[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n an effort to reinforce precaution, the Ministry of Home Affairs has taken on the task of briefing the public on the telltale signs of human trafficking. On Monday the delegation invited participants from the Department of Labour, Office of the Attorney General, National Youth Council, Family Court, Uptown Girls’ Garden Centre and members of the Prevention of Human Trafficking Office Task Force, among others, to its Consultation Workshop for Developing Standard Operating Procedures on Human Trafficking.
The acting Home Affairs permanent secretary Elizabeth Bailey later told the STAR: “Through this workshop, people will learn how to identify possible signs of human trafficking in their designated departments and how they should act in instances that seem suspicious.”
According to Bailey, potential victims are often first sighted at the airport or on the street. She said the Home Affairs department is working on establishing an emergency hotline dedicated to reporting suspected cases of human trafficking—something they hope to implement in the near future. In the meantime, Saint Lucians are advised to contact 911 to relay any related information they have. The police will handle it from there.
Claudia Mon Louis, also of Home Affairs, added: “This week’s is the seventh installment in a series of workshops to build awareness and fulfill some of Saint Lucia’s mandates as a tier two member of the International Organization for Migration. This workshop, in particular, was funded by the United States Embassy. The other workshops have been joint-funded by the government of Saint Lucia and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). We also have had support from the ACP- EU Migration Action in terms of co-funding and meeting our Trafficking in Persons mandate.”
Internationally, tier rankings, which go from one to three, with three being the best, are used to determine a country’s full compliance with anti-human trafficking recommendations. Saint Lucia is currently at tier two.
The latest Consultation Workshop concluded on Tuesday evening.
