(De Ware Tijd) PARAMARIBO – The police have arrested farmer Dipak J. for his involvement in employing five Guyanese men allegedly without pay. Police public relations officer Humphrey Naarden tells de Ware Tijd the man has been locked up in the Nieuwe Haven lock-up for employing illegal aliens on his land in Nickerie. Dipak J. faces charges of human smuggling, human trafficking and illegal possession of fire arms.
The news hit the stands when the men escaped and filed charges at the Nickerie police. An investigation learned this is a possible case of human trafficking. The case was then handed over to the Trafficking in Persons department (TIP). Eventually the authorities arrested Dipak J. The case has now been turned over to the Nieuwe Haven criminal investigation department.
Naarden calls on all aliens, whether they are legal or illegal, to report to the police if they have been the victim of human trafficking. He assures they will not get into trouble with the authorities. The police officer says that victims of human trafficking get a different treatment from the authorities. They should speak out freely even if their captors are police officers who help the criminals. Possible victims have been advised to contact their local embassy.
The police officer admits that the modern slaves are not only foreigners, but also locals. He refers to cases where young girls have been lured to the gold fields for work in shops, but eventually they end up selling a lot more than commodities.
De Ware Tijd Editorial
GUYANA HAS alerted Suriname about alleged cases of bonded labor by its nationals. The victims claim they had been held captive in the hinterland to do farming without pay. The authorities learnt about the details when the men managed to escape to Paramaribo. Both Suriname and Guyana are investigating the case.
The Guyanese government has alerted its citizens to be careful when accepting job offers abroad especially when the offers are too good to be true. The applicants should make sure a work permit has been arranged for them.
This rather doubtful issue raises a lot of questions. Efforts by de Ware Tijd to learn more about the issue have been in vain. The authorities must know who recruited the Guyanese, because that is one piece of information the victims must have revealed to the police. It is also uncertain whether the perpetrators have been arrested. That is where the investigation should start because it is important to hear both sides in the conflict. Investigating the recruiters’ background will certainly reveal much about the nature of bonded labor and human trafficking.
It is equally important to find out whether the victims have been doing labor in farming or on the gold fields. What means did they live from if they were without pay in the hinterland and how long did this situation last? Were the victims illegal aliens? That would most certainly account for their silence for fear of being thrown out by the authorities. Another serious matter is that their passports have probably been confiscated by the recruiters.
These speculations surface because the authorities refuse to share details about this case. The general impression is that nothing has changed in the human trafficking, child labor and bonded labor situation. Recently the Global Slavery Index reported that there are over 5,000 victims of modern slavery in Suriname. The country earlier received poor ratings by international watchdogs. In response to the reports, Labor Minister Michael Miskin said that Suriname should conduct its own surveys to find out the nature of the problem. It is unknown whether progress has been made in this respect.
Strikingly are the pathetic working conditions for Chinese laborers in Suriname. The manner in which they set up impressive buildings with primitive means is awe-inspiring. The same goes for their efforts in road construction. From a distance their circumstances are similar to bonded labor. Even the most elementary safety precautions are ignored. The legal officers employed by the labor inspectorate should have a field day inspecting these wrongs. But that would require good information on the network that employs the Chinese and whether their employment is within a legal framework.
