By Jomo Paul
[www.inewsguyana.com] – The government of Guyana has once again failed to make a positive impression on United States officials in its efforts to combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP) in Guyana.
In its 2015 report on Human Trafficking, the United States ranked Guyana for a third year at tier 2, citing government’s failure to implement policies, prosecute traffickers and provide funding for Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to adequately tackle the scourge.
“The Government of Guyana does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Despite these measures, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing anti-trafficking efforts compared to the previous reporting period; therefore, Guyana is placed on Tier 2 Watch List for a third consecutive yea,” the report stated.
It was noted that Guyana was granted a waiver from an otherwise required downgrade to Tier 3 because its government has a written plan, which if implemented, would constitute making significant efforts to bring itself into compliance with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, and it has committed to devoting sufficient resources to implement that plan.
The report pointed out too that the government convicted only one trafficker in 2014, noting that the judiciary initially demonstrated positive progress in denying the trafficker’s bail request; however upon the trafficker’s appeal of his sentence, it subsequently approved the bail request and released the trafficker.
“The convicted trafficker was a police officer sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for child sex trafficking; he was initially denied bail, but ultimately granted bail pending appeal on April 1, 2015. In 2013, the government released three convicted traffickers on bail while their cases were under appeal; these three convicted traffickers were still free on bail and had not had their appeals heard at the end of the reporting period.”
In its recommendations, the report urges that government vigorously investigate and prosecute sex and labour trafficking cases and hold convicted traffickers accountable with time in prison that is commensurate with the severity of the crime.
“Provide increased funding for NGOs to identify and assist victims; investigate, prosecute, and convict government officials complicit in trafficking; make additional efforts to enable victims to appear in court and testify against traffickers in a way that does not further endanger victims; develop child-sensitive investigation procedures and court procedures that protect the privacy of children and minimize their re-traumatization,” the report recommends.
The US Government admits that there is TIP in that country, but they are doing what it takes to STOP it. Unfortunately, the PPP/C government denied that there was TIP in Guyana and did NOTHING to put a STOP to it. Well, there is a new Government, and Guyana’s TIP Heroine, Hon. Somora Broomes, is already taking serious action in sweeping out TIP from Guyana, so let’s see what would be Guyana’s ranking in the next report.