2007 Trafficking in Persons Report - Center for Women Policy Studies

B E L I Z E / B E N I N
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BELIZE (Tier 2)
Belize is a source, transit, and destination country
for women and children trafficked for the purposes
of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation.
Central American women and children are trafficked
to Belize for exploitation in prostitution. Girls are
trafficked within the country for sexual exploitation,
sometimes with the consent of close relatives.
The Government of Belize does not fully comply
with the minimum standards for the elimination of
trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts
to do so. The Government of Belize made substantial
improvement in combating human trafficking
since release of the 2006 Report. In February 2007,
the government took a critical step to confront
official trafficking-related corruption by arresting
two police officers for human smuggling; a third
police officer was arrested for allegedly exploiting
a trafficking victim. More steps must be taken in
this key area for the government to advance its
anti-trafficking goals. The government also should
consider increasing penalties for sex trafficking, and
increasing law enforcement efforts to investigate
and prosecute traffickers.
Prosecution
The Government of Belize made solid progress overall
in the past year. The Government of Belize prohibits
all forms of trafficking through its Trafficking in
Persons Prohibition Act, which prescribes punishment
of up to five years’ imprisonment and a $5,000
fine. These penalties are sufficiently stringent but are
not commensurate with higher prescribed penalties
for other grave crimes such as rape. An interagency
trafficking-in-persons committee leads government
efforts to prosecute traffickers, protect victims, and
raise community awareness about human trafficking.
The government reported two trafficking prosecutions,
but no convictions for trafficking in 2006.
Four foreign tourists were prosecuted for child sexual
exploitation offenses and a fifth was expelled from
the country. The government conducted raids of
brothels and increased anti-trafficking training for
police, magistrates, and immigration officials. The
government also cooperates with foreign governments
on international trafficking cases, and joined
the Latin American Network for Missing Persons in
2006. Complicity in trafficking by law-enforcement
officials appears to be a significant impediment to
prosecution efforts.
Protection
The government improved protection services
for victims in 2006. The government opened
two shelters for trafficking victims in mid-2006,
and provides limited funding to local NGOs for
additional services. Authorities in Belize encourage
victims to assist in the investigation and prosecution
of their traffickers. There were no reports
of victims being jailed or penalized for crimes
committed as a result of being trafficked. Belize also
provides temporary residency for foreign trafficking
victims, and other legal alternatives to deportation
or removal to countries in which they would face
hardship or retribution.
Prevention
The government stepped up efforts to prevent
human trafficking during the reporting period.
Ministers and other high-level government officials
repeatedly condemned trafficking in speeches and
public statements. Since June 2006, the government
has sponsored anti-trafficking campaigns and
messages on television, radio, and in newspapers.
In July 2006, the government’s trafficking-inpersons
committee met with members of Belize’s
Indian community to discuss human trafficking
and involuntary domestic servitude. The government
also worked with Belize’s tourism industry to
draft a code of conduct to prevent child sex tourism.
The government funds local NGOs to promote
other prevention efforts.
BENIN (Tier 2)
Benin is a source, transit, and destination country
for children trafficked for the purposes of forced
labor and commercial sexual exploitation. The ILO
estimates that 90 percent of all victims are trafficked
within Benin, with girls trafficked primarily for
domestic servitude and sexual exploitation while
boys are trafficked for forced labor as plantation
laborers, street hawkers, and construction workers.
According to the ILO, the majority of Beninese
children trafficked transnationally are destined for
Nigeria, though they are also trafficked to Cote
d’Ivoire, Ghana, Niger, Mali, and Togo for the
purposes listed above, as well as for labor in mines
and stone quarries. Beninese girls may be trafficked
to Europe for domestic servitude and possibly
sexual exploitation. A small number of Togolese,
Nigerien, and Burkinabe children are trafficked to
Benin for the same purposes listed above.
The Government of Benin does not fully comply
with the minimum standards for the elimination of
trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts
to do so, despite limited resources. To improve
its response to trafficking, Benin should pass the