TESTIMONIES from young participants in the recent Anti-Trafficking in Persons Project were a poignant reminder of the value of education in Jamaica’s fight against human trafficking. “It was an eye-opening adventure,” said Shana-Kay Campbell, 14, a student at Children First. “Personally, I have been able to make informed choices, and understand the dangers of trafficking in persons.”

Campbell, who was speaking at the end-of-project forum at the Terra Nova All Suite Hotel in Kingston earlier this month, added that she had been taught lessons about human trafficking, which she is now passing on to her peers.

As for Aneisha Sevlyn, the information from the project may have saved her life. She revealed that before entering the programme she was approached by a man who asked her to be a part of a video shoot. The man, she said, told her that she would make “a lot of money” from being involved in it. However, the information from the programme caused her to think twice, and she turned down his offer.

“He even offered us cellphones so that he could call us,” Sevlyn said. “My friend invited me to the programme and after I attended the classes I started learning about human trafficking and I told the teacher what happened to me.”

The project, the second of its kind, was implemented by People’s Action for Community Transformation, in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development. The first was implemented in 2004, and ran for one year.

Co-ordinator Angela Gray said the initiative was geared at educating people identified as the most vulnerable in the society to recognise the various elements of trafficking, and to mobilise strategies to counteract the phenomenon. She noted that the project also sought to mobilise at-risk youths to identify alternative careers and lifestyles by providing them with the necessary education and skills to pursue their future goals.

The project targeted people between the ages of 14 and 24 from Montego Bay, Negril, Spanish Town and Old Harbour Bay.

Carol Palmer, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Justice, said meanwhile, that the government is moving to improve the island’s ranking as it puts in place strategies to combat human trafficking.

Jamaica received a tier two ranking in June, which was an improvement over the country’s earlier ranking, which put it on the tier two watch list. The island, the permanent secretary said, is now working towards a tier one ranking.

Palmer, who heads the Anti-Trafficking in Person task force set up to address human trafficking in Jamaica, noted that the committee is guided by the principles of prevention, protection and prosecution.

“(We are working on an) institutionalised framework to ensure implementation of the trafficking in persons preventative policies, strategies and methods, and carrying out appropriate and regular public education awareness campaigns about trafficking in persons (TIP),” she said. “We are right now dealing with the Offences Against the Persons Act and the Incest (Punishment) Act.”

At the same time, Palmer said the task force is working on a victims charter that will “allow for treatment of victims with dignity and respect”.

“As we work towards tier one, the focus is on effective investigation and prosecution,” she said, adding that ongoing education campaigns, a data collection system, and the training of state agents were also key.

In addition, Palmer said the task force was looking to provide adequate social services, including shelters, for victims of human trafficking.