Nicholson

Parents or guardians who surrender custody of their children for exploitation or for payment or benefit could be charged with this offence under the Trafficking in Persons Act, which was passed in the Senate yesterday.

Where an accused person is convicted of the offence, he may be ordered by the court to pay restitution to the victim.

This comes three days after The Gleaner reported that Jamaica remained on the United States' 'Special Watch List' for trafficking in persons. The legislation introduces specific provisions to deal with the problem in Jamaica.

With the passage of the bill the Government is hoping that the country's status on human trafficking would be improved when the U.S. State Department's annual report on human trafficking is published in June.

Debating the bill in the Senate yesterday, Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, A.J. Nicholson said that Jamaica was still on the Tier Two watch list mainly because the bill was not brought into force.

Several measures

Piloting the bill, Senator Nicholson said the country had put several measures in place to effectively tackle the problem of human trafficking.

He said the Ministry of National Security was far advanced in the establishment of dedicated shelters for trafficking victims.

When enacted, the Trafficking in Persons Act will form part of a package of legislation aimed at strengthening the legislative framework to protect children.

According to Senator Nicholson, the legislation would include provisions on the exploitation of children by those involved in child pornography.

He said legislation would soon be introduced in Parliament dealing specifically with child pornography.

Trafficking in persons contains three components, including the activity itself; travel or movement from one place to another and the exploitation of the trafficked individual.

Clause Two of the bill sets out a definition of exploitation, which was a critical element in the offence of trafficking: