Press Releases 2007

Four Jamaicans to Participate in U.S. Sponsored Program on Human Trafficking

The United States Embassy in Kingston is pleased to announce that four Jamaicans have been selected to participate in the U.S. Department of State-sponsored International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) on Combating Trafficking in Persons.

The participants are Taitu Heron, Manager, Social Policy and Gender Unit in the Planning Institute of Jamaica; Annette Richards, Parish Coordinator, Victims Support Unit in the Ministry of National Security;  Nesta Haye, Coordinator, Victim Support Unit and Nigel Parke, Legal Officer in the Ministry of Justice. All four individuals are members of the National Task Force for Trafficking in Persons.

The three week multi-city program, which begins September 17, will take the Jamaicans and their Caribbean counterparts to Washington D.C. where they will explore U.S. policy initiatives to protect, assist and provide social and economic integration of victims of trafficking. They will also discuss best practices to combat trafficking in persons, including prosecution of traffickers and enforcement strategies as well as international cooperation efforts to combat human trafficking.

The participants will meet with representatives of the Human Trafficking Task Force, Bexar County Sheriffs Department in San Antonio, Texas, to discuss the city’s coordinated interagency work to prosecute and prevent human trafficking crimes.

In Minneapolis, Minnesota, they will meet with State Senator Sandy Pappas, principal legislation drafter of Minnesota’s Trafficking in Persons law. They are also expected to visit the United Nations in New York City for discussions on the impact of the protocol to combat trafficking in persons and the UN Resolution Eliminating Demand for Trafficked Women and Girls for All Forms of Exploitation. Other engagements include meetings with officials of the Organization of American States, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Departments of Justice and Homeland Security, among other state agencies.

The Department of State through the US Embassy’s Public Affairs Section provided sponsorship for two Jamaicans from the Ministry of National Security and the Gleaner Company Limited to participate in a similar program on human trafficking in 2006/07.