Guyana maintains Tier one placement in US TIP report
DPI, Guyana, Friday, June 29, 2018
Guyana’s fight against Trafficking in Person (TIP) has seen it maintaining its Tier one status in the US State’s Department of State’s TIP report for 2017.
The recently released report shows that Guyana has been making significant strides in the fight against trafficking in persons. Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan said the increased efforts of anti-TIP agencies have resulted in much success.
Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan.
“In 2017, The Task Force was led by the Ministry of Public Security and also comprised representation from the Ministry of Social Protection, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Ministry of Communities, Ministry of Education Guyana Geology and Mines Commission,” he told reporters today, noting that all the organisations played an integral role in the process.
The task force, however, did not work alone. Other member agencies including the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Ministry of Social Protection and Guyana Women Miners’ Organisation operated through specialised Trafficking in Persons Units. There were valuable contributions from organisations not represented on the Task Force such as the Judiciary, Sisters of Mercy and Community Policing locally; and the United States Department of State, International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and INTERPOL from outside our borders.
The government, he said, sustained its efforts to ensure that anti-TIP interventions were well funded, primarily through the Task Force, the Ministry Social Protection, Guyana Police Force and Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).
According to Minister Ramjattan, while the government is happy that Guyana has maintained its Tier one ranking, the recommendations included in the report did not go unnoticed.
“In some of the mentioned areas, such as those pertaining to training, identification procedures and victim services outside the capital, improvement has already started. In others, such as with regard to an increase in the rate of conviction, there is much more to be done.”
Minister Trotman has again called on all Guyanese to be part of the process and report all cases of TIP to the relevant agencies.
By: Alexis Rodney.
Image: Jameel Mohamed.