The United States Government through its Child Protection Compact (CPC) on Thursday pledged US$4.5 million to Jamaica to help reduce the prevalence of human trafficking in the country.

Permanent secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Ambassador Marcia Gilbert-Roberts said the money will primarily go towards implementing a programme to protect children from being trafficked. The four-year agreement will also see the US Government investing funds in identifying and providing comprehensive services to victims through civil society and international organisations.

“The signing of this memorandum of understanding (MOU) represents the mutual commitment of our countries to the achievement of our shared objectives of reducing child trafficking, violence and abuse as well as enhancing the protection our children,” she said in her address before jointly signing the agreement with chargé d’ affaires of the US Embassy in Kingston, Eric Khant, at the ministry’s head office in New Kingston.

She added that the partnership would allow Jamaica to improve on the three main pillars of reducing trafficking — prosecution, prevention and protection — and added that “Jamaica would, however, wish to add another essential “P” to the 3P paradigm — that is partnership, which underpins this agreement”.

Khant, during his remarks, pointed out the gravity of human trafficking, saying that the act was more serious than other illicit trading such as drugs and guns because “human traffickers were also violating human rights”.

He said approximately 2.5 million people are trafficked worldwide annually and that many of those victims are children.

In Jamaica’s case, the National Task Force Against Trafficking in Persons reported in March that more than 74 victims of trafficking had been rescued and approximately 11 cases were before the courts.

Jamaica is one of four countries — the others being Ghana, Peru and the Philippines — that are currently party to the US CPC partnership.

“Without partnerships of this kind our journey towards achieving our targets under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Vision 2030 would more certainly be more extensive and arduous,”. Gilbert Roberts said Thursday.

She also called on Jamaicans to fight against the “scourge” of human trafficking and pointed out that the process must “begin at home”.

The CPC was set up to “work collaboratively with governments to reduce child trafficking, through joint commitment, with assistance that is concentrated on projects tailored to address the child trafficking problems in the country”.