Feezal Shaw, a wildlife trader from Soesdyke Public Road, East Bank Demerara, has been sentenced to three years imprisonment for one account of Trafficking in Persons.
The sentence was delivered by Magistrate Faith McGusty earlier this week. Shaw was also ordered to pay $2,127,000 in restitution to a survivor. The restitution request was presented by a senior officer attached to the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security’s Counter-Trafficking in Persons Unit, which has been supporting survivors of the heinous act.
The ministry said it has been closely following the case since 2018, appearing at every hearing and supporting the survivors. The convicted businessman brought the victims from another country and forced them to work in what is called a ‘local zoo.’ The conditions in which the survivors were forced to work were inhumane, and they were subjected to substandard living conditions.
Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud, said, “The Ministry of Human Services and Social Security’s Counter-Trafficking in Persons Unit has been actively working to ensure persons who engage in Trafficking in Persons face the full force of the law, and today we are satisfied that there is not only a conviction but restitution has been awarded to the victim.”
She added, “The restitution is a significant step in the right direction, and I believe it will definitely let the person affected understand that justice is served, and I am pleased to know justice was served in this case.”
The ministry reiterates and encourages persons to report all suspicious activities to the hotline at 227-4083 or 623-5030. For Spanish-speaking persons, contact can be made at 624-0079.
