The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) says they will be going after parents and guardians involved in the trafficking of their children.
Sub-Officer in charge of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Vice Squad, Counter-Terrorism and Organised Crime Investigations Branch (CTOC), Detective Inspector Kemisha Gordon, said there is a troubling trend concerning children who report having been trafficked since the start of 2021.
She said in 2020 there were eight (8) victims identified within Jamaica, and that all eight victims were children.
She also noted that since the start of 2021, the JCF has identified five victims, who also were all children, and all being girls.
“Another trend that we are seeing is that women who are supposed to be the parents of or the guardians of these children are the ones who are seemingly seeking to exploit them,” Gordon said.
Detective Inspector Gordon informed that last year, a mother was arrested and charged for the exploitation of her daughter.
She added that another mother was also arrested and charged for a similar offence, and that other investigations are currently underway against parents or guardians of children who have reported that they have been exploited.
Gordon said that based on evidence, most local cases of human trafficking involve sexual exploitation.
Detective Gordon noted that though sexual exploitation is not the only kind that is involved in human trafficking, the numbers show that in Jamaica, sexual exploitation is the primary issue.
She is warning parents, especially mothers, who exploit their children, that they will be arrested, charged, and placed before the court.
