Interpreters working with authorities to combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP) are currently undergoing a two-day training session during which they will be sensitised on the scourge as well as how to interact with victims.
Newly elected Rose Hall Mayor, Chattregoon Ramnauth (seated centre) with members of the new Council
The training is being hosted by the Ministerial Taskforce on TIP and saw more than 20 participants, including staff from foreign embassies and high commissions.
In presenting an overview of the training course at the opening ceremony held at the Police Training Centre on Wednesday, Coordinator of the TIP Ministerial Taskforce, Oliver Profitt, posited that such training is imperative since almost half of alleged TIP victims are foreign nationals and having persons with the necessary knowledge and skills to handle these victims is necessary.
On this note, he outlined that during the two-day session, participants will be equipped with information regarding the nature of Trafficking in Persons and the functions of the taskforce and its stakeholders; equip them with working knowledge to effective communicate with victims and TIP officers during interviews; and build working relationships with bi-lingual persons to assist with interpretation whenever needed.
Meanwhile, Junior Social Protection Minister with responsibility for labour, Keith Scott, explained that human trafficking is one of the worst violations of human rights and of workers’ rights in this day and such training is apt on such a significant day when Hubert Nathaniel Critchlow Day is being observed. The day was designated by the National Assembly in 2005.The Minister went on to highlight the importance of possessing bi-lingual skills, especially since Guyana is surrounded by neighbouring countries with three different languages. To this end, he commended the participants for getting involved and sharing their communicative skills to assist authorities in combatting the scourge.
“It is no secret that human trafficking can be carried out clandestinely and therefore, personnel must be able to detect most of or all manner of deceptive techniques being employed by perpetrators… The escape hatch that some used to escape punishment by citing their lack of understanding English must now be closed,” asserted the Labour Minister.
Moreover, Chief of Mission of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Robert Natiello, noted that human trafficking is considered to be the slavery of the 21st century and has become a major concern for governments the world over. He said the various form of human trafficking, which amounts to millions of cases and affects everyone.
Against this backdrop, he posited that the IOM plays an important role in ending the scourge of human trafficking with nearly 90,000 cases recorded in the organisation’s case management system within past 10 years alone. However, he noted that no one organisation or country can tackle Trafficking in Persons alone.
“IOM’s long-term capacity building programmes aim to support the efforts of governments to effectively fight human trafficking and to raise awareness of the trafficking phenomenon among the general public. But we don’t believe we can do this alone… IOM believes that forging partnership is crucial to combat the scourge of human trafficking,” he stated.
On the other hand, Police Commissioner Leslie James also highlighted the seriousness of Trafficking in Persons, adding that he is cognisant of the Guyana Police Force’s role in tackling this scourge. He urged participants to pay keen attention to the models of the course.
Wednesday’s training is the culmination of the Taskforce’s work plan for 2018 during which several similar sessions were held with various stakeholders including frontline workers and prosecutors.
