Activist marches against human trafficking

SOCIAL activist Wendell Eversley marched around the Red House seven times on Friday to highlight the issue of human trafficking.

Before marching Eversley addressed a handful of supporters at Woodford Square, Port of Spain, telling them they should put country before political parties.

“When I hear names calling where human trafficking is concerned, I said I could not remain silent. If I did, I would be failing in my duty on what God put me on this earth to do, and that is to stand up for what is right.”

He said he decided to march to send a message to the “evil and wicked men” who are taking advantage of boys and girls.

“We have to call MPs 'honourable' this and 'honourable' that.Devant Maharaj say to Wendell, is not one person in the UNC who is sitting in Parliament is involved. He say it is more than one, more than two, more than three.”

On March 8, former government minister Devant Maharaj said he had written to the police about his claim there was prostitution and human trafficking taking place under the People’s Partnership administration between 2010 and 2015.

His public comments triggered a police investigation, ordered by Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher.

At the police weekly media briefing on Thursday, acting Deputy Commissioner of Police Curt Simon said the matter is still under investigation.

He said: "You would realise that the allegations are new. You would also want to consider that the nature of these types of investigations are quite extensive and intricate, so the update that I can give is that the investigation is still ongoing. It's at its early stages, despite the set of intelligence that we may have as it relates to that."

Eversley also trained his guns on Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who he claimed ignored the issue Maharaj had raised of alleged human trafficking and prostitution taking place under UNC officials.

Politics, he said, should not be the dividing force, He added that while the PNM is the problem, the UNC is not the solution for the issues facing the country.

“Who is willing to stand up today to fight for our beautiful country? What we are seeing today is a set of blasted hypocrites walking up and down and politicians in our country sitting in our highest courts, making rules for you and I, and they are stink and dirty and have nastiness in their closets.”

Eversley said Friday’s march was the first in a series he is planning to stage against human trafficking.