Members of the Warnath Group Team with the National Rapporteur and Master of Ceremonies during the Virtual Launch of the ONRTIP Resource Library.
Warnath Group is pleased to congratulate the Jamaica Office of the National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons (ONRTIP) on the launch of the ONRTIP Resource Library. As part of Warnath Group’s work as an implementing partner of the U.S.-Jamaica Child Protection Compact, we proudly partnered with ONRTIP to design this unique, user-friendly resource for those in Jamaica and beyond wishing to learn more about trafficking in persons (TIP).
ONRTIP plays an important role in enhancing the understanding of trafficking in persons in Jamaica. The office is tasked not only with creating an objective reporting system on TIP in the country, but also with improving knowledge of the issue and making critical recommendations where necessary. To this end, ONRTIP conducts independent research and data collection to increase understanding of TIP and to improve counter‐trafficking actions in Jamaica.
The idea for the Resource Library emerged in response to a request from the National Rapporteur Mrs. Diahann Gordon Harrison to create an innovative one-stop-shop for information on National Rapporteurs and equivalent mechanisms around the world, as well as for quality reports and resources on human trafficking. Mrs. Gordon Harrison immediately saw the potential for this collection to become not only a resource for her office, but a resource that could be available to policymakers, survivors, civil society practitioners, as well as to researchers, students, and the general public in Jamaica and throughout the globe.
Recognizing that access to research and resources is a challenge generally for those who may not have the time to find and then sift through the vast body of information on human trafficking, in 2019, Warnath Group and ONRTIP started working collaboratively to develop the Resource Library. The Resource Library does the “finding” for users and provides quality assurance at the same time, guiding different categories of users to what may be useful to their work, putting research and resources on trafficking in persons at their fingertips.
Warnath Group meeting with ONRTIP staff to discuss the Resource Library, November 2019
There are very few online libraries specifically tailored to human trafficking. Therefore the ONRTIP Resource Library is unique, keeping a clear focus on Jamaica (with Jamaica-specific sections and materials), at the same time that it offers resources on trafficking in persons from other countries and regions.
On September 9, 2020, ONRTIP, with the assistance of SimSpeak Communications, hosted a Virtual Launch of the Human Trafficking Online Resource Library. Warnath Group was pleased to participate in the Virtual Launch, an impressive event with many dignitaries and members of government in attendance. Dr. Horace Chang, Deputy Prime Minister of Jamaica and Minister of National Security, highlighted the ongoing need for efforts aimed at fighting TIP in Jamaica, welcoming the development of the Resource Library, and expressed Jamaica’s unwavering commitment to addressing human trafficking.
Master of Ceremonies Simone Clarke Cooper and National Rapporteur Mrs. Diahann Gordon Harrison open the Virtual Launch of the Resource Library
Following the welcome from the Master of Ceremonies Mrs. Simone Clarke Cooper and opening remarks from National Rapporteur Mrs. Diahann Gordon Harrison, Warnath Group Country Project Director Aylair Livingstone and Marissa Pietrobono from the U.S. Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons also spoke.
Aylair Livingstone | Marissa Pietrobono
Mrs. Diahann Gordon Harrison then joined Warnath Group Project Coordinator Laura Johnson in presenting a video tour of the Resource Library.
Laura Johnson | Mrs. Diahann Gordon Harrison and Laura Johnson present a video tour of the Resource Library
Mrs. Tameisha Udosen, ONRTIP Senior Anti-Trafficking Officer, provided closing remarks.
Warnath Group was honored to be a part of this meaningful occasion alongside partners under the U.S.-Jamaica Child-Protection Compact and invites you to visit the Resource Library and to follow ONRTIP on Twitter for updates.
For more information, contact info@warnathgroup.com.