Labour Inspectors at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security are playing a significant role in Jamaica’s anti-human trafficking drive, says National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, Diahann Gordon Harrison.

Delivering the 22nd Annual George Liele Lecture, held recently at the Mamby Park Baptist Church in Kingston Gordon Harrison explained that the Inspectors are empowered to go on any site or premises where work is being done, to inspect the conditions under which that work is being performed.

“Sanitation, treatment of workers, wages, you name it. And depending on what the Labour Inspectors see, that can trigger an anti-human trafficking investigation,” she said.  

Encouraging persons not to feel helpless taking on human traffickers, she said, where it is believed that anyone, or it is suspected that someone has fallen prey to the crime, several things should be done.

“First of all, do not approach the suspected trafficker, because this is organised crime that has big bucks involved. And if a criminal is going to be exposed and money is going to be taken from their pockets, they are not going to be happy,” Gordon Harrison noted.

“So, do not approach the trafficker, because of the danger involved. What you should do, however, is to report the matter to the nearest police station, so that the special anti-trafficking squad that exists in the Jamaica Constabulary Force can be activated to do a special investigation. When the report is being made, you don’t have to worry that you don’t have every single detail. That’s not your job. You’re not the investigator. But share what you know, share your suspicion, so that the investigation can take place,” she continued.

She pointed out that the person who is the suspected victim, even before the case is established firmly as a human-trafficking case, there are “rescue and support services” that are put in place for the individual, including health checks, medical support and, very importantly, “psychosocial support, which includes counselling and that kind of support that a victim may need”.

Gordon Harrison noted that  “trusted sources” are available to take reports, and persons can dial 119, 811, 311, and the Office of the National Rapporteur can be contacted.

She also said information is available at ww.jamaicanrtip.com, and it will “lead you to all of our resources”.

“On there, we have our victim-survivor handbook, which is a handbook that we put together to help victims of trafficking to get their lives back, to take them through the stages of what they need to do to get the help that they are, in fact, entitled to,” she said.

Her office also has an online resource library that has content about human trafficking in Jamaica, the Caribbean, North America, South America, Asia, Europe, Australia, and other parts of the globe.

“It is a global resource library that we house just to feed the curiosity of persons, and it is free open access, so there is no payment involved,” Gordon Harrison said.

In the Ministry, Labour Inspectors work out of the Pay and Conditions of Employment Branch (PCEB), which investigates complaints and inspects records; and the Occupational Safety and Health Department (OCHD), which inspects workplaces like factories and docks for safety hazards. Inspectors conduct investigations, audits, and provide advice to employers.