Latest update March 28th, 2024 12:59 AM
May 22, 2016 News
Trafficking in Person (TIP) is simply not a practice that the Ministry of Social Protection is prepared to tolerate. This assertion was on Friday highlighted by Deputy Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Social Protection, Mohan Ramrattan.
Speaking on the TIP issue during the past week, Ramrattan disclosed that the Social Protection Ministry is prepared to wage war against the perpetrators of the very lucrative but very illegal, extremely wicked and deeply criminal enterprise of Human Trafficking.
“We will fight you in every millimetre in our 215,000 square kilometres country,” said the Deputy PS to human traffickers.
TIP victims can either be of male or female gender and according to the Deputy Permanent Secretary, these victims are often forced to give free labour or services. Added to this, they are forced to endure slavery or slavery-like conditions and even thrust into prostitution, sexual exploitation or servitude, said Ramrattan. As such, he regards TIP as “most despicable.” He, moreover underscored that, among other things, TIP is a human rights issue.
Currently, the Ministry’s counter-TIP strategy mirrors the cherished principles of universality, indivisibility and non-discrimination of human rights which are bastions of Guyana’s legislation, policies and programmes.
Ramrattan underscored that treating humans as cheap, disposable commodities essentially violates all tenets of the United Nation Global Compact’s human rights. The most common violation, according to the Deputy Permanent Secretary are: the right to personal autonomy; the right not to be held in slavery or servitude; the right to liberty and security; the right to be free from cruel or inhumane treatment; the right to safe and healthy working conditions and the right to freedom of movement.
And according to Ramrattan, “these precious rights are held dear by this Ministry and will continue to be on the front burner of its 2016 development programme.” He pointed out that globally, women and children are easy targets for human traffickers because they comprise the bulk of the marginalised and are disproportionably affected by the root causes of human trafficking, which are poverty, discrimination, insecurity and violence.
The Social Protection Ministry, according to Ramrattan, will pursue an aggressive campaign to beat the pinch of poverty; it will back all measures to eliminate discrimination (whether on grounds of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender or geographic location) in the quest to end Human Trafficking.
As part of the technical arm of the Ministerial Task Force on Trafficking in Persons “we will also support the efforts of the Public Security Ministry in the vanguard of stamping out this criminal enterprise.”
“We want to ensure that victims of Human Trafficking are not re-victimised by our country’s laws. We will continue to pursue all legal best practices as are enshrined in international human rights standards and principles found in international treaties, covenants and protocols,” said Ramrattan.
But according to him, the recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human Trafficking by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (2002) will continue to serve as a framework and reference point in the Ministry’s fight against the scourge and in its determined bid to protect the rights of victims. “This we believe will guarantee their empowerment, their self representation and their participation in regaining mastery over their destiny,” the Deputy PS asserted.
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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