Public Affairs Officer, United States Embassy, Glenn Guimond (left) speaks with Gleaner reporter Andrea Downer who will be participating in the U.S.-sponsored International Visitor Leader-ship Programme on Human Trafficking in the U.S.A. - Contributed

The United States Embassy in Kingston has announced the selection of Andrea Downer, reporter and producer with The Gleaner/Power 106 News Centre, to participate in the U.S. Department of State-sponsored International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) on Combating Human Trafficking.

As a reporter with The Gleaner and Power 106, Ms. Downer is responsible for producing and reporting news and investigative stories with special emphasis on environment, health, human rights and gender issues.

According to Ms. Downer: "The programme comes at a time when Jamaica is facing numerous challenges in combating trafficking and despite progress in a number of areas, there needs to be significantly more investigation, to unearth trafficking networks, which should then result in prosecution and conviction of offenders."

She further added: "The provision of support network is a crucial area which the Government has still not addressed and this increases the vulnerability of persons who are at risk as repeat victims."

The three-week multi-city IVLP programme begins on March 1, and will take Ms. Downer and her 23 counterparts to Washington, D.C., where they will explore U.S. policy initiatives to protect, assist and provide social and economic reintegration of victims of trafficking. They will also discuss best practices to combat trafficking in persons, including prosecution of traffickers and enforcement strategies, as well as international cooperation efforts to combat human trafficking.

Activities

Ms. Downer will meet with Department of Homeland officials in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to discuss immigration procedures and law enforcement strategies for identifying victims and traffickers. She is also expected to examine a case study on how federal and local law enforcement collaborate on immigration trafficking issues in a major border community. In San Francisco, California,

Ms. Downer and her colleagues will meet with students at the University of California, Berkley, and attend classes at their human rights clinic. She will also meet with state representatives to explore the role of media in public education and outreach, victim services, legal representation and social interventions.