An impromptu raid in Bartica early yesterday morning netted 27 persons suspected to be victims of human trafficking and two alleged traffickers including a woman charged with the offence in 2011 were also detained.
Minister within the Ministry of Social Protec-tion Simona Broomes led the raid which also included the Guyana Women Miners’ Organization (GWMO) and the police. Nine women from the Dominican Republic, three from Venezuela, 12 persons from Brazil, and three from Colombia were held. Of the 27 persons, 11 are expected to be charged: four with overstaying their time in Guyana and seven with illegal entry.
Broomes’ trip to Bartica was intended to be a continuation of visits to check on compliance with safety regulations as well as a precautionary exercise but while there, she received an anonymous tip regarding the trafficking of persons. The minister quickly pulled together a group of GWMO members who were trained in dealing with human trafficking issues, Trafficking in Persons (TIP) officers, and several police officers from the Bartica police station.
The first area of interest was the Platinum International Hotel and Bar, which was operated by a man identified as Junior.
Marina Charles, head of the TIP unit of the GWMO explained that the previous administration refused to give her assistance as officials refused many times to meet and discuss human trafficking. She further explained that those officials would turn a “blind eye” and “pretend human trafficking didn’t exist.”
“Is I name Broomes and I am making a sweep,” Broomes confidently stated as her team stormed into the bar, blocking the exits and halting the music. The team spread out and apprehended anyone who did not have a Guyanese identification card or passport with them. The team thoroughly searched the complex, probing every room, under every bed, and even the smallest spaces that could allow someone to fit or pass through. The building was cleared and anyone without identification papers was escorted to the police station which was a building away.
A long line of women dressed in black walked along the road to the police station as a crowd of approximately 300 persons watched on. “This is not the change we voted for,” an onlooker shouted. “You taking we girls away, you taking we money away,” another said.
After the team escorted 20 persons to the police station – 19 females and one male – another tip was received informing that there could be trafficking victims staying at a certain house. With urgency, the team hopped into the police vehicle and sped through the streets of Bartica until they arrived at a white, one-storey house with the front door slightly opened.
The team stormed in and discovered an empty, ransacked house that appeared as if people left in a hurry.
The shabby house contained three small rooms, each packed with three double bunk beds and filled with female clothes and accessories.
As more tips were received, the team kept moving from house to house, only to meet them empty with signs indicating that the occupants had left in a hurry.
The final place of interest was the newly opened Upper Level Restaurant and Bar where several other persons were apprehended and taken into police custody.
The owner of the Platinum International Hotel and Bar, a Brazilian national, was arrested after he brought passports for several of the women who were in custody. Broomes said that some of the women only arrived in the country on Saturday. “It means he has the connection.
They are coming to him – according to them,” Broomes said as she stated that the man has connections in Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela and the Dominican Republic.
“However, with such a person you have to be careful in Bartica.
This is what is happening in Guyana and these men are untouchable because they control most of the officers (Immigra-tion and police),” she added. She said that some of the women have been sent all over the country as some of them stated they came from Baroombar, a club in Georgetown.
The second suspected trafficker was identified as being connected to the Upper Level Restaurant and Bar. She was also taken into custody after she walked into the police station with two of the women’s passports. Broomes said that she has been tracking the woman for a very long time and alleged that the woman recently trafficked 18 women.
The woman was charged in 2011 for procuring five different women to prostitute.
Following the raids, the police station was flooded with chatter in different languages spewing from different groups of people in the room.
Broomes took charge and separated and grouped the multilingual crowd by their nationality. She then proceeded to calm them down and spoke to the individual groups on trafficking and how the government deals with it.
“Once you’re a victim of human trafficking, there’s a law for you…We will find you a job and have you here on your own will.
If you want to go home, then we will make sure that you get home safely to your families,” Broomes explained.
The minister told Stabroek News that she will put her every breath into fighting and prevent trafficking in persons in the country.
She said that she has always been at the forefront in trying to secure and assist anyone who has been trafficked but the previous PPP/C government was against her and now she has a government with her.
After a long night of investigating and collecting the passports from the 27 individuals, law enforcement officers discovered that 11 of the 27 persons were breaching immigration laws – four had overstayed their time and 7 had entered Guyana illegally. All 27 persons were sent to Georgetown where the 11 will be charged and the remaining 16 will assist in investigations.
