Hinds: 'Erroneous' press report on rape put Trinidad and Tobago in negative light

IN an effort to protect the image of the country in the eyes of its international allies over the issue of human trafficking, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds called a media conference on Monday to debunk claims in a newspaper.

Hinds highlighted that the report placed TT in a negative light, after it was spared a downgrade from Tier 2 Watch List to Tier3 on the US Trafficking In Persons report, thanks to a one-time waiver. He said the article was "erroneous and untrue."

The issue he raised was a newspaper report about a 21-year-old woman who claimed to have been raped by members of the Coast Guard while at the detention centre at the Chaguaramas Heliport. The article claimed the woman was moved from the care of the state and finally receiving support by way of clothing. food and toiletries.

Hinds said he had to call the media conference to dispute the allegations.

He said the state, through the Counter-Trafficking Unit and police, provided protection and shelter to the woman, along with other necessary support, including food and clothing. He said the article was accompanied by a picture with the woman “at risk” from her alleged rapists and others, as she sat openly at a restaurant in Chaguaramas.

He denied there were two habeas corpus matters before the court, saying the woman's attorney, Criston Williams, had already told the court one would be withdrawn, since it was similar to another filed in June that is yet to be dealt with.

While the woman said she wanted to return to Venezuela at the earliest convenience, Hinds said her participation in the investigation against members of the Defence Force is vital and her repatriation has been postponed.

Asked if TT's international counterparts and humanitarian agencies had told the country to address the claims, Hinds said: “I get letters from them from time to time. I don't want to tell you now that I got any in particular in relation to this. We communicate with them all the time.

"The most important point here is that we have been complying with laws of TT, and I am in touch with the Venezuelans directly, because it's a Venezuelan citizen. More than that, I'm addressing you today because I am aware of our international obligations and our international assessments.”

Throughout the media conference, Hinds repeated that the country’s reputation was at stake. He told all listening that the woman’s rape allegation was being investigated. He said to date, she has been unco-operative with the police, so much so that the Venezuelan Embassy was approached to provide assistance.

On June 4, head of the Gender Based Violence Unit Snr Supt Claire Guy-Alleyne said after the first report of rape and abuse was made, a team was set up to investigate, but found no evidence to support the woman’s claim.

At a media conference, Guy-Alleyne said: “After forming a team, we went to the location, where several persons were interviewed and certain information was disclosed. No sexual exploitation was disclosed at the location.”

Asked what consequences the woman faces if the report of rape is found to be false, Hinds said there were none. He added that when Guy-Alleyne spoke, she meant that up to the point of the media conference, the police had found no evidence supporting the rape allegations.

The matter is a very serious one, he said, not only because of the allegations but also the image it casts on the country regarding human trafficking, as the woman was identified as a victim of it.

He said the rape allegation is part of an overlaying of other investigations, including how the woman was trafficked into the country; how she left the heliport (she claimed to have been dropped off after being raped); and the actual rape itself. Because of this, he said, he could not give a time frame for the completion of the investigations.