Human trafficking, rights of migrants among issues raised during GPF engagement in Mahdia
Commander Khalid Mandal and the stakeholders during the Mahdia engagement
A series of issues facing the township of Mahdia was on Wednesday highlighted during an outreach by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) with the aim of addressing the concerns of residents.
Commander for Regional Police Division Eight, Senior Superintendent Khalid Mandal, chaired the stakeholder’s meeting which saw discussion on a range of issues, such as the challenges facing foreign nationals and the need to respect the rights of migrants – most of whom are working in gold mining areas in the region.
Other issues discussed include the need for greater collaboration and information sharing among all stakeholders on Trafficking in Persons (TIP) and getting migrants to present themselves to Immigration Officers to ensure proper compliance with the Law.
The meeting saw representation from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Gender Base Violence (GBV) unit in collaboration with the Hebrew Immigrant AID Society (HIAS), Regional Democratic Council, and members of the Guyana Police Force (GPF).
On completion, the agencies were lauded for participating in the meeting and making a concerted effort to work together to address issues relating to migrants, TIP, and law enforcement, among others.
When it comes to the migrants, the migrant population increased from statistics obtained in the 2023 census. This correlates with the pattern of cross-border migration that has been observed over the years.
Last month, migrants seeking refuge in Guyana were encouraged to present themselves to immigration authorities to get registered in order to benefit from services offered by the Government.
Reports indicate that there are about 40,000 Venezuelan migrants residing in Guyana, but only 21,704 are officially documented.
Despite the border controversy between Guyana and Venezuela and the case before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the Government of Guyana has taken a policy decision to offer humanitarian assistance to migrants fleeing from Venezuela.
Meanwhile, for the seventh consecutive year, Guyana has maintained its Tier 1 ranking in the US Department of State 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report, which lauded the Government for its efforts to combat this scourge. This simply means that Guyana is fully compliant with the minimum standards for the elimination of severe forms of trafficking in persons.
