In its Trafficking in Persons Report 2012, the US Department of State has identified English and Spanish-speaking Caribbean nations as not making the minimum effort to fight the scourge, ranking them according to their alleged violations as Tier 2, Tier 2 Watch List and the worst offenders, Tier 3.
It places in “Tier 1” those governments that fully comply with the US Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s (TVPA) minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. No Caribbean countries are on this list.
But those countries which, while not fully complying with the TVPA’s minimum standards, are making “significant efforts” to comply with those standards are placed on “Tier 2”: Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Dominican Republic, Guyana, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Beyond Tier 2 is the Tier 2 Watch List, where the State Department places the Bahamas, Barbados, Haiti, Jamaica and Suriname. It is in these countries where the absolute number of victims of severe forms of trafficking is very significant or is significantly increasing. The US says these governments do not fully comply with the TVPA’s minimum standards but are making significant efforts towards compliance.
But the US State Department reserves its strongest criticism for Cuba – the lone “Tier 3” Caribbean country – whose government, it said, neither fully complies with the TVPA nor makes significant efforts to do so.
The Bahamas: ‘Haitians, Jamaicans vulnerable’
On the Tier 2 Watch List, the Bahamas is considered a destination, source and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking, stating that undocumented migrants, particularly the estimated 30,000 Haitians who largely arrive in the Bahamas voluntarily, are vulnerable to forced labour, especially in domestic servitude and in the agriculture sector.
The report says experts also have raised concerns that some workers from Jamaica could be vulnerable to involuntary servitude, and that media outlets have reported that Chinese workers in a large-scale Chinese construction project in the Bahamas do not have freedom of movement – a human trafficking indicator.
It says groups especially vulnerable to sex trafficking in the Bahamas include foreign citizens in prostitution and local children engaging in sex with men for basics such as food, transportation, or material goods.
“The Government of The Bahamas does not comply fully with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so,” the report says.
But, despite these efforts – most notably the establishment of a high-level interagency committee and continued statements of commitment to address human trafficking, the State Department says the Bahamian government has not identified or assisted any victims of trafficking or initiated any forced labour or sex trafficking prosecutions.
Therefore, it places the Bahamas is placed on Tier 2 Watch List for a second consecutive year.
Barbados: ‘Almost Tier 3’ downgrade
The State Department says Barbados was granted a waiver of an otherwise required downgrade to Tier 3 – countries that do not about human trafficking – because its government has developed a written plan that, if implemented, would constitute “significant efforts to meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is devoting sufficient resources to implement that plan.”
The State Department says Barbados is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labour, stating that the profile of human trafficking in Barbados is similar to those of other countries in the region.
It says evidence suggests there are foreign women forced into prostitution in Barbados, asserting that legal and illegal immigrants from Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Guyana “appear to be the most vulnerable to trafficking.”
The State Department says the prostitution of children is “known to exist” in Barbados, adding that a “high-risk group” is Barbadian and immigrant children engaging in transactional sex with older men for material goods.
In the past, it says foreigners reportedly have been subjected to forced labour in Barbados, with the highest risk sectors being domestic service, agriculture and construction.
“The Government of Barbados does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking,” it says, stating that the government “has not shown evidence of increasing efforts to address human trafficking over the previous year,” therefore, placing Barbados is placed on Tier 2 Watch List for a third consecutive year.
‘Haiti’s restaveks’
The report says Haiti is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking.
It says many of Haiti’s trafficking cases are the estimated 150,000-500,000 “restaveks” – the term for children in forced domestic service.
The report says the majority of children that become restaveks do so when recruiters arrange for them to live with families in other cities and towns in the hope of going to school.
It says restaveks are treated differently from other non-biological children living in households; in addition to involuntary servitude, these children are particularly vulnerable to beatings, sexual assaults, and other abuses by family members in the homes in which they are residing.
The State Department says dismissed and runaway children, many of whom were former restaveks, as well as many restaveks displaced by the 2010 earthquake, make up a significant proportion of the large population of street children who end up forced into prostitution, begging, or street crime by violent criminal gangs in Haiti.
It says there were some incidents of foreigners procuring child commercial sex acts, including at least two incidents of sexual exploitation and abuse reported by the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). There have been also documented cases of Dominican women in forced prostitution in Haiti, it says.
The State Department says Haitian men, women, and children also are subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking in the Dominican Republic, other Caribbean countries, the US, and South America.
It says the groups most at risk to trafficking were those from the lowest income backgrounds, especially undocumented Haitians.
“The Government of Haiti does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so,” the report says.
But, despite these efforts, it says the government failed to demonstrate evidence of increasing efforts to address human trafficking over the previous reporting period, placing Haiti is placed on Tier 2 Watch List.
