The synergy in Parliament earlier this month, around the Trafficking in Persons Bill, which was passed unanimously, could be compared with hen’s teeth. It was one of those rare feel-good moments in the House, where even the criticism about what could have made the legislation stronger, came over as constructive rather than destructive. The utter heinousness of human trafficking allowed parliamentarians to put aside their many and obvious differences and unite behind a piece of legislation aimed at curbing it.
Minister of Human Services and Social Security Dr Vindhya Persaud, who piloted the bill through the House, noted quite rightly that for it to succeed at countering trafficking in persons, the new legislation would require “the unanimous effort” of everyone working together to ensure this scourge does not go unrecognised or unreported.
In this, she was not really speaking to her counterparts opposite her; they have mostly done their part. The work to be undertaken (once the bill has been assented to, that is) will fall within the realm of law enforcement in most instances, though there is also a pivotal role for the ministerial task force to be appointed by the President.
It is evident that citizens, too, will have a contribution to make. The trafficked, particularly in the case of locals and children, tend to go unnoticed. This is a crime that is often committed in plain sight and might remain unreported but for neighbours and villagers noticing certain incongruities and calling attention to them. This type of whistle blowing will no doubt be even more effective once citizens are fully educated about sex tourism, sexual exploitation and forced labour as the legislation mandates.
The greatest challenge by far, however, is one that has not really been tackled to date. This involves finding the big fishes behind human trafficking; those financing the operations through which the abhorrent selling of humans endures.
This brings to mind the almost cryptic press release issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs in January this year, which revealed that two “immigrants”, against whom a prohibition order was issued earlier that month, were allegedly involved in human trafficking. Citizens were left to draw assumptions from the terse release. Had the two named men – Kunbin Chen and Chaohui Lin – the latter having had an Interpol Red Notice issued for him since November 2011, possibly committed that crime here?
According to Interpol, “a Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest a person pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action. It is based on an arrest warrant or court order issued by the judicial authorities in the requesting country.” The Ministry of Home Affairs press release did not name the requesting country, nor did it indicate the men’s nationalities or how long they might have been “immigrants” in Guyana, given that Interpol had been seeking one of them for nearly 12 years. To date, there has not been any further information on their status. In addition, in April this year, the current Counter-trafficking in Persons Unit successfully prosecuted a Venezuelan woman who was jailed for six months for “operating a brothel”. The police report mentioned that two women were rescued in this instance. However, when it later emerged that the authorities had shut down not one, but two brothels operated by the same convicted trafficker, the numbers no longer added up. One person operating two houses of ill repute at different locations and controlling trafficked victims is more than a bit of a stretch.
Mayelin Cordova, the convicted Venezuelan, must have had at least one accomplice who managed to elude the authorities. One wonders then at the “success” claimed in this case and what might have been achieved had there been surveillance prior to the raid(s) that resulted in Cordova’s arrest.
In another case concluded in March this year, the evidence against the convict, wildlife trader, Feezal Shaw was that he had travelled to Venezuela, brought two men here and forced them to work under inhuman conditions for little or no pay. Quite often, however, the recruiter is the middleman for the bigger fish, and does nothing beyond moving humans across borders. The net will obviously need widening to also capture them.
Replacing one piece of legislation with another, no matter how modern and comprehensive it is, will never be enough to prevent crimes from being committed. The real work actually begins after the bill becomes an act. Enforcement is crucial to ensuring that it protects the innocent and prosecutes all who choose to prey on them. The unanimous effort will need to come into play very soon. One can only hope that it does.