the United States Government.  The exploitation of young women from the indigenous communities occurs in both the interior and on the coast.

Most of the foreign TIP victims are Latin American women who are entrapped in prostitution-related activities such as night club hostesses, strip-tease dancers and of course being in the mining areas.  Many of the women come from The Dominican Republic and Venezuela with a sprinkling of Cubans.  From time to time such persons have been brought before the courts, fined as illegal immigrants and deported.  Some traffickers have also been charged.

The Task Force is under the Ministry of Public Security and its coordinator is Mr Oliver Profitt.  The Task Force has been training groups on how to deal with TIP;  for example, on 19th and 20th June, they mounted a two-day programme for officers of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission.  Such training is very relevant as a great deal of the foreign as well as local trafficking occur in the mining areas.

The Task Force operates on two-year action programmes and it has been fairly successful in coordinating all stakeholder agencies.  Its action plans are based on four areas of activities: Prevention, Protection, Prosecution and Partnership – which is abbreviated as “The four P’s”.

One of the main problems which the Task Force faces is that once they initiate a prosecution, the foreign victim is unable to remain in Guyana for the whole time of the trial and as such, the prosecution is aborted.  To solve this problem, they are endeavouring to bring up pieces of evidence which are weightier, and more importantly, to have the courts accept evidence from the victims given electronically by Skype or video.

TIP is one of the most vicious forms of slavery and if allowed to remain unchecked in any society, it could be as destructive as plantation slavery had been to Caribbean society.  Guyana has been able to control it and with continuing efforts, will eradicate it.