FAILURE by Guyana to meet the 60-day deadline to implement measures in accordance with requirements set by the United States to curb trafficking in persons could affect relations between the two countries, Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon said yesterday.
He was, however, confident that Guyana could achieve the required benchmarks and avoid possible U.S. trade and aid sanctions by being removed from the present Tier 3 classification to Tier 2 or 1.
He noted that an adverse human trafficking rating by the U.S. State Department could also affect Guyana’s relations with multilateral agencies over which the U.S. has an "inordinate influence", such as the International Financial Institutions (IFIs).
Luncheon said the government was still uncertain about how Guyana was classified as a Tier 3 country, but recognising the serious implications of not reaching the targets set by the U.S., it has been working towards meeting those benchmarks.
Two State Department officials are here to gauge local efforts at combatting trafficking in persons (TIP).
Ms Rachel Owen, one of the drafters of the 2004 State Department Report on TIP which gave Guyana the Tier 3 listing, and Mr Eric Falls, from the Bureau of Western Hemispheric Affairs, accompanied by U.S. Embassy TIP Coordinator, Mr Timothy Berner met Minister of Labour and Human Services, Ms Bibi Shadick on Monday.
The Government Information Agency (GINA) said Shadick welcomed the visit by the officials, but expressed disappointment that they did not come in time to observe some of the strides the government has been making in tackling the issue of TIP.
“Had you come before, you might have had a better understanding of what we do because we are addressing issues that come under trafficking in persons,” the minister said.
At the meeting also were members of the inter-governmental task force on TIP, including members of non-governmental organisations.
Shadick has been spearheading the campaign against TIP and said she was optimistic that the stay here by the State Department officials will be instrumental in making the U.S. aware of the government’s efforts in fighting TIP.
She expressed confidence that Guyana will be moved up from its current Tier 3 ranking, GINA reported.
Owen and Falls were yesterday due to travel to Region One (Barima-Waini) – one of the areas in which TIP is said to be most prevalent.
Shadick, responsible for overseeing the implementation of the National Plan of Action to address TIP, was also due in the area yesterday.
Following a recent visit to Mahdia in Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni), she reported that here was no real evidence of trafficking in persons in Guyana.
She stated that there may be instances of voluntary involvement in illicit activities but no evidence of human trafficking.
The two State Department officials and Birner also called on President Bharrat Jagdeo at the Office of the President on Monday.
Luncheon said the two are being exposed to the campaigns being mounted by the government as well as the social reality here.
He noted too that a bill on criminalising trafficking in persons and providing for penalising those who are guilty of the offence is to be laid in Parliament at its next session on August 5.
Cabinet has authorised the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to accede to the United Nations Protocol to prevent trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Luncheon said.
He noted that Guyana has already acceded to the International Convention against Trans-national Organised Crime.
The UN has defined TIP as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring, or receipt of persons by means of either threat or use of force, or other forms of coercion; of abduction; of fraud; of deception; of the abuse of power; or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person for the purpose of exploitation.
Exploitation as set out by the UN protocol covers prostitution and other forms of sexual exploitation and forced labour, slavery, servitude or the removal of organs.