POLICE are urging Jamaicans, particularly women, seeking employment opportunities overseas to be wary of unfamiliar persons who may approach them with such offers.

The caution by the police comes against the background of data from Jamaica Constabulary Force’s (JCF) Anti-Trafficking in Persons Unit which indicates that 10 Jamaican women were trafficked within the region last year.

Head of the unit, Detective Inspector Kimesha Gordon, who told JIS News that this, “is the most we have seen in a long time”, said it “is cause for concern”.

She said the women were lured under the guise of receiving employment, adding that “last year, all the females who went overseas to be employed and found themselves in sexually exploitative situations”.

The policewoman said Jamaica, unfortunately, remains a source, transit point, and destination for human trafficking.

“Jamaica being a source means traffickers find their victims here. When victims are being moved from one country to the next, Jamaica is that middle ground where they transit through. Jamaica is also a destination where victims are brought from another country where exploitation takes place,” Gordon said.

She said jobseekers should be wary and sceptical of these employment ventures and the unfamiliar persons offering them.

“For example, they hear about a job that is available to them in another country within the region. There’s no visa requirement so it’s easier, and they seek to take advantage of that — and that is what the case was [last year] with all 10 [women who were] seeking to be employed,” the policewoman disclosed.

She further implores persons to conduct thorough investigations of job offers by checking with trusted authorities before engaging with the individuals making these offers.

“Their modus operandi may change from time to time. They are always evolving in how they go about things, how they engage their victims, and how they conduct their exploitation. Their trends are always changing,” she said.