A campaign against Trafficking in Persons (TIP) – THE 592STOP – and a hotline catering to Spanish and Portuguese speakers were launched on Friday by Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud during her outreach to Bartica, Region Seven.
A release from her ministry said that Persaud used the opportunity to emphasize Government’s zero tolerance approach to TIP. The launch bookmarked the beginning of a month of activities that will culminate in World Day against Trafficking Persons on July 30.
The minister encouraged persons to use the TIP hotlines to report all cases of trafficking as she launched the new 24-hour Spanish hotline which will allow Spanish/ Portuguese speaking persons to report trafficking. It complements the existing hotline that caters for English speaking persons. The US Department of State annual report on TIP released on Thursday, July 1st had stated that Guyana had established an anti-trafficking hotline in Spanish.
Persaud exhorted persons to recognize trafficking in all its forms and outlined some of the activities that would be happening this month including, “Through My Lens” where persons can hear from survivors about the devastating impact of trafficking on their lives.
Head of the Combating-Trafficking in Persons (C-TIP) Unit of the Ministry, Tanisha Williams-Corbin gave an overview of the work of the unit and shared information on the number of reported cases, convictions and how persons can access help and support from the unit.
She also said that there will be an awareness drive-by activity in Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica) and more training of stakeholder groups. So far, training has been done by the C-Tip Unit with the Joint Forces, Regions, Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs); along with public awareness through engagement in public spaces in various regions.
After the presentations, all those in attendance were asked to open specially designed umbrellas or wear hats that bore the message “Stop the Trafficking of Persons” as part of the launch.
The release said that persons who attended the event were able to access many of the services offered by the ministry. They had an opportunity to interact with Persaud, get vaccinated, and had free eye tests and blood sugar and pressure checks.
Members of the public are encouraged to report all suspicious TIP activities to the Ministry’s TIP hotline numbers: 227-4083, 623-5030 or 624-0079 (Spanish hotline). Persons can also visit the TIP Guyana Facebook page.
