| A total of 14 persons were last year charged and brought before the court for human trafficking offences, signalling a victory for the Counter-Trafficking-in-Persons (CTIP) Unit of the Ministry of Labour,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, Human Services and Social Security.In fact, according to the Ministry’s 2011 Annual Report, which was made public for the first time last Thursday in the National Assembly, financial and psychosocial support was provided to a total of nine alleged victims of trafficking-in-persons (TIP).During the past year, too, the Counter-Trafficking-in-Persons Unit conducted several workshops and sensitisation campaigns countrywide with regional administrative officials, community leaders and other stakeholders, the Report details.Through this medium, too, it was disclosed that 10 TIP awareness seminars were held at secondary schools in hinterland and riverain communities. The schools targeted were in Regions One,Cheap Jerseys From China, Two, Seven, Eight, Nine and 10.Addressing the daunting social issue saw efforts to conduct training seminars for CTIP focal points in Regions One, Eight and Nine. CTIP focal points are currently operational in Regions One,NFL Jerseys Authentic Cheap, Two, Six,Cheap NFL Jerseys China, Eight, Nine and 10.These served as conduits between the Ministry and those Regions, and benefited from ongoing training provided from the Unit.According to the Report, which was tabled by Human Services Minister Jennifer Webster, the CTIP Unit has been attending the monthly meeting of the National Task Force on TIP. In fact, it was revealed that the CTIP Unit was represented at 83 per cent of the meetings of the National Task Force.It is believed that dedicated efforts on the part of the collaborating bodies and individuals were instrumental in the arrest and subsequent charging of the 14 persons as at the end of last year for the offence of trafficking in persons.However, the 2012 TIP Report which places Guyana on a Tier 2 level not only contradicted a great deal of the achievements detailed in the Human Services Ministry Report, but also sought to highlight reasons why some cases are not reported.The TIP Report, which was released in June 2012, accuses the administration of failing to adequately address the TIP problems stressing that “Government made no discernible progress in holding human trafficking offenders in Guyana accountable during the reporting period.”It highlighted too that the Combating Trafficking of Persons Act of 2005 prohibits all forms of trafficking and prescribes sufficiently stringent penalties, ranging from three years to life imprisonment. The penalties are commensurate with penalties prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape.The TIP Report stated that while Government reported 13 trafficking reports during the year, it only reported initiating two new trafficking investigations, adding that authorities reported no new prosecutions or convictions. It added, too, that of two sex trafficking prosecutions initiated in previous years, one remained pending, and one was dismissed.In fact it was outlined that there were many challenges to achieving prosecutions in Guyana. “In almost all cases, the government treated trafficking as a summary offence in the lower courts,Wholesale Authentic Jerseys, where cases are often dismissed, indicating a lack of severity assigned to the crime of trafficking.”Guyana’s legal system, the TIP Report states,Wholesale Jerseys China, suffered from a severe case backlog in all areas, that limit the efficiency and effectiveness of the system, and as such “repeated delays in nearly all criminal prosecutions increased the likelihood that victims would become discouraged and cease cooperation as witnesses in trafficking prosecutions.”Perceived corruption and low public confidence in the Guyana Police Force also were problems, the TIP Report outlined, adding that “the government’s public insistence that human trafficking in not a significant problem in the country created a potential disincentive for police and court officials to address trafficking cases.”It was also emphasised in the TIP Report that there was evidence that people could be penalized for reporting suspected human trafficking crimes to the police. |
