Front left to right are Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds, and UNDP’s Assistant Resident Representative Trinidad and Tobago Sharifa Ali Abdullah.
On October 11, the U.S. Embassy and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago launched a second phase of the Strengthening Evidence-Based Decision Making for Citizen Security in the Caribbean (CariSECURE) 2.0 in Trinidad and Tobago under the auspices of the United States Agency for International Development Eastern and Southern Caribbean (USAID/ESC). The United Nations Development Program will implement CariSECURE 2.0 on behalf of the U.S. Embassy.
CariSECURE 2.0 is a regional US$13 million program across six Caribbean countries, including Trinidad and Tobago. It is designed to improve how government and non-government partners collect, analyze, manage, and use crime and violence data to improve policy making and citizen security programs.
In Trinidad and Tobago, CariSECURE 2.0 will focus on addressing trafficking in persons (TIP), more commonly known as human trafficking. In coordination with the Ministry of National Security, the program will support the Government of Trinidad and Tobago’s response to TIP and addressing its adverse impact on young people. CariSECURE 2.0 will bolster capacity within the Government of Trinidad and Tobago to identify, screen, investigate, and effectively prosecute cases. The program will also build capacity regarding the availability and use of standardized, timely, disaggregated, and reliable TIP data. By strengthening both the data and processes to prosecute human trafficking cases, the CariSECURE 2.0 program’s assistance will help reduce the incidence of trafficking in Trinidad and Tobago.
Speaking at the formal launch, U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Shante Moore said, “This program matters. Our obligation as democratic governments, both in the United States and Trinidad and Tobago, is to work in partnership with our fellow citizens to tackle the biggest problems they face, including crime, youth violence, and human trafficking.”
Acting Regional Representative of USAID/ESC David Billings said, “We simply must ensure that those who have offended are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and those who have been hurt, receive care and assistance so they can heal and envision a brighter future.”