PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC—Jamaican audiences will be able to view the feature film Trafficked later this month. The “Trafficked Tour of the Caribbean” was conceptualized by the NGO Eye on Dependency radio talk as a means to spread awareness of the dangers of drug and human trafficking, two major issues frequently tackled by the program.
Support from the Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs was provided through the Ministry’s Headquarters and Trinidad and Tobago’s High Commission to Jamaica, headed by Deryck Murray.
The High Commission diligently facilitated logistical and other arrangements for the film screening.
FilmTT, the State agency promoting the local film industry at home and abroad, also assisted in covering the accommodation costs through their line Ministry of Trade and Industry.
Caribbean Airlines sponsored airfare for the EOD team of Garth St. Clair and Natasha Nunez and the newly appointed Director of the Counter Trafficking Unit (CTU), Allan Meiguel, who accompanies the EOD Team on the Tour.
As the film’s executive producer, Eye on Dependency has worked closely with the CTU under the Ministry of National Security since its release in 2015.
Trafficked was identified in the Prevention section of the US State Department’s 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report as having contributed to Trinidad and Tobago being elevated to Tier 2 on the Report ranking.
This was due to the numerous screenings of the film across Trinidad and Tobago for schools, communities, law enforcement, and even online.
While the film is a retelling of actual events around drug trafficking, the CTU believed that human trafficking indicators were also present and sought to use the film as a teaching tool to highlight the Act, Means, and Purpose of modern-day slavery.
The team arrives in Jamaica on June 24.
The film will be screened twice on consecutive days, with a meet-and-greet before the film and a Q&A segment for the audience after it.
The first screening will take place on June 25 to a joint audience of the University of the West Indies (UWI) and the University of Technology.
The second screening, on June 26, will be at the Palace Cineplex for a specially invited group of stakeholders in the diplomatic, law enforcement, social work, and NGO sectors.
June 26 also marks World Drugs Day, a United Nations commemoration highlighting annual themes that Eye on Dependency has promoted on its radio program over the past 22 years.
Eye on Dependency director and co-host Garth St. Clair said of the Tour that he is “excited to be allowed to spread the word throughout the Caribbean about the importance of these issues while demonstrating, through the presence of the CTU on the Tour, that government of Trinidad and Tobago is making significant strides in combating the scourge of drug and human trafficking.”
Apart from the goal of raising awareness, Eye on Dependency hopes to make connections with anti-trafficking organizations in Jamaica to reinforce the need for Caribbean territories to share information, knowledge, and insight into the global crimes of drug and human trafficking which continue to plague the region and to showcase the power of the arts (specifically film) in telling stories that can positively impact real-life victims and survivors.
Trafficked, written and directed by Sean Hodgkinson, is one of a few locally produced films that has enjoyed critical and commercial success in Trinidad and Tobago and the world, having won several awards at film festivals in Asia, North America, and the Caribbean.
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