Guyana has again earned a Tier 1 ranking in the United States Department of State Trafficking in Persons report. The annual report assesses the global landscape of human trafficking and evaluates the efforts of individual countries in combating the crime.

In the case of Guyana, the US Department of State noted that the country, continues to demonstrate serious and sustained efforts to combat Trafficking in Persons.

The Minister of Home Affairs, Oneidge Walrond, has described the Tier 1 ranking as evidence of the Government’s dedication and effective action in fighting trafficking in persons.

She noted that the Ministry of Home Affairs, and by extension the Government of Guyana, remains steadfast in its commitment to eradicate trafficking in persons in Guyana and across the region.

“Our comprehensive approach includes safeguarding vulnerable populations, increasing training and awareness, intensifying spot inspections and anti-trafficking operations, and through the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, providing robust support and protection to victims and survivors, pursuing relentless prosecution of offenders, and fostering strong partnerships both locally and internationally,” Minister Walrond said.

There have been efforts by a  the Ministerial Taskforce on Trafficking in Persons, non-governmental organizations, and civil society stakeholders, to clamp down trafficking in persons.

The US State Department report has outlined twelve critical recommendations for Guyana to continue strengthening its anti-trafficking efforts.

The recommendations include increasing prosecutions and convictions, especially in cases involving child victims, eliminating recruitment fees charged to workers, expanding labour and spot inspections in sectors vulnerable to trafficking such as mining and logging, enforcing restitution orders promptly, proactively screening vulnerable populations, including migrants, for signs of trafficking, and ensuring that convicted traffickers and any complicit officials face adequate penalties.

The Tier 1 placement marks the ninth consecutive year that Guyana has demonstrated serious and sustained efforts to combat trafficking in persons.

The report also highlighted several notable advancements in Guyana’s anti-trafficking framework, including an increased prosecution rate, the successful conviction of a sex trafficker with an ordered restitution payment, and enhanced collaboration with foreign governments to investigate trafficking cases effectively and increasing funding for the protection and prevention efforts.

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