The International Criminal Police Organisation (INTERPOL) will assist in training members of the judicial sector to deal with Trafficking in Persons (TIP).
Acting Coordinator of the TIP Ministerial Task Force, Oliver Profitt, has revealed that members of the prosecutorial section and the magistracy are expected to be trained in victim support among other aspects, a Government Information Agency (GINA) release stated. The training will be held in October and November, and will be facilitated by INTERPOL.
“The idea now is for them to be able to come back with the knowledge they gain from this training and be able to re-train or to pass it on to members of the Task Force and also to others that work in their fields,” Profitt explained.
Training of Government officials and related persons in identification, prevention and prosecution as it relates to TIP is an essential part of the TIP Action Plan. The two-year (2016-2017) strategy will be released to the public later this year; however, Profitt explained that the Ministerial Task Force has begun undertaking activities outlined in the comprehensive document.
One such activity will be the local training of trainers in TIP, earmarked for October. The Counter Trafficking in Persons (C-TIP) Unit of the Social Protection Ministry is expected to facilitate this session.
“That will enable us to have a wider base as well of persons that can administer training or go and do awareness sessions elsewhere instead of us having a few of us around the table trying to cover the whole country,” Profitt told GINA.
Since the Ministerial Task Force on TIP re-convened earlier this year, officers from the Immigration Department, the Guyana Police Force’s Intelligence Unit and Criminal Investigation Department, along with the C-TIP Unit, benefited from INTERPOL training.
Profitt further explained that INTERPOL had conducted a needs assessment prior to the training. “They (INTERPOL) were in a number of countries and they wanted to assess the needs of each country, and also to have regional training, so when they get this assessment done, they can tailor the training to meet the needs of each country,” he added.
INTERPOL also had input in the compilation of the TIP Action Plan. The Plan is divided into the four pillars used in the TIP fight: prevention, protection, prosecution and partnership.
The TIP Ministerial Task Force meets monthly, and is chaired by Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan. The Task Force is mandated by the Combating of Trafficking in Persons Act No 2 of 2005, to ensure there is public awareness on TIP, and training for law enforcement and other officials among other things.
The Task Force comprises a mixture of governmental and Non-Governmental Organisations working together to combat TIP.
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