The Criminal Investigations Department of the Guyana Police Force on Monday afternoon arrested the President of the Guyana Women Miners Organisation, Simona Broomes claiming that a woman who was placed before the courts on a human trafficking charge has made allegations that she was assaulted by Broomes back in April of this year.
Broomes told News Source from inside the CID Headquarters where she is in custody, that she was shocked when she was asked to visit the police unit and questioned about the allegations leveled by the woman Ann-Marie Carter who was charged a few months back with human trafficking.
Broomes and her organisation saved a number of young ladies who were allegedly being used as sex slaves at a mining camp and shop being operated by Carter and her husband. While the young women were being removed from the area, Broomes said she was attacked by the woman but did not fight back. She said she finds it strange that four months later the police would now come with what she considers the “bogus allegations” and want to arrest her on the same allegations.
She said there is a clear attempt to discredit her and the work of her organisation. The Guyana Women Miners Organisation has been leading the charge against human trafficking across Guyana and has been moving into many of the mining districts to locate young girls who are being used as prostitutes and who are working in the mining areas without being paid.
Broomes and her group have been credited with taking on the fight against human trafficking and the United States Government earlier this year recognized her efforts. The U.S State Department awarded her with a special Hero Award declaring her as a global Hero in the fight against trafficking in persons. She received that special award from U.S Secretary of State John Kerry.
Just recently, Broomes was forced to defend the work of her organisation after it was revealed that at the People’s Progressive Party Congress, her group was declared as working along with the Opposition parties against the Government. Broomes said her group is not a political one and has never depended on any political party for support.
The activities of her group have turned out to be very embarrassing for the Government of Guyana which has consistently denied human trafficking in Guyana as a major problem as cited by a number of U.S State Department reports.
Broomes told News Source that her arrest appears to be part of the struggle for justice in Guyana. She was placed on $10,000 bail late on Monday.
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