Human traffickers branding victims with tattoos - police

The lack of self-reporting from victims of human trafficking continues to pose serious challenges for crime fighters, but head of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Unit in the Jamaica Constabulary Force, Deputy Superintendent Carl Berry, said that there has been some improvement in managing the heinous activity.

Speaking with The Gleaner at a youth forum hosted by the justice ministry and the United States Embassy, at the University of the West Indies, Berry said. "The fight is getting better because more and more people are realising the importance of fighting this crime. The fact that it is not self-reported, though, poses some challenges. We have to go and look for each victim, which always creates a problem".

IDENTIFYING MARKS

He also sought to explain what persons should look for in identifying both victims and perpetrators.

"Look for withdrawal - a person who is usually vibrant but no longer wants to socialise, all of a sudden this person don't want to go out. This person becomes extremely promiscuous, involved left, right and centre. All of that we found came from experiences of exploitation. Look for signs of wounds that are not treated. Persons whose faculties are intact would normally seek some care for a wound," he said.

The senior cop said human traffickers usually carry the label of dons. He claimed that these people also wear a lot of tattoos. "What we notice also is that they are putting the same tattoos that they place on the victims calling them their property, and we have seen examples here," he added.