What's a little country like Guyana to do, eh?
Once again the US Department of State has placed Guyana on a Tier 2 watch list for trafficking in persons (TIP). According to the report, the trafficking victims are 1. Amerindian teenagers, targeted by traffickers because of poor education and job prospects in their home regions 2. Indo-Guyanese and (Afro!)-Guyanese girls, trafficked for commercial sex and labor 3. Guyanese men (Indo, Afro, or what?), trafficked transnationally for forced labor in construction and other sectors in Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados.
It appears as if the main reason why Guyana was again placed on this watch list is in this summary of Guyana's lack of progress in handling the trafficking situation:
The Government of Guyana does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Despite these overall efforts, the government did not show evidence of progress in prosecuting and punishing acts of trafficking . . . the government has not yet convicted and punished any trafficking offenders under its 2005 anti-trafficking law.
And then there's the recommendation that Guyana...
vigorously investigate and prosecute trafficking offenses, and seek convictions; proactively identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations such as women and children in prostitution; protect trafficking victims throughout the process of criminal investigations and prosecutions; assign more judges and court personnel to handle trafficking cases in the country's interior regions; and expand anti-trafficking training for police and magistrates.
Human Services Minister Priya Manickchand correctly responded: "WHAT DE ASS!!!?" (Same as her response last year, I might add).