Jamaica: ‘Missing children in sex trafficking’
The State Department says Jamaica is also a source, transit and destination country for adults and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labour.
It says the exploitation of local children in the sex trade, a form of sex trafficking, remains a problem, alluding to media reports that pimps are luring Jamaican children under age 18 into prostitution, especially in urban areas.
It says nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the government remain “alarmed at the high number of missing children and are concerned that some of these children are falling prey to sex trafficking.”
The State Department says sex trafficking of children and adults likely occurs on the street, in night clubs, bars, and private homes.
In addition, it says massage parlours in Jamaica reportedly often lure women into prostitution under the false pretence of employment as massage therapists, and then withhold their wages and restrict their movement – “key indicators of human trafficking.”
The report also states that people living in Jamaica’s poverty-stricken garrison communities, territories ruled by criminal “dons” that are effectively outside of the government’s control, are “especially at risk.”
It says there is evidence that foreign nationals are subjected to forced labour in Jamaica, and that reports indicate that Jamaican citizens have been subjected to sex trafficking or forced labour abroad, including throughout the Caribbean, Canada, the US, and the United Kingdom.
The State Department says the Government of Jamaica also does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. But it says it is making significant efforts to do so.
The State Department says Suriname is a destination, source, and transit country for women, men, and children who are subjected to sex trafficking and forced labour.
It says women and girls from Suriname, Guyana, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic are subjected to sex trafficking in the country, many of them lured with false promises of employment.
In past years, the report says Asian men, particularly from China, have arrived in Suriname in search of employment but subsequently have been subjected to forced labour, including in the service sector and construction.
Although media reports indicate that debt bondage and sex trafficking occur within the Chinese migrant community, no victims from this community were identified during the year, the report says.
It says NGOs and government sources suggest that some women and girls could be exploited in sex trafficking in Suriname’s interior around mining camps, “although the remote and illegal nature of these camps makes the scope of the problem unknown, and there is little government presence in these areas.”
The report says children working in informal urban sectors and gold mines are also vulnerable to forced labour.
The report says Antigua and Barbuda is a destination and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labour, with legal and undocumented immigrants from the Caribbean region and Southeast Asia comprising the population most vulnerable to trafficking.
According to some sources, it says forced prostitution occurs in bars and brothels, and incidences of forced labour have occurred in domestic service, on farm lands, and in the retail sector.
“The Government of Antigua and Barbuda does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so,” the report says.
“Despite limited human and financial resources, the government made substantial progress during the reporting period in its efforts to proactively identify human trafficking protect victims, and raise awareness about the issue,” it adds.
Belize: ‘Americans in child sex tourism’
Belize as well is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labour, the report says, stating that a common form of human trafficking is the coerced prostitution of children, often occurring through poor parents pushing their children to provide sexual favours to older men in exchange for school fees, money, and gifts.
It says child sex tourism – involving primarily American citizens – has been identified as an emerging trend in Belize.
Additionally, the report says sex trafficking and forced labour of Belizean and foreign women and girls – primarily from Central America – occurs in bars, nightclubs, and brothels throughout the country.
Foreign men, women, and children, particularly from Central America and Asian countries, migrate voluntarily to Belize in search of work and that some may fall victim to forced labour, the State Department says.
It says children and adults working in the agricultural and fishing sectors in Belize are vulnerable to forced labour, and that forced labour has been identified in the service sector among the South Asian and Chinese communities in Belize, primarily in restaurants and shops with owners from the same country.
The State Department says, during the reporting period, government officials demonstrated a “sustained commitment” to addressing trafficking in persons by achieving two convictions of trafficking offenders, devoting resources toward victim protection, and raising public awareness.
“Flaws in current legislation, a very low victim identification rate, and official complicity remain challenges,” it says.
Guyana: ‘Sex trafficking and forced labour’
Like other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries, the report says Guyana is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labour.
It says Guyanese nationals have been subjected to human trafficking in other countries in the Caribbean region, with cases reported in the media generally involved women and girls in forced prostitution.
The report says country experts expressed concern that exploitative child labour practices occur within the mining industry, agriculture and forestry industries.
“The limited government control of Guyana’s vast interior regions, combined with profits from gold mining and the prostitution that accompanies the industry provide conditions conducive for trafficking,” it says.
“People in domestic service in Guyana are vulnerable to human trafficking, and instances of the common Guyanese practice of poor, rural families sending children to live with higher-income family members or acquaintances in more populated areas creates conditions conducive to domestic servitude,” it adds.
The report says Guyanese from rural, economically depressed areas are “particularly vulnerable” to trafficking in mining areas and urban centres.
