– Ramjattan cites ‘good work’ of ministerial task force

Citing the “good work” of Guyana’s ministerial task force on Trafficking in Persons (TIP), the authorities here will be acting on recommendations made by the United States Department of State in its 2019 TIP Report.

This was noted by Chairman of the Task Force, Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan.
The US Department of State on Thursday lauded the efforts of the government to increase funding for TIP victims, as well as its ability to identify and assist more victims for the third consecutive year, citing Guyana’s ability to demonstrate “serious and sustained efforts” in combating the issue.

The report also pointed out that the Government of Guyana met fully, the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.
On Friday , Ramjattan, in remarks, noted that the Government of Guyana is pleased to acknowledge the release of the report and that the task force accepts the Tier One placement, with the belief that “it is testament to the work of the task force, Guyana’s anti-trafficking units, non-governmental organisations, the general public through increased reporting, and significant contributions made by partners beyond the shores of this Cooperative Republic, including the United States Department of State itself.”

It is the third consecutive year Guyana has ranked in Tier One, and Ramjattan noted that it signals that the country’s efforts to combat the crime have been so recognised. He called on ‘john public’ to continue to report instances of the crime.

Ramjattan said that the report included a number of recommendations for improvement and to this end he said that the APNU+AFC government intends to “heed these as it has done for recommendations in past reports.”

He said that recommendations in the report focused on victim services outside the capital and for males and children; increased investigations and prosecutions; finalisation of victim identification procedures; more training in anti-trafficking for stakeholders, including diplomats; additional victim protection; and, case monitoring.

In this regard, he said that the task force and other anti-trafficking entities locally will incorporate these recommendations in their 2019/2020 work plans.
Ramjattan said that the Ministry of Social Protection’s Counter Trafficking in Persons Unit – a key Task Force member agency – has since established a Victim Care Facility outside the capital along with a space for males to go along with already existing children spaces.
While providing a breakdown on the efforts of the authorities, Ramjattan said that more investigations and prosecutions occurred with the Guyana Police Force’s Trafficking in Persons Unit – another key Task Force member – just about doubling its activities from the previous year (2017).

He said it should also be noted that in the first half of 2019, two individuals have been convicted on a combined number of eight charges – two for trafficking in persons, two for unlawfully withholding identification papers, which is another offence under the TIP Act, and the other four for related offences.

Ramjattan said the period under review in the 2019 report also saw 16 local training courses and sessions on trafficking in persons held with assistance from other task force member agencies and other key anti-trafficking stakeholders.

He said those training courses benefitted a total of 446 local anti-trafficking officials, inclusive of frontline officials, diplomats, interpreters, community advocates, educators, civil society, and medical practitioners, among others, combined with the numerous awareness campaigns to increase the available information as regards trafficking in persons in Guyana.

Of note, he said, is that “steady strides” have been made regarding the finalisation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) due to a collaborative project with the International Organisation Migration (IOM) and efforts to increase the level of security provided to victims while investigations and prosecutions are underway. He said calls to the hotline continue to be responded to, managed and recorded by the Ministry of Social Protection’s Counter-Trafficking in Persons Unit.

Ramjattan detailed that the member agencies of the Task Force include the Ministry of Social Protection; the Guyana Police Force – Investigations, Immigration and Intelligence; Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, who also launched a Trafficking in Persons Unit in 2018, as well as the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

In addition, the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs; Ministry of Communities; Ministry of Natural Resources; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Education; Ministry of Legal Affairs; Indigenous Peoples’ Commission; Food for the Poor; Help and Shelter; and Guyana Women Miners Organisation are members of the body. “Each of these agencies has played a part in ensuring that Guyana maintained its Tier One status and the task force is very grateful for their commitment,” he said.

In order to report suspected occurrences of trafficking in persons, members of the public can call the TIP Hotline numbers – 227-4083/623-5030.
Ramjattan also encouraged the public to go out in numbers to trafficking awareness activities which would be held in commemoration of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons – July 30, 2019.