UN official urges investment in human trafficking fight as police get fresh training

A top regional official in the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on Friday urged governments to invest in new investigative and preventative tactics in the fight against “staggering” levels of human trafficking in the region.

No country is immune to human trafficking, with the scourge affecting more women and girls than men and boys, said UNODC Deputy Regional Representative Melissa Flynn as an advanced training course for Royal Barbados Police Force on trafficking In persons (TIP) closed.

The training was co-sponsored by the Attorney General’s Office, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and UNODC.

Flynn said that the percentage of women and girls who are victims of human trafficking in this part of the world is staggering and needs to be addressed not only on a national level but in partnership with regional and international law enforcement agencies.

“Human trafficking shows that women and girls account for more than 75 per cent of all detected victims in the western hemisphere,” she said. “This is well above the global average of 65 per cent – in Central America and the Caribbean; 40 per cent of the detected victims are girls, one of the highest rates of girls among the detected victims reported worldwide.

“This data emphasizes the importance of gender-sensitive and human rights-based approaches to combating human trafficking. No country is immune to this heinous crime; the organized networks or individuals behind these lucrative crimes take advantage of people who are vulnerable, desperate, or simply seeking a better life.”

The workshop, as well as future awareness campaigns, are funded by $300,000 from the USAID, UNODC and UNDP. Officers in various ranks of the police are being trained on anti-human trafficking investigative tactics and how to build capacity within the force to improve the experience of victims and witnesses who are often critical to the investigations.

Permanent Secretary of the Office of the Attorney General, Yvette Goddard, praised the participants for their interest in the week’s seminar so far. She told them that ministers approved a two-year plan on a national task force to tackle human trafficking here back on March 25. She said “all steps” have been taken to further bolster the capabilities of Barbadian law enforcement to assist in the troubling rise of the crime.

“It shows Barbados’ commitment to addressing issues of concern, such as identification of victims and or potential victims, strengthening of the national referral system which is intended to provide a range of social and legal services to support victims, and undertaking extensive public education programmes to sensitive and educate Barbadians to issues related to human trafficking,” Goddard said.

She also added that capacity building within various law enforcement agencies is also seen as a paramount step for the Government, in addition to strengthening regional and international partnerships to aid in investigations.

The Trafficking in Persons Report, issued annually by the US State Department to monitor the activities of human traffickers around the globe, serves as a critical blueprint for Barbados to follow, said Goddard, adding that increased cooperation between agencies here is a must.

“The TIP report often speaks about Barbados institutionalizing training for police, immigration, and customs officers,” the permanent secretary said. “We certainly recognize the importance of such an approach, and we plan very shortly to be in discussions with the [agencies] about such an exercise.” (SB)