It says there is additional concern that young Brazilian women in prostitution are vulnerable to trafficking as well.
Eastern Caribbean, Trinbagonian sex trade
The report says St. Lucia is a destination country for persons subjected to forced prostitution and forced labour, stating that legal and illegal immigrants from Haiti, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, and South Asia reportedly are the groups most vulnerable to human trafficking.
It says sex trafficking victims are likely found among foreign women in prostitution.
According to the police and NGOs, the most likely traffickers in the country are pimps, strip club operators, and brothel owners, it says.
The State Department says, in the past, there were allegations that some underground strip clubs were fronts for prostitution and reportedly were owned or protected by complicit former police officers.
It says there are indications that children are coerced to engage in commercial sex in St. Lucia.
The report says St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a source, transit, and destination country for some men, women, and children subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking.
According to NGOs and officials, discussing human trafficking matters openly is a social taboo in the country, the report says.
Nevertheless, it says a consensus has developed between government officials and NGOs that a population of persons at high risk of trafficking exists, notably men, women, and children working in agriculture, including marijuana fields, and in prostitution.
In the past, the State Department says Vincentian officials have raised concerns regarding foreign women in prostitution transiting through the country without possession of their passports.
It says the government made “substantial progress” during the reporting period by enacting legislation that prohibits all forms of trafficking and provides strong victim protection measures.
In addition, it says the government established a ministerial-level anti-trafficking task force and created an anti-trafficking police unit.
“This positive momentum and new structures should allow the government to make continued progress and identify and assist potential victims of trafficking in the coming year,” the report says.
Trinidad and Tobago also is a destination, source, and transit country for adults and children subjected to sex trafficking and adults subjected to forced labour.
The State Department says women and girls from South America and the Dominican Republic are subjected to sex trafficking in “Trinbagonian” brothels and clubs.
It says a high risk group for sex trafficking and forced criminal activity within Trinidad and Tobago are “Trinbagonian” homeless children or children from difficult family circumstances.
The report says economic migrants from the Caribbean region and from Asia, including India and China, may be vulnerable to forced labour.
It says some companies operating in Trinidad and Tobago reportedly hold the passports of foreign employees, “a common indicator of human trafficking,” until departure.
The State Department says there also have been instances of migrants in forced domestic service, adding that a small number of trafficking victims from Trinidad and Tobago have in the past been identified in the United Kingdom and the United States.
As a hub for regional travel, it says Trinidad and Tobago also is a potential transit point for trafficking victims traveling to Caribbean and South American destinations.
The report notes that the government passed comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation in 2011 that prohibits all forms of trafficking and provides “explicit and extensive” victim protections, although the law had not been enacted by the end of the reporting period.
It says for another year, the government did not prosecute any trafficking offenders.
Cuba: Tier 3
The US says Cuba, on Tier 3, is a source country for adults and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labour.
It claims that prostitution of children reportedly occurs in Cuba, and the country’s laws do not appear to penalize prostitution of children between the ages of 16 and 18.
“There have been past instances of Cuban citizens forced into prostitution abroad,” the State Department says.
“There have also been allegations of coerced labour, particularly with Cuban work missions abroad,” it adds, stating that while some Cubans working abroad have stated that postings are voluntary and well paid, others have claimed that their passports have been withheld by Cuban authorities and movement restricted.
The report, however, states that the scope of trafficking involving Cuban citizens is “particularly difficult to gauge” due to the closed nature of the government and sparse non-governmental or independent reporting.
“The Government of Cuba does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so,” it says.
“Although media sources reported the government prosecuted and convicted three sex traffickers in 2011, the government did not respond to requests for information on such sex trafficking and forced labour prosecutions or on trafficking-specific victim protection and prevention efforts that occurred during the reporting period,” it adds.
The penalty for governments of countries on Tier 3 may be subject to certain sanctions, in which the US government may withhold or withdraw non-humanitarian, non-trade-related foreign assistance.
In addition, countries on Tier 3 may not receive funding for government employees’ participation in educational and cultural exchange programmes.
Consistent with the TVPA, governments subject to sanctions would also face US opposition to assistance, except for humanitarian, trade-related, and certain development-related assistance, from international financial institutions, such as the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
A number of other CARICOM nations were not identified in the report which covers Tier 2, Tier 2 Watch List and Tier 3 nations, including Grenada, Dominica and St. Kitts and Nevis. But the State Department did not list them as Tier 1 countries either.
“Our work in fulfilling the promise of freedom should be not only the pursuit of justice, but also a restoring of what was taken away,” says US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“We should aim not only to put an end to this crime, but also to ensure that survivors can move beyond their exploitation and live the lives they choose for themselves,” she adds.
CMC nk/jg/2012