The Social Protection Minister on Wednesday made an appalling revelation that so far for 2016 some 103 children were trafficked, compared to 63 last year. This represents an increase of 63.4 per cent. The disturbing figure represents 97 females and six males, all below the age of 18. This begs the question what is happening in our country? To say that such an increase paints a “bleak and gloomy” picture of trafficking in Guyana and call for much more to be done to combat this surge is simply not enough. What is Government doing to restrict the instances of our children being trafficked?
Child trafficking is about taking children out of their protective environment and preying on their vulnerability for the purpose of exploitation. Worldwide, millions of children, women and men are bought and sold as commodities into forced labour and prostitution. In Guyana, Trafficking In Persons is governed by the Combating of Trafficking In Persons Act 2005.
The Act provides that Trafficking in Persons includes engaging in, or assisting another person to engage in or organising or directing other persons to engage in Trafficking In Persons. Guyana’s law spells out that human trafficking, whether of children or adults, means recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receiving a person by means of threat or the use of force or other means of coercion, or by abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability, or by giving or receiving payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.
However, although legislation is in place to combat this heinous crime even Social Protection Minister Volda Lawrence has admitted that more needs to be done in this area, since there is a consistent increase in the number of persons, more so children who are being trafficked.
According to statistics Minister Lawrence outlined at the launching of the “State of the World Population Report 2016” on Wednesday, in 2012, there were 54 child trafficking victims, including five males and 30 females. Figures in 2013 indicated 56 victims whereas 2014 stats stood at 59 cases and in 2015, there were 63 cases. That figure jumped to a whopping 103 cases. This in itself tells a horrifying story of this atrocious crime in Guyana. It also speaks to the lack thereof of Government and law enforcement’s ability to fight this crime.
The US State Department Report 2015 on Trafficking In Persons in Guyana outlines that the Government of Guyana does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking although efforts are made to do so. That US report had also stated that Government has not demonstrated overall increasing anti-trafficking efforts and that law enforcement efforts remained insufficient. Between April 2014 and January 2015, only four suspected traffickers were prosecuted. In 2015, the single trafficker convicted and jailed for four years subsequently appealed the decision and was granted bail. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that calls for vigorous investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases and the need to hold convicted traffickers accountable with time in prison have been, and continue to be, made.
Guyana’s law makes it very easy to convict trafficking accused but yet the conviction rate is extremely low.
The Combating of Trafficking In Persons Act 2005 provides that in the case of child trafficking, there is special provision. According to the law, the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring or receiving of a child or the giving of payments or benefits to obtain the consent of a person having control of a child for the purpose of exploitation shall constitute Trafficking In Persons. In getting a conviction, all that is needed to be established is the first element, regardless of whether it has been established that it was done by means of threat or the use of force or other means of coercion, or by abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability, or by giving or receiving payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person for the purpose of exploitation. While legislation is in place, supporting agencies involved in TIP in Guyana need to step up their game as the battle to end or reduce TIP seems to have been receiving significant setbacks in Guyana. Government also needs to accelerate its fight against this dreadful crime by ensuring that agencies receive adequate funding and by demanding that through investigations are carried out. Supportive work in collaboration with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) can help in stamping out this crime.
