Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan yesterday reported a dramatic reduction in human trafficking cases for the year, while also revealing that almost 85% of the victims are Venezuelan nationals.
Ramjattan made the disclosures during the launching of the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the investigation and prosecution of Trafficking in Persons (TIP) cases at the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Training Centre.
The minister said that from January to November 2019, the GPF investigated 18 suspected cases of TIP, which involved 138 females, all of whom were allegedly trafficked for sexual exploitation. He added that 115 of the women were under the age of 30 and seven were below the age of 18, while 116 of the total number are Venezuelans, 11 are Dominican and the remainder Guyanese. There were 50 suspects and he said the investigations resulted in eight convictions. Region Four accounted for 87% of the cases.
Ramjattan also provided statistics for last year, when he said the GPF Trafficking Unit investigated 32 suspected TIP cases, from which 242 alleged victims (including 224 females) emerged. He said 11 of those victims were under the age of 18 and 55% were under the age of 26. He added that 162 of the total number were Venezuelans, 49 were Cubans, 10 of them were from the Dominican Republic and 21 from Guyana. He disclosed that half of the cases occurred in Region Four and all were for sexual exploitation. There were 57 suspects.
He noted that the high number of Venezuelan victims can be attributed “to the situation in their country.”
He went on to say that TIP for labour exploitation has to be investigated as he was made aware that Indigenous girls and women are being transported from their villages to work in the shops or business places in and around Georgetown with little or no pay. “We still have a lot of work to do,” he said.
Ramjattan also said that the ministry has tried to do everything in its 2019-2020 action plan. One of the projects on that list was the construction of a victim care facility outside of Georgetown. He said that has been done and they are currently adding space for male victims.
He added that they have also vigorously investigated and prosecuted TIP cases involving public officials and held all those persons accountable. They were also required to finalise and identify operating procedures, which he said was what they did yesterday.
The ministry has also facilitated training for law enforcement, judiciary officials and front line responders. He said since 2017 a number of training courses were conducted by members of the Ministerial Task Force on TIP, Interpol, and the IOM, among others. He added that they have also provided training for diplomatic personnel and have monitored the cases reported through the trafficking hotline.
According to Ramjattan, providing additional protections for victims to testify against traffickers in a way that minimises re-traumatisation is a work in progress, since the SOPs for TIP victim protection are yet to be launched. “The plan’s main objective is prevention, protection and reintegration and prosecution and partnership. All four have been met as a result of the activities we have been doing. The implementations of these protocols will represent Guyana’s continued commitment to improve its response in TIP offences and securing convictions and protecting and assisting victims in TIP,” he added.
