Victims of human trafficking walk among us – police
As St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) prepares to join the world in marking the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, local law enforcement say they have been putting in the work to weed out any potential human trafficking links here in the country.
CORPORAL GARET DOPWELL
July 30, 2024 has been designated by the United Nations to raise awareness about human trafficking and to promote and protect the rights of trafficking victims.
Speaking on July 18, 2024, on WEFM 99.9 Cop Chat programme, the police said they have recognized that social media appears to be the “main recruiting grounds” for traffickers to attract potential victims. They caution Vincentians not to be lured by the promise of a lucrative job.
“So what you would find is that these traffickers would put ads in the paper or on social media seeking persons for various positions. The salary is eye catching and sometimes they say little to no experience needed… that they would provide airfare for these individuals and when you get there it is a completely different story,” Corporal Garet Dopwell explained.
“We know that a lot of people are seeking employment. Not because it looks good, it is good. Do your due diligence, investigate the company, ask around… before you just jump on a plane and go away. Because when you get into the hands of these human traffickers it is very hard to get out because they keep a firm grip on you.”
Assistant Superintendent of Police, Junior Simmons said last year that the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Unit of the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF), was called on to investigate recruitment advertisements calling for nurses which was later revealed to be of a legitimate nature.
“Last year we had to engage our counterparts overseas in relation to some ads that were placed in the newspaper locally where a certain company was seeking to recruit nurses from St Vincent and the Grenadines, but those background checks turned out to be legitimate. There were no red flags. Those persons are working legally for a salary and they are not being exploited.”
The US Department of State, in June, released the 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report which placed St Vincent and the Grenadines at Tier 2 in the human trafficking fight. The report said SVG “does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking”, however, it noted that significant efforts are being made to do so.
“The government demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its anti-trafficking capacity; therefore St.Vincent and the Grenadines remained on Tier 2,” the report outlined.
The report noted positives such as increasing investigations, continuing to conduct labour inspections, ongoing training for officials, as well as public awareness campaigns.
In the assessment of the prosecution of human trafficking offenses, the 2024 report disclosed that the Unit initiated five labour trafficking investigations, and initiated three sex trafficking investigations in 2022, and all eight “new and ongoing investigations were closed for lack of evidence”.
The last prosecution brought by the RSVGPF under the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act was in 2015, and this case was dropped due to insufficient evidence.
Corporal Dopwell called on the public to assist the police in finding suspected traffickers by paying attention to what is happening in their community.
“Victims of human trafficking walk among us, but until we know what to look for, the average individual would not be able to identify.”
This year’s local celebration is under the theme, “Leave No Child Behind in The Fight Against Human Trafficking” and a march is scheduled to be held in Kingstown on July 30 at 10 a.m. It begins at Heritage Square.
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