[www.inewsguyana.com] – In light of the recent US State Department report on trafficking in persons, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) has renewed its call for a Commission of Inquiry to investigate cases of trafficking in persons (TIP) in Guyana.
In a statement, the APNU urged President Donald Ramotar to empanel a commission which will make recommendations and find new ways to tackle “this form of modern day slavery.”
According to the State Department report; “The government of Guyana does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. Traffickers are attracted to Guyana’s interior mining communities where there is limited government control, but Guyanese and foreign nationals are also vulnerable to trafficking in urban centers and elsewhere in the country. Children are particularly vulnerable to forced labour.”
The Party reminded the PPP led administration that the State is responsible for protecting its citizens.
“APNU firmly believes that this unfavorable report by the State Department is due to the failure of the PPP-C administration to act decisively against the scourge of trafficking in persons.”
The Opposition is also urging the government to give the Human Service Ministry and the Guyana Police Force the necessary leadership, training and resources necessary for those agencies to enforce the law and comply with international conventions against trafficking in persons.
“The PPP-C administration must stop the syndrome of dodging the problem and pretending that the persons who are being trafficked have voluntarily entered into a state of prostitution. TIP is a form of modern day slavery, it is a crime against humanity (especially women and children). Guyana cannot pretend that the problem is non-existent; unfortunately it is a crime that the PPP-C administration has chosen to deny. It is time to stop the denial.”
