PM Calls for United Effort to Fight Human Trafficking

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, has called on countries to unite in their efforts to end human trafficking.

Mrs. Simpson Miller, who was addressing the general debate of the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, on September 28, said the issue is of paramount concern.

She said she was particularly moved by the knowledge that daily, young girls and boys are torn from the bosom of their families, taken to strange lands, placed in sub-human conditions and forced to perform unspeakable acts.

“We must unite in our efforts to eliminate this transnational scourge and bring an end to human trafficking, particularly among our women and children. We must ensure that in this modern time we do not have a re-enactment of slavery. We must stamp it out, wherever it exists, and bring the perpetrators to justice; we must protect the future generations. Never again should anything resembling slavery be tolerated anywhere,” Mrs. Simpson Miller told the General Assembly.

In the meantime, the Prime Minister also revealed that Jamaica is in support of the call for an international discussion, in a non-confrontational manner, on the question of reparations.

Mrs. Simpson Miller said Jamaica was proud to lead the efforts, in collaboration with CARICOM countries and members of the African Union, to have the Permanent Memorial to the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade erected at the UN.

She noted that the unveiling of the winning design, which was done earlier in the week, “signals an important chapter in our journey to honour the memory of the millions of men and women who were subject to untold atrocities.”

She thanked those who contributed generously to the project and urged the international community to continue to provide financial support for the initiative.