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– GWMO RepBy Jarryl BryanWith the United States Department of State’s 2015 report listing Guyana as prone to Trafficking in Persons (TIP), a representative of the Guyana Women Miners Organization (GWMO) based in Port Kaituma, Region One, has revealed that poor to no welfare services is ruining efforts to combat TIP.According to Stephanie Miguel,Pierre Turgeon Jersey, who has been based in Port Kaituma for the last year, the Region is contending with an alarming high school dropout rate and the lack of job creation. This is compounded by the absence of Probation Officers or resident staff from the Child Care and Protection Agency.“I’ve been working for the past year in Port Kaituma,” she said, in a recent sit down with Kaieteur News. “My major work and concern is about (TIP). For the past two years we have gotten no Probation or Welfare Officer or (someone from) Child Protection.”Miguel noted that she has been making efforts to address these issues and would receive support from the Police whenever she makes a report.She recalled instances of going into the back dam and finding 12-year old girls who are pregnant. She also recalled instances where she visited Baramita (Region One) and found children as little as nine years old sleeping on the road.“The GWMO has the passion and we see the concern of the people. So we get help inside for the people of Baramita. Because, (to see) a seven year old girl with hickeys (love bites) on her neck is very bad for me.”GWMO representative Stephanie MiguelHowever,Martin Havlat Jersey, she expressed frustration at the fact that even if she takes these girls out of the disco, the police can only do so much- hold them for 72 hours. She made the point that afterwards, there is nowhere to put them.Relating how these children would have gotten involved in the sex trade, she noted that the high rate of school dropouts, leading to educational gaps, is a major contributor. She also noted that parents are to blame in some cases.“Because of the poverty in Port Kaituma, that is no new job creation,” she said.Relating the protocol of dealing with encounters of TIP, she noted that when she gets a case, she would report it to the nearest police station and then to the President of the GWMO- Uretha Primus.The US Department of State 2015 report had put Guyana on a Tier Two watch list. It had reported that Guyana is a source and destination country for men, women and children forced to submit to sexual trafficking and forced labour.It had reported that “women and children from Guyana, Venezuela, Suriname, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic are subjected to sex trafficking in mining communities in the interior and in urban areas.”This was especially evident in a bust made a few months ago by Junior Minister of Social Protection, Simona Broomes (herself a former President of the GWMO), in the mining community of Bartica.While noting that the country was making significant efforts to comply with the minimum standards to combat TIP,Joe Mullen Jersey, it had also noted that the efforts were not representative of an increase compared to the previous reporting period.RecommendationsThe report had been concise in its recommendations to Guyana. It had recommended that Guyana “vigorously investigate and prosecute sex and labour trafficking cases and hold convicted traffickers accountable with time in prison that is commensurate with the severity of the crime.”It had also recommended that the Guyana government “provide increased funding for NGOs to identify and assist victims; investigate, prosecute,Antti Niemi Jersey, and convict government officials complicit in trafficking; make additional efforts to enable victims to appear in court and testify against traffickers in a way that does not further endanger victims.”In addition, the report had recommended that Guyana develops child-sensitive investigations and court procedures to protect the privacy of children and minimize additional trauma, all in partnership with Non Governmental Organizations.It was also advised that Guyana develop and publicize written Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) to guide and encourage officials including police, health, immigration, labour, mining, and forestry personnel—to identify and protect victims of forced labour and forced prostitution.The report had also called for government to not punish victims for crimes committed as a result of being subjected to human trafficking; and instead offer increased protection and assistance for victims near mining communities.Meanwhile according to the GWMO official, the unpredictability of the mining sector is also a major source of concern in the fight against TIP.“Recently, they shut down all our mines. Wardens (from Guyana Geology and Mines Commission) would come in and if you are mining, they would shut you down. They would cut down you camp (matting) and throw away your engine.”She noted that this is because of the fact that mining blocks are being held, en masse, by a handful of individuals. Small miners are thus either prohibited from mining on the blocks or have to negotiate a deal with the owner that will see him being given a claim in exchange for royalty payments.“So this is what we are facing in Port Kaituma,Glenn Hall Jersey,” she said. “(It’s the) lack of jobs. We are not doing farming (extensively),Jonas Brodin Jersey, but mining. Even the smallest child,Shayne Corson Jersey, would go into the back dam to spin a batel. But even if you are not getting that,Mikael Granlund Jersey, the young girls will go to (prostitute) with the big men.”“It’s (also) not just about mining,Brian Sutter Jersey,” she noted. “There is also domestic violence. Recently there was the case of a man beating his wife to death. And what caused it? Because they have no one to complain to.”