2007 Trafficking in Persons Report - Center for Women Policy Studies

SPECIAL CASES
S P E C I A L C A S E S
THE BAHAMAS
Limited data suggest a possible labor trafficking problem
in The Bahamas. The Bahamas remains a special
case for a second consecutive year, because the presence
of large numbers of undocumented migrants
in the country continues to raise concerns that there
may be a significant number of trafficking victims in
need of assistance. To be more proactive, the government
should consider enacting laws to prohibit all
forms of trafficking in persons, particularly forced
labor of adults, and expand training for officials to
identify and investigate potential trafficking situations.
Providing greater assistance and legal protections
for trafficking victims is an additional goal.
Scope and Magnitude. The Bahamas may be a
destination country for men, women, and children
trafficked for the purpose of labor exploitation.
Approximately 25 percent of the country’s population
consists of Haitian nationals, who are mostly
in the country illegally. Of the 20,000 to 50,000
undocumented Haitian immigrants in The Bahamas,
some may be subjected to conditions of involuntary
servitude. Although these migrants arrive voluntarily
in The Bahamas to work as domestic servants,
gardeners, and in construction, local sources indicate
that labor exploitation of these workers may be widespread;
employers coerce them to work long hours
for no pay or below the minimum wage by withholding
documents or threatening arrest and deportation.
Some commercial sexual exploitation of women and
minors also has been identified in the country.
Government Efforts. The government has established
an interagency Trafficking-in-Persons Task
Force, which participates in public conferences and
anti-trafficking training. While reports of human
trafficking in The Bahamas may be limited, the
government has taken solid steps to prevent child
labor and the commercial sexual exploitation of
children by conducting outreach campaigns and
establishing a national hotline for reporting abuse.
To further advance its anti-trafficking efforts, the
government should acknowledge and investigate
the potential scope of the problem and work with
its legislature to pass a comprehensive law criminalizing
all forms of human trafficking. Under current
Bahamian law, Title X of its Statute Law can be
used to prosecute traffickers for sexual-exploitation
offenses. These provisions carry penalties up to
eight years’ imprisonment, which are sufficiently
stringent and commensurate with penalties for rape
and other serious offenses. While The Bahamas has
well-developed civil labor laws that guarantee workers
a minimum wage, maximum working hours,
and other legal protections, it does not criminalize
slavery or forced labor practices. Moreover, migrant
workers usually do not have access to labor protections
under Bahamian law. During the reporting
period, the government did not actively investigate
or prosecute any alleged trafficking cases. However,
Bahamian judges and prosecutors participated in
anti-trafficking training, and the government works
closely with U.S. authorities on international law
enforcement efforts.
Victim protection efforts in The Bahamas are
extremely limited. The country has no specialized
shelters for trafficking victims, although domestic
violence services could be expanded to trafficking
victims. NGOs and faith-based organizations working
with undocumented migrants have expressed a
strong desire to help trafficking victims. The government
also has no formal procedures for identifying
trafficking victims among vulnerable populations,
such as persons detained for immigration violations.
The Bahamas has not ratified the 2000 UN
TIP Report.
BARBADOS
Limited available data suggest the possible existence
of a trafficking in persons problem in Barbados.
Although there remains a lack of reliable statistical
information from either the government or international
organizations, the government has been
proactive with both the prevention of trafficking
and prosecution of traffickers. To be more effective,
however, the government should consider drafting
and enacting laws to prohibit all forms of human
trafficking and developing national procedures
for victim protection, including pre-deportation
screening of undocumented immigrants for signs of
victimization.
Scope and Magnitude. Anecdotal information
suggests that Barbados may be a source, transit,
and destination country for men, women, and
children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor
and commercial sexual exploitation, but there is no
evidence yet of a significant number of trafficking
victims. Some trafficking of minors into prostitution
is allegedly facilitated by victims’ families.
Uncorroborated reports indicate that women and
girls from Guyana, the Dominican Republic, and
other Caribbean islands are trafficked to Barbados
for sexual exploitation in strip clubs and brothels,
as well as for domestic servitude. According to the
IOM, some economic migrants may have been
deceived by fraudulent offers of legitimate jobs and
placed in debt-bonded prostitution after their travel
documents were confiscated.
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