The Ministry of Home Affairs yesterday welcomed Guyana’s retention of Tier 1 status in the United States’ 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report for a tenth consecutive year, although the assessment also recorded fewer investigations and a sharp decline in referrals of identified victims to care.
In its October 12 release, the ministry said Guyana had held the highest ranking since 2017 and that the report recognised serious and sustained efforts to meet the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking.
However, Kiskadee Watch reported on October 10 that authorities identified 390 victims in 2025 but referred only 25 to care, compared with 416 victims identified and referred in 2024. Investigations fell from 31 to 16, while prosecutions increased from three suspects to four. One trafficker was convicted in each year.
The assessment also identified inadequate oversight of recruitment agencies, unresolved safeguards against recruitment fees and continuing trafficking risks at China-affiliated worksites. Tier 1 measures government compliance with minimum standards and does not mean that a country is free of trafficking.
Home Affairs Minister Oneidge Walrond, who co-chairs the Ministerial Taskforce on Trafficking in Persons, said the ranking recognised sustained work across the national response.
“Our responsibility is to ensure that this work reaches people at risk of exploitation, and that victims and survivors can access protection and support. We will continue working with law enforcement, service providers and communities to prevent trafficking and bring offenders to justice,” she stated.
The ministry highlighted the prosecution of suspected sex and labour traffickers, the detention of a trafficker previously convicted in absentia and training for police officers, judges, immigration officers and other officials.
It also pointed to the completion of a 30-person transition home in July 2025, where victims receive a voluntary ten-day reflection period without law enforcement interviews.
Other measures included a QR code reporting system, three dedicated hotlines, including a Spanish-language service, and awareness activities involving Toshaos, miners, hotel operators and schools.
According to the ministry, the report found that penalties under the Combating Trafficking of Persons Act 2023, ranging from five years to life imprisonment, were sufficiently stringent.
Alongside those advances, the assessment recorded reductions in funding for victim services and prevention, continuing trial delays and weaknesses in recruitment oversight and enforcement in the interior, Kiskadee Watch reported. :chatgpt-content-reference{index=”2″}
The ministry said the report’s recommendations would inform further work to strengthen interior enforcement, identify victims among vulnerable groups and modernise labour recruitment oversight.
The national response is guided by the 2026–2030 National Action Plan for the Prevention and Response to Trafficking in Persons, built around prevention, protection, prosecution and partnership.
The ministry said the plan was developed through consultations with government agencies, civil society organisations, survivors and other stakeholders, and is being implemented through the ministerial taskforce and its thematic subcommittees.
Persons with information about suspected trafficking can report to the nearest police station or call the 24-hour hotlines on 623-5030, 227-4083 or 624-0079.
Source: Kiskadee Watch
