Series of activities planned to combat human trafficking
With the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons planned to be observed on July 30, 2024, the Ministry of Home Affairs is collaborating with the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security to roll out a series of activities and initiatives to heighten awareness.
Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn and Coordinator for the Trafficking in Persons Unit, Daniel Griffith highlighted these concerted efforts while appearing on the HJ94.1 radio station on Wednesday.
Key among the initiatives planned is the launch of the repealed Combating Trafficking of Persons Act of 2023.
Sensitisation sessions will also be rolled out in the streets of Georgetown and other areas through what is termed the ‘TIP in the Streets’ campaign.
Furthermore, awareness campaigns will be disseminated in the ten regions of Guyana, highlighting indicators and the national referral mechanism. A fitness walk is planned for July 19.
With Guyana recording an increase in human migration, Minister Benn said it is important to improve the country’s detection capabilities.
“It’s important to raise awareness because some persons might not recognise and understand what may fall under the category of trafficking in persons… Those are some of the activities that will be planned this month to zero in on the causes, to zero in on what persons should be looking for to recognise the scourge,” he stated.
He alluded to the rigorous efforts by the two ministries, which are part of the ministerial task force to eradicate this scourge.
Some 1,000 police ranks have been trained to recognise the elements of trafficking as well as stakeholders in the human rights community.
Meanwhile, Griffith highlighted the ministry’s ongoing efforts to increase the foreign-speaking human resource pool to cater to the Spanish-speaking community.
A Spanish hotline is also available where persons can make a report via a telephone call.
Due to the government’s aggressive and sustained efforts to combat this transnational crime, Guyana has maintained its ‘Tier 1’ status for the anti-trafficking in persons (TIP) rating in the United States State Department Trafficking in Persons report.
According to the US report, the government has fully met the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.