By Isatou Sarr
The Executive Director of the National Agency AgainstTrafficking in Person (NAATIP) has urged the security forces to exercise caution in arresting suspected sex workers around the Senegambia Strip, highlighting that some of these night workers may be victims of human trafficking.
Last Tuesday, NAATIP engaged personnel of the Gambia Police Force (GPF) on matters, relating to human trafficking.
“How are we able to differentiate between someone who is a victim of trafficking and someone who chose to work as a sex worker? We need the training. We need the step-by-step guide when it comes to victim identification. We need a step-by-step guide in understanding the indicators of human trafficking. We equally need to understand the national referral mechanism. What is this document about? If the police have to deal with trafficking in persons cases, why then is it necessary to refer the matter to the National Agency Against Trafficking in Persons?” stated Madam Darboe.
“Is it because there are protection issues? Is it because there areimmediate care and help needs? Is it because there are issues to refer to relevant services, which the police may not have the mandate?” she further queried.
Darboe advised security personnel to always engage with relevant stakeholders before taking actions against arrestedindividuals they perceive as sex workers.
“But in a sense, identifying TIPS will enable you to know what difference between trafficking in persons and smuggling is and what administrative steps or procedures you should take in referring the case to the agency,’’she noted.
She pointed out that there are fundamental principles that law enforcement need to understand to ease their work.
“So when raids are conducted, you know that it is not a question of raiding them because they are seen as sex workers, taking them to the station, detaining them and subsequently taking them to court but that there is somebody from the agency that needs to be present to screen these individuals. So, you are able to differentiate who is a victim of trafficking and do the referral to the centre,” she advised.
The NAATIP executive director said sometimes those victims need immediate medical attention.
“Sometimes they want to get away from their madams but they don’t know how and, that arrest may be an escape route for them. I will call on all of you to keep an open-mind to that,” she concluded.