–police to conduct greater intelligence gathering in vulnerable districts, hinterland communities

ANTI-TRAFFICKING operations across Guyana, particularly in vulnerable districts will be intensified as the interagency task force here looks to implement several recommendations that have been made in the recent 2025 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report issued by the United States Department of State.

Guyana was able to maintain a “Tier 1” ranking and according to the U.S. Department of State, this is evaluated on the basis of its strategies and initiatives to combat trafficking, with a collaborative approach involving the Guyana Police Force, the Ministry of Human Services, and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Daniel Griffith, the Coordinator of the trafficking in persons interagency unit here, during an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, shared that the country’s strategy involves assessing trends, adopting techniques, and targeting traffickers based on investigation.

“[The] US State Department assess [sic] countries based on their efforts, and it’s broken down into three categories: prevention, protection and prosecution. So, Guyana is evaluated over those three areas in terms of how they implement strategies [and] initiatives to combat trafficking in persons in Guyana,” Griffith explained.

With several mechanisms such as hotlines and the monitoring of social media already established, TIP operations in Guyana have been proactive.

“We assess trends based on what information is provided to us, what data is provided to us and basically adopt techniques to target [and] to prosecute traffickers,” he said.

Last year, 31 trafficking cases were investigated, leading to the prosecution of three individuals on a total of 10 charges. The majority of victims were young women aged 16-26, primarily for sexual exploitation. Support services for victims include accommodation, medical care, and legal aid. The Ministry of Human Services is responsible for victim protection and support.

“From the task force level, you can see more outreaches engagements, particularly in the hinterland community, migrant settlements, mining and foreign street districts. In the construction sector, we have a lot of construction works. And in the service industries, hotels, bars, entertainment spots, the Guyana Police Force will increase anti-TIP operations, gathering of intelligence to basically curb this crime; it’s going to be a proactive approach. We’re seeing more engagement with persons on the ground and having further discourse,” he said.

This marks the ninth consecutive year that Guyana has maintained the top-tier placement, which is awarded to countries meeting the highest international standards in fighting trafficking in persons.

The U.S. State Department report highlighted several key advancements made by Guyana over the past year, including an increase in prosecution rates; the conviction of a sex trafficker with an ordered restitution payment; enhanced collaboration with foreign governments to investigate trafficking cases and greater funding allocated to protection and prevention initiatives.

However, the report also outlined 12 recommendations for Guyana to further strengthen its anti-trafficking framework. These include: increasing prosecutions and convictions, particularly in cases involving child victims; eliminating recruitment fees charged to workers; expanding labour and spot inspections in high-risk sectors such as mining and logging; enforcing restitution orders promptly; proactively screening vulnerable populations, including migrants, for trafficking indicators; and ensuring convicted traffickers and any complicit officials face adequate penalties.

“It’s a whole-of-government approach. We soon will be working to address the 12 priority recommendations expeditiously. As you know, it’s over a particular period. Some will take us a bit longer than others, and the work continues to end, combat Trafficking in Persons and combat human trafficking in Guyana,” Griffith asserted.