Benyamin Cooke | Human trafficking: A crime against the dignity of persons

The PNPYO notes with grave concern that over a nine-year period, Jamaica has failed to move from its Tier 2 ranking, as we have failed to meet the minimum standards needed to eliminate human trafficking. We are demanding that the government acts swiftly on the recommendations provided in the US State Department’s 2019 Trafficking in Persons Report, in an effort to curtail and put an end to the egregious crime of human trafficking.

Our counterparts in the Caribbean, such as The Bahamas and Guyana, have managed to maintain a Tier 1 status, as they have fully met the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. Bahamas has successfully passed its national action plan and increased funding for victim assistance and trafficking prevention. Unlike Jamaica, The Bahamas and Guyana have ensured the inclusion of penalties (commensurate to those levied at other serious crimes against the person, such as rape) in their legislation dealing with sex trafficking.

The Jamaican government has maintained weak efforts to protect victims. Conversely, Guyana and Bahamas increased and maintained efforts to protect victims. In Guyana, for instance, the government identified 156 victims in 2018 (106 for sex trafficking and 50 for labour trafficking), compared to 131 identified victims in 2017. Both countries have further set themselves apart from Jamaica for, in an effort to protect victims, they have employed a victim-centred approach, which includes financial, psychological and other assistance.

The protection of victims is an important component to assist with investigations and securing convictions. We must seek to implement the workable solutions provided in the Trafficking in Persons report in an effort to protect our citizens.

The PNPYO remains resolute in the fight against human trafficking and will continue to play our part in advancing the welfare of the whole human race. So far we have done at least 15 islandwide, public sessions through our Advocacy Commission, aimed at creating awareness around human trafficking and its physical, psychological, and social impact. It is on this basis that we are in full support of the recommendation to improve the effectiveness of efforts to educate government officials and the public about human trafficking in Jamaica, through community-based outreach and education activities.

A VICTIM TWICE

It is important that the Government revisits the current legislation related to human trafficking. One of its more pronounced shortcomings is that while it protects trafficked persons from prosecution for migration or prostitution-related offences, it does not provide immunity from other acts that traffickers may compel those trafficked to commit. In a sense, the trafficked person can become a victim twice, that is, by the trafficker and by the State. We must consider the nuances of this situation and apply progressive considerations in writing our legislation.

Any forward-thinking government should appreciate the right of our people to freedoms and quality life. Additionally, Target 8.7 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals calls for nations to “take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms.”

Failure on the Government’s part to meet this objective and protect its most vulnerable can only be considered as a dereliction of duty and will further erode the weakening confidence citizens continue to place in the state and its institutions.

The PNPYO stands ready to partner with the government and other key stakeholders in implementing the key recommendations of the State Department’s Report, volunteering with the National Task Force Against Trafficking in Persons, enacting legislative changes, and ramping up public awareness on human trafficking.

Benyamin Cooke is a youth advocate, PNPYO. Email feedback to: gensecpnpyo@yahoo.com, comms.pnpyo@gmail.com and columns@gleanerjm.com