Office of National Rapporteur for Trafficking in Persons to be Strengthened

The Government is moving to strengthen the capacity of the Office of the National Rapporteur for Trafficking in Persons.

Speaking at a Jamaica House press briefing on July 1, Minister with responsibility for Information, Senator the Hon. Sandrea Falconer, said Cabinet has approved a recommendation from the Public Order Committee, for measures to be taken to have the office equipped with additional tools to allow it to function more effectively.

“In January the Cabinet assigned to the Office of the Children’s Advocate responsibilities as the National Rapporteur for trafficking in persons. The Office has been challenged by the lack of staff to conduct investigations…The office is to submit, as a matter of urgency, a proposal outlining the short and medium term needs to enable it to properly function,” she said.

The position is held by Diahann Gordon-Harrison, Children’s Advocate.

The duties of the Office of the National Rapporteur for Trafficking in Persons include: the creation of a more objective reporting system on the issue of trafficking in the country; conducting independent investigations of reports of alleged instances of human trafficking where the need arises; and to provide an analytical overview of the situation of trafficking in an annual report to the Government of Jamaica.