Guyana Trafficking Probes Halve as US Keeps Tier 1

GUYANA · HUMAN TRAFFICKING

Washington still rates Guyana among the top performers on trafficking, but its own figures show enforcement and spending slipped in 2025.

Guyana opened 16 human trafficking investigations in 2025, down from 31 a year earlier, the US State Department says. Despite that drop in Guyana trafficking investigations, the country kept Tier 1, the top ranking in the 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report.

The government’s Department of Public Information announced the result on Saturday, 10 October. For US readers, the report matters because Guyana’s oil boom is drawing foreign workers, recruiters and American investment.

What the US Report Found on Guyana Trafficking

The State Department’s annual report rates how governments fight forced labour and sex trafficking. The 2026 edition, published on Thursday, 8 October, covers 2025.

Tier 1 means a government fully meets the minimum standards of the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act. It does not mean a country has no trafficking problem.

Of the 16 investigations, eight concerned sex trafficking, seven forced labour and one an unspecified form. Prosecutors charged four suspects, up from three, and courts convicted one sex trafficker, sentenced to at least 48 months.

The report says trafficking trials take two years on average and up to four. Because the 2023 law requires victim testimony, officials dropped prosecutions when victims declined to testify.

Kaieteur News, a Georgetown daily, highlighted the halving on Sunday, 11 October. The government statement led instead with the Tier 1 status.

Fewer Victims Referred and Less Money

Authorities identified 390 victims in 2025, compared with 416 in 2024. Of these, 296 women and eight girls were exploited in sex trafficking and 85 men in forced labour.

Only 25 victims were referred to care, against all 416 the year before. Just 15 victims were Guyanese; 375 came from Venezuela, Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, India and Colombia.

Funding for victim services fell to GYD 116.9 million (about US$543,720) from GYD 132.6 million (about US$616,744). Dollar values here follow the report’s own conversions.

Prevention money dropped to GYD 83.25 million (about US$387,210) from GYD 169.5 million (about US$788,372). That is a cut of roughly half.

On the positive side, a 30-person transition home opened in July 2025. Non-governmental groups, however, reported that some shelters closed during the year.

Cuban Workers, Chinese Sites and Oil Recruiters

The report credits Guyana for demanding fair labour conditions for 370 Cuban workers tied to the government in Havana. In response, Cuba ended its health cooperation agreement with Guyana at the start of 2026.

About 110 Cuban workers stayed after Guyana offered direct employment and protection. Observers reported the government did not consistently ensure they were paid.

This links to a wider US campaign against Cuba’s labour export programme, including its medical missions.

Chinese nationals on Belt and Road projects and China-owned mining sites face conditions indicative of forced labour, the report adds.

Guyana has no law banning worker-paid recruitment fees, contract switching or wage withholding. For a fourth year, the government reviewed recruitment rules without finalising them, despite new agencies hiring for the oil sector.

What It Means for You

For US companies in Guyana’s oil industry, led offshore by ExxonMobil, the recruitment gap is a supply-chain risk. Contractors hiring through local agencies cannot rely on Guyanese law to bar fees charged to workers.

For travellers, the report places most trafficking in interior and remote regions, with some cases in urban areas. Tier 1 status keeps Guyana clear of the aid limits that can hit Tier 3 countries.

For Venezuelan and other migrants, foreigners make up nearly all identified victims. Three hotlines, including one in Spanish, logged 15 reports.

What Is Not Known

The report does not explain why investigations fell by nearly half or why so few victims reached care. It also does not say how many shelters closed.

The government statement does not address the lower figures or the funding cuts. Whether the prevention budget will be restored is unclear.

What Comes Next

The government has started consultations on a new national action plan to replace the 2021–2025 plan. Updated rules on labour recruitment remain under review.

The next US report will cover 2026 and judge whether enforcement recovers. Keeping Tier 1 this year does not guarantee the ranking in future editions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Guyana’s ranking in the 2026 US trafficking report?

Guyana remained on Tier 1, the highest of four rankings. It means the government fully meets US minimum standards, not that trafficking is absent.

How many trafficking investigations did Guyana open?

The government reported 16 investigations in 2025, compared with 31 in 2024. It prosecuted four suspects and convicted one trafficker.

Who are the trafficking victims in Guyana?

Of 390 victims identified in 2025, 375 were foreign nationals, including people from Venezuela, Brazil and Cuba. Most were women exploited in sex trafficking.

What happened to the Cuban workers in Guyana?

Cuba ended its health cooperation agreement after Guyana sought fair labour conditions for 370 workers. About 110 stayed after Guyana offered them direct employment and protection.

Sources: US Department of State, 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report: Guyana; US Department of State, 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report; Department of Public Information, Guyana; Kaieteur News (all accessed 11 October 2026).