Guyana Slips on Human Trafficking Protection

By Mark DaCosta- Washington’s 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report, issued by the United States Department of State, leaves Guyana in the top tier but records a clear retreat in the care of victims. Our nation keeps its place among the best-rated countries, yet the findings show it losing ground where it matters most: supporting people who have already been harmed.

The ranking and the criticism sit uneasily together. Tier 1 is reserved for governments judged to meet the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking and to sustain serious effort. Beneath that headline, assessors found that Guyanese authorities opened fewer investigations, identified and referred fewer victims to services, spent less on protection and prevention, and shut some shelters.

The figures show why the concern is real. For 2025, the report counts 390 victims: 296 women and eight girls caught in sex trafficking, 85 men forced into labour, and one boy exploited in a way the report leaves unspecified. Just 25 were referred to care. Most were foreigners. Some 375 came from Venezuela, Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, India and Colombia, while only 15 were Guyanese.