In the light of recent reports of human trafficking, including that of children in T&T, the non-governmental organisation (NGO) the Children’s Ark has partnered with the Victim and Witness Support Unit and other agencies to launch an awareness programme to sensitise and educate the population regarding this scourge.
The Children’s Ark will also be hosting its fundraiser at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Port-of-Spain, on Friday titled Batting for Children.
In an interview on CNC3’s Morning Brew yesterday, the Children’s Ark founder and president, Simone de la Bastide, said the initiative would focus on communities, schools and other spaces and would also use various means to get the message across including print and electronic media.
De la Bastide said she was inspired by Maiti Nepal, a non-profit organisation in Nepal dedicated to helping victims of sex trafficking.
“Back in June someone sent me a very powerful video of a Nepalese organisation that specifically deals with trafficking of children and young girls.
I have made contact with the organisation and through that the board had discussions with Victim and Witness Support Unit, Childline, and other agencies regarding child trafficking and we made the decision back in July to implement the awareness regarding child trafficking.
“We are not involved in the policing of child trafficking in any way. It is strictly the awareness and prevention that the Children’s Ark is about to embark on,” de la Bastide said.
Members of Maiti Nepal, she added, were supposed to attend Friday’s fundraiser but were now expected to come to T&T next May. She also called for better compilation of data so as to assist in the fight against this particular crime.
Expressing concern over the apparent prevalence of human trafficking she related an incident where a strange couple walked up to a child in a park in Westmoorings.
I don’t think our stats are really up to date. There was an example of a little girl in Westmoorings...and we heard of that because we know the people.
“Where this couple, well-dressed, lovely, big car went into the park. The child was sitting there and a strange lady went up to her, asking her questions...where is your mum and dad and when the child said my dad is sitting over there, the couple got up and they walked away, and that sort of thing probably happens and we do not know about it.”
She said another woman who runs a home for street children questioned the whereabouts of street girls, adding that data on this was not taken into account.
Head of the Victim and Witness Support Unit, Margaret Sampson-Browne, who also appeared on the show, said studies have shown that while the boys remained on the streets the girls were forced into brothels.
Saying that the unit has thrown its full support behind the Children’s Ark initiative, she said once people became aware of the many negative factors of human trafficking, more incidents would be reported.
“Human trafficking is alive in T&T and we have to be aware of it,” Sampson-Browne said.
“We have now labelled human trafficking but prior to that was prostitution. Human trafficking has been in existence since time immemorial.
Now in T&T we have identified human trafficking and adding the support necessary for those being trafficked including the children, young girls and the males.
“Human trafficking carries a wide scope of ills ranging from sexual exploitation to domestic servitude as persons entering the country are made to work in homes and private industries as servants, in stores, security agencies and are hoping for a new life...a place where they can find some peace and people are abusing those privileges,” Sampson-Browne added.
She said to date the data has shown there has been one report of child trafficking relating to domestic servitude
“But I think the aggression of the Children’s Act and the components of the Counter Trafficking Unit...we would see more reports because it is happening right here in T&T.
“It is just that people may not have identified it as child trafficking. They have placed a label on it so as a result of labelling it in a particular way you find people would not look at it or feel the need to say something but the penalty of not reporting child or human trafficking or if you are charged and convicted...the penalty is severe, ranging from property being seized to thousands of dollars in fines.
T&T needs to get so incensed about this whole child-trafficking situation, especially about child sex trafficking because we have to protect our children,” Sampson-Browne said.
Last Saturday, members of the Human Trafficking Unit raided a club in Penal and arrested 22 female nationals from the Dominican Republic, believed to be victims of a human trafficking ring.
A Syrian-born man and three male Trinidadians, who police suspect were the middle-men in the trafficking operation, were also arrested.
Last month, a 30-year-old Tunapuna man was arrested after police raided a brothel in Tacarigua.
Four women were arrested, two of whom claimed to have been held there against their will.
Supt Hendron Moses later called on young women to be wary of advertisements placed in the media about job opportunities, since police believed this was one of the major ploys used to lure women by human traffickers.