Message by
Senator the Honourable Kamina Johnson Smith, JP
Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade
World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2025
30th July 2025
Jamaica joins the global community in solemn observance of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.
Trafficking in persons is a heinous crime and constitutes a gross violation of the most fundamental human rights. Jamaica views trafficking in persons as an organised crime, often perpetrated through complex and clandestine networks, and places a high priority on efforts to address this urgent and pressing issue, and the conditions that may give rise to this inhumane practice. That the main victims are persons in vulnerable situations, namely, women, children and people living with disabilities, strengthens our resolve to take action.
I welcome this year’s theme, “Human Trafficking is Organized Crime – End the Exploitation”, which challenges us to confront one of the most insidious and organized threats to human dignity and freedom. Our efforts demand coordinated, decisive, and sustained national and international action.
Within the multilateral fora, Jamaica’s commitment to address this criminal activity is anchored in our obligations under key international frameworks, including the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, as well as the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons.
We actively engage with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL), the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Organization of American States (OAS) and the Human Rights Council (HRC), to promote regional and global solutions.
At the national level, The National Task Force Against Trafficking in Persons (NATFATIP) spearheads our legislative, institutional and operational capacity response. Through its work, we have implemented legislation to criminalize and punish all forms of trafficking in persons, while prioritizing the delivery of comprehensive care and protection services for victims, ensuring their dignity, safety and reintegration. Importantly, we continue to invest in targeted awareness-raising measures, and social interventions aimed at addressing the underlying vulnerabilities that render individuals susceptible to trafficking. Through my work in the Senate, I am proud to have piloted key legislation that has significantly strengthened Jamaica’s legal framework in not only preventing and prosecuting this heinous crime but also in ensuring stronger protection and support for survivors.
Jamaica’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force’s “Grey List”, attests to the considerable strides the country has made in the implementation of strategic measures aimed at dismantling organized criminal groups and addressing crimes connected with trafficking, such as corruption and money laundering.
As we observe World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, the Government of Jamaica reaffirms its unwavering commitment to the ultimate eradication of human trafficking. Let us use today and the broader observance of Trafficking in Persons Week, to support victims of human trafficking, shine a light on this organized crime and rededicate ourselves, individually and collectively, to extinguish it once and for all.
