Social Protection Ministry providing support for alleged TIP victims

GINA, Guyana, Friday, November 18, 2016

The Ministry of Social Security’s Counter-Trafficking in Persons (C-TIP) Unit is working to support the five alleged human trafficking victims who were rescued in a recent raid in the Omai mining area.

Acting Coordinator, Countering Trafficking Unit, Tanisha Williams-Corbin said the Ministry of Social Protection and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) are working diligently to investigate the cases.

Williams-Corbin told the Government Information Agency (GINA) that based on the investigations thus far; two of the cases are underage females. “There are some concerns surrounding why they were in the area in the first place as underage females at age 15 and 17. Their parents were called in, they were cautioned, and the police are continuing their investigations.”

Williams-Corbin added that the young adult who was captured during the raid was reported missing by her husband and other relatives, but has since been reunited with her family. The police are investigating why she was held against her will.

Meanwhile, the Labour Department is investigating the case of an underage male who could not provide information on his name, address and his parents among others. His matter is deemed by the Labour Department as possible child labour.

Williams-Corbin said the other victim is an underage girl who was trafficked. Her perpetrator was charged and placed before the court.

The acting coordinator told GINA that the raid was a success because more persons are reporting instances of human trafficking, which is boosting the unit’s capacity in the execution of their duties. “We’re seeing that persons, their confidence in the system has now increased since our raids and persons now have a bigger confidence that something is going to be done when they report the cases and that’s what we want to achieve; we want to build public confidence in the system.”

Williams-Corbin also underlined the importance of parents and guardians being cognisant of their children’s whereabouts and urged persons to come forward and report cases of human trafficking.

Last Friday, five alleged human trafficking victims were rescued by a team which comprised officials from the Ministry of Social Protection, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), the GPF and the Community Policing Group (CPG- Linden) following a tip-off about a missing person who was said to be a Trafficking in Persons (TIP) victim.

 

By: Ranetta La Fleur