The Government of Guyana still does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking in persons but is making significant efforts to do so, the US State Department has said in its Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report for 2014.
The report says that the Ministry of Labour, Human Services & Social Security has demonstrated concrete efforts to assist trafficking victims but despite these efforts, government has not demonstrated evidence of overall increasing efforts to address the crime and the country continues to be a source destination for men, women and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labour. As a result, Guyana has again been placed on the Tier 2 Watch List, which is for countries where governments do not fully comply with the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act’s (TVPA) minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards.
The annual report, which was released yesterday and details the progress made in combating TIP by various countries, stated that Guyana’s inability to hold traffickers accountable creates an enabling environment for human trafficking.
Last year, the government rejected the 2013 report by the US, saying that it was “riddled with fabrication” and ignores efforts at combatting human trafficking. The administration had indicated that it was not going to comply with Washington’s request for information for this year’s publication since the reports do not accurately
