Traffic in Persons Committee Commissioned

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Saturday, 14 July 2012 02:30

By caribarena news

Antigua St. John's - The Trafficking in Persons Prevention Committee, provided for under Section 8 of the Trafficking in Persons Act of 2010, has finally been commissioned to undertake the mammoth task of formulating policies and programs in keeping with the Act’s directive.

Under the chairmanship of Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of National Security and Labour, Sharon Peters, the committee comprises representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Labour, the Attorney General’s Office, Gender Affairs, Immigration, the Police Force, Customs and Excise, the Coast Guard, the ONDCP, and NGOs that include the Red Cross and the Lion’s Club of Antigua.

Guest speaker at the committee’s inauguration Senator Gail Christian has said that the startling statistics on the overall scope of trafficking in persons show that an astonishing 80 percent of all trafficked people are women and girls who are handled for the sole purpose sexual exploitation. Some of these women are undoubtedly trafficked to Antigua & Barbuda.

Senator Christian offered commendations to National Security Minister Dr. Errol Cort for composing the committee and urged the gathering to work expeditiously and with commitment on the task at hand in the best interest of Antigua & Barbuda, as well as the victims trafficked to these shores.

Chissey Mueller of the International Organization for Migration is working along with the committee in a technical capacity and will assist in steering the group in the direction that conforms to international best practices. In keeping with this, Mueller said her goal at the inaugural meeting was merely to “plant a few seeds” for the committee to consider on the way forward.

The IOM has been in existence for several decades with over 100 member countries, including Antigua & Barbuda as one of its newest member states. Mueller urged the pursuit of sanctions outside the narrow reach of imprisonment, and urged members to extend their vision in the direction of tax penalties and labour protocols.

Minister of National Security Dr. Errol Cort asked the committee to focus on the three Ps – Prevention, Prosecution and Protection in the execution of their duties. He said the formalization of the group marked a great day in Antigua & Barbuda.

The minister reminded members of the functions and expectations of the group while urging them to be acquainted with what those duties and expectations are, as outlined in Section 8 of the Act.

“Carry out your duties in a very constructive way. Make sure that we all work collectively as we move forward to carry out this mandate,” Dr. Cort said.

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