The campaign to reduce the incidence of human trafficking went into gear on Friday with the arrest of a proprietor of a Corentyne restaurant and four women, one of whom was said to be a 13-year-old.
The five were detained when ranks from the Juvenile Department based at the Criminal Investigations Department Headquarters, Eve Leary, swooped down on the restaurant.
A statement from the Police Public Relations office stated that the proprietor of the restaurant is suspected to be involved in illicit activities.
According to the statement, all the women were from the Essequibo and interior areas, and were allegedly taken there by the proprietor of the restaurant. The 13-year-old has since been escorted to Georgetown for further questioning. The statement said that the proprietor and the other persons arrested were placed on station bail and are to report to the Springlands Police Station on a regular basis. However, this newspaper was reliably informed that the proprietor was re-arrested, yesterday.
Efforts are being made to contact the parents or other relatives of the females to verify their true ages and the circumstances surrounding their departure from home.
The raid was part of police investigations into the relatively new phenomenon of trafficking in persons.
The police said that they believe the Corentyne business premises are used as a lure for unsuspecting women, who are pressured into activities such as prostitution in neighbouring Brazil and Suriname. This newspaper has learnt that the police would be stepping up their campaign with special emphasis on interior locations.
Guyana’s interior has been identified as a focal point for the illicit trafficking in humans, with a number of under-aged females making up a major part of the trade.
Draft legislation on anti-human trafficking should be ready by next week.
Meanwhile, the United States Agency for International Development has approved a proposal to fund the training of 300 persons to identify problems related to human trafficking.
These persons would be able to report them to the relevant authorities and offer assistance and protection to victims.