Tougher penalties for human traffickers

PERSONS CONVICTED of human trafficking in Jamaica are to face increased fines and mandatory prison sentences as lawmakers gave the nod on Wednesday to a bill amending the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Suppression and Punishment) Act.

The bill was approved with two amendments. National Security Minister Dr Horace Chang, who piloted the bill in Parliament, described trafficking in persons as a heinous modern-day crime that pulls in significant funding for the criminal underworld.

He said that some wealthy personalities were involved in the crime.

Chang told his fellow parliamentarians that criminals involved in drug running could use the same channels to carry out trafficking in persons.

Earlier this year, the US State Department maintained Jamaica’s Tier 2 ranking in its Trafficking in Persons Report, which means that the country has not met the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking.

The report said that even though significant progress had been achieved, the Government has “maintained limited law-enforcement efforts”.

The State Department Report had also asserted that police officers were complicit in sex trafficking.

Further, the report stated that the imposition of a fine in lieu of imprisonment and prescribing a lower maximum imprisonment term for sex trafficking were inconsistent with sanctions handed down for other serious crimes such as rape.

The amended law will now create an anti-trafficking regime that creates a deterrent for offenders and one that is in keeping with the recommendations of the United States Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report 2012.

The decision was made to amend the monetary penalties in the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention, Suppression and Punishment) Act to remove the option of fines in lieu of custodial sentences as a penalty for certain offences that are egregious in nature.

The amendment also makes a consequential amendment to Section 10 of the Child Care and Protection Act to remove the option of fine in lieu of custodial sentence.