Satiricus saw the other foot had fallen. The first foot was when under direction from the Society Protection Ministry, a “house of ill repute” – or “bad house” as they were called in rural Guyana had been raided and 15 strippers arrested.
“Cappo, I wonder how the cops knew the girls had been “trafficked”?” Satiricus asked.
“Sato, dem police a wuk just like SOCU,” Cappo answered, “Dem a seize fuss and aks question afta!”
“Yes,” replied Satiricus, “Looks like if girls are working in a club, that is a prima facile case they had been “trafficked”.
“Bai, Sato,” Cappo asked, “Ah how yuh know ‘bout dis trafficking!”
Satiricus explained when he first heard about the noun “traffic” used as a verb like in “Trafficking girls into prostitution”, he had this image of nubile females being shuttled back and forth on highways in fast moving vehicles to assignations with “Johns”. But he knew better now. The girls were forcibly – or under false pretences – tricked by lecherous exploiters to enter Guyana from other countries or other neighbourhoods into “doing the dirty” for money.
Georgie was visiting from NY and buying beers at the Back Street Bar. “Last week, I heard the Society Protection Minister vowed “We have to ensure that we find these perpetrators, irrespective of who they are, rich or poor, high or low, we have to and we must bring them to justice.” And lo and behold, a week later action! Wow!!”
Suresh piped in: “The lady kinda sound like Jack the Ripper. I remember from the movie, the Ripper wrote, “I am down on whores and I shan’t quit ripping them till I do get buckled.”
Satiricus pointed out of the 15 girls arrested, four had been released immediately. “I wonder how they’d proved to the police they weren’t “trafficked” but the others couldn’t.”
Georgie piped up, “Your police have been receiving training in the matters from our American police. They knew about recognising certain “types”. You see how they pick up potential evildoers in America – just like that? Even when the evildoers are just driving!”
Satiricus explained he read six of the working girls who were from the Dominican Republic had been convicted for “overstaying their time” in Guyana. “Not a word about whether they’d been trafficked!” he exclaimed.
Cappo slapped his hand on the table: “Budday! De can-sti- stu-shan seh dem gyaals gat de right fuh wuk!”
“But talking off your clothes isn’t work?” said Satiricus. “So maybe they have no protection?”
All the fellas down their beers as they commiserated on the woes of working girls.
