Community leaders urged to be vigilant against TIP
Guyana Chronicle
August 14, 2004
THE BATTLE against Trafficking in Persons (TIP) has been extended to Region Nine (Upper Takatu/Upper Essequibo), with a visit by the TIP Task Force and its appeal to community leaders for vigilance to stamp out the scourge in the Region.
The task force, headed by Human Services Minister Bibi Shadick, recently held meetings at Annai and St. Ignatius and travelled briefly to other villages in the region to sensitise residents to TIP and its effects.
Some Amerindian leaders are adamant that trafficking in persons doesn’t exist in their communities. But Minister Shadick said TIP was a subtle crime that could be successfully fought only by uncompromising vigilance. She urged Toshaos, Village Captains and Community Development Officers to be more sensitive to TIP.
Among other things, she called on the community leaders to be on the lookout for strange persons traversing their villages.
She also recommended the setting up of vehicle checkpoints for persons who may be in the process of being abducted or otherwise sneaked out of their communities.
Ms. Shadick acknowledged legitimate cases of persons being recruited for jobs outside their communities. But she also cited instances where people detailed for employment end up in places and jobs not indicated in their initial agreements.
The trafficking in persons has become a big issue here following a June 14 report by the U.S. State Department implicating Guyana in what it calls a newer “form of organized criminal activity.”
The report estimates that 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders each year, and perhaps many more within their own countries. It said an estimated 80 percent of victims are women and girls, the majority of them forced sex workers.
As part of its response to the report’s findings, Government on August 5 tabled legislation that would impose stiff penalties, including imprisonment, against people convicted of human trafficking.
Minister Shadick introduced the Bill less than a week after two U.S. State Department officials visited to assess the country’s anti-TIP initiatives.
The U.S. has threatened sanctions against countries that fail to make progress against TIP – also referred to modern-day slavery. It expects the implicated countries to institute stronger laws, increase convictions and provide greater protections for victims.