Attachments
Context
Security continues to be a significant concern in Trinidad and Tobago. During the first week of 2024, officials reported 15 murders, more than twice the number registered during the same period last year. In February, authorities detained a businessman who, in 2023, escaped custody after a court convicted him of human trafficking. The 38-year-old man was charged with over 25 criminal offenses, including child prostitution and assault. A High Court Judge ruled in favour of compensating a Venezuelan child detained from December 2020 to March 2022 at Chaguaramas Heliport. The ruling established a compensation of TTD$2.4 million (USD 353,190), for his arbitrary 456-day detention. The Joint Select Committee (JSC) on Human Rights, Equality, and Diversity recommended that the Government implement legislative changes to remove the obstacles refugee and migrant children face to access education. The JSC suggested a student permit waiver for asylum-seeking, refugee, and migrant children that allows them to access any educational institution with immediate effect, as well as the establishment of a special court to deal with human trafficking and a procedure to report abuse against refugees and migrants.