Jamaican Government Strengthens Fight Against Human Trafficking

#Jamaica, February 23, 2018 – Montego Bay – Speaking at the opening of the Prosecutor’s Human Trafficking Training Seminar held at the Royalton White Sands in Trelawny, was Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Carol Palmer, who spoke of the governments initiative to ramp up their efforts in investigating and prosecuting cases of human trafficking.

Mrs. Palmer point out the impact human trafficking has on the persons forced to endure such a demoralizing crime, “persona has been taken from them” she said.  “We cannot be reluctant to thoroughly investigate and aggressively prosecute persons, who are involved in human trafficking because they are powerful, influential or well connected,’ she added.

She also spoke of training needed for prosecutors to ensure that the identities of victims and their families be protected, and work closely with investigators to ensure there is no intimidation of these persons and their families from traffickers.

She also spoke about the dangers of social media, “Be careful what you put on social media. Youngsters, in particular, love to post their whereabouts and also about where they are planning to go. We have to become social media smart as the traffickers are very versed and are actively looking out for any opening they can find.”