MINISTERIAL TASK FORCE ON TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS – Meeting with Guyana Women Miners Organization
MINISTRY OF PUBLIC SECURITY,June 21, 2017 – The Vice President, Minister of Public Security and Chairman of the Ministerial Task Force on Trafficking in Persons Hon. Khemraj Ramjattan, MP welcomed Executive Members of the Guyana Women Miners Organization (GWMO) on June 19, 2017 for a meeting to discuss how collaboration between the Task Force and the Organization could be improved.
The GWMO is a member Agency on the Task Force which regularly attends monthly meetings. However, the team from the GWMO, comprising Ms. Urica Primus, President; Ms. Donna Charles, Vice President; Ms. Marina Charles, Head of the Trafficking in Persons Unit and Task Force Member; and Ms. Donna Scott, Committee Member and Area Representative, noted that the Organization saw scope for improvement of cooperation.
Among the topics at the discussed were the GWMO’s role in fighting trafficking in persons in Guyana, especially regarding its partnerships with Government Agencies; the need for better information sharing during ongoing trafficking in persons’ cases; the response of the Guyana Police Force to reports of suspected trafficking in persons; and the issue of drugs in schools, during which Minister Ramjattan, MP shared information on the newly commissioned National Anti-Narcotics Agency (NaNa).
Minister Ramjattan, MP expressed his gratitude to the GWMO for their work on behalf of trafficking in persons’ victims and for other actions displayed over the years in its attempts to help combat the crime, starting with the interventions of now Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Hon. Simona Broomes, MP. However, the GWMO was encouraged to increase its investment with regard to its participation in activities conducted by the Task Force.
The Ministry of Public Security deems civilian oversight on State Bodies to be a key element of an efficient Security Sector and Public Service as a whole. In this regard, the Ministry is appreciative of the efforts of the GWMO and other Non-Governmental Organizations to contribute to the maintenance of the security of citizens of Guyana. The Ministerial Task Force on Trafficking in Persons and the Ministry of Public Security as a whole remains committed to collaborating with civil society to this end.
