Local journalists are now better equipped to make a positive contribution towards the Ministry of Human Services’ awareness campaign for stamping out Human Trafficking, or Trafficking in Persons (TIP) as it is better known, which has been engaging the attention of the government over the last four years.

This was made possible through an interactive session on the subject at a ‘working dinner’ for journalists and officials of related non-governmental organisations (NGOs), hosted by Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Ms Priya Manickchand at Cara Lodge here in the city two Fridays ago.

Key speakers at the session, which dwelt extensively on the subject of human trafficking, were Minister Manickchand and Ms Chissey Meuller, Programme Coordinator of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). Also participating in the discussion were Minister of Labour, Mr. Manzoor Nadir and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, Mr. Trevor Thomas.

According to the United States Department of State, “Trafficking in persons is modern-day slavery, involving victims who are forced, defrauded or coerced into labor or sexual exploitation. Annually, about 600,000 to 800,000 people — mostly women and children — are trafficked across national borders which does not count millions trafficked within their own countries.”

People are snared into trafficking by many means, the Department says. “In some cases, physical force is used. In other cases, false promises are made regarding job opportunities or marriages in foreign countries to entrap victims.” Human trafficking, the US agency contends, “has a devastating impact on individual victims, who often suffer physical and emotional abuse, rape, threats against self and family, passport theft, and even death. But the impact of human trafficking goes beyond individual victims; it undermines the safety and security of all nations it touches.”

The IOM is the principal inter-governmental organisation in the field of migration, and is dedicated to promoting humane and orderly migration for the benefit of all. It does so by providing services and advice to governments and migrants. The IOM also works in the four broad areas of migration management: migration and development, facilitating migration, regulating migration, and addressing forced migration, among other things, Meuller explained.

The United States Department of State, Trafficking in Persons Report 2008 has placed Guyana on its Tier 2 Watch List for a second consecutive year “for failing to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking, particularly in the area of law enforcement actions against trafficking offenders.”

According to the Report, “The Government of Guyana does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, but is, however, making ‘significant’ efforts to do so.” It further notes that “While the government [of Guyana] has undertaken a commendable initiative to increase public awareness of the dangers of human trafficking through a nationwide outreach campaign and advertising of its anti-trafficking hotline.”

Explaining the tier system and how countries are ranked, Mueller said that based on the Department’s assessment of the country’s response to TIP, it will be ranked and colour-coded as follows:

Tier 1 (green) – means that the country assessed is complying fully with the U.S. State’s minimum requirements. These include criminal enforcement and prosecution of trafficking, establishment of protective services for victims, and coordination of awareness and prevention campaigns.

Tier 2 (yellow) - rating is assigned to countries that do not yet fully comply with minimum standards but are making significant efforts to do so.

Tier 3 (red) - for countries that do not comply with minimum standards and are doing nothing about the problem.

Minister Manickchand, who declared that she and her Permanent Secretary felt very strongly about the issue of Trafficking in Persons, was adamant about statements being made by some senior public officials about Human Trafficking in Guyana, contending that what they’re saying does not reflect the truth about what is happening here.

She recalled that in 2004, the Department in its TIP Report for that year gave Guyana a Tier 3 rating, which in essence meant that “there was indeed trafficking in Guyana, and that the country was doing nothing about it.” This, Ms Manickchand said, generated a lot of concern and dissatisfaction locally.

The Minister said that following the release of the report, the Government of Guyana took the matter up with the Department of State and after resolutely intensifying its awareness campaign, was upgraded. With the most recent assessment, it means that Guyana, because it is on the Tier 2 Watch List, now has an orange colour-code and is ranked somewhere between Tier 2 and Tier 3.

Making known her position on Human Trafficking, Minister Manickchand, who vehemently condemned the phenomenon, stressed: “I think it is inhumane, nasty and horrific.” Of the TIP Legislation, she conceded: “I think it is a fantastic piece of Legislation, and while I am satisfied that there is some trafficking in Guyana, I am convinced that we do not have significant [trafficking] standards here.”

The Minister stated emphatically that Guyana has never had significant trafficking standards, and said she is willing to invite the experts to travel to Guyana to determine for themselves what Guyana’s status really is. Noting that the US Department of State specifies that countries once deemed to be ‘Trafficking in Persons’ must put themselves in order, she said her Ministry has been trying to address the matter and will do all it is asked to. She however held out that Guyana does not have significant standards.

The local campaign, she says, operates in such a manner that people who are vulnerable and who can become trafficked and traffickers, are made precisely aware of the impending dangers, thus ensuring it never happens, she outlined.

Mueller explained that it is mandatory that countries ranked with significant [trafficking] standards, put themselves in order by complying with the Act’s minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. And this takes into consideration what is referred to as the three Ps, namely: Prosecution, Prevention and Protection.

Following its most recent ranking in the 2008 Report, the US Department of State strongly recommended that Guyana should “Increase efforts to investigate, prosecute, convict, and sentence trafficking offenders; confront trafficking complicity by public officials; utilise proactive police strategies such as brothel raids to rescue victims from trafficking situations; provide greater victim assistance; and expand anti-trafficking training for police and magistrates.”