The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

CHILDREN born in the Bahamas to foreign-born parents are potentially vulnerable to human trafficking, according to the recently released US Department of State’s 2014 Trafficking In Persons Report for the Bahamas.

The report highlighted this issue when identifying a number of groups vulnerable to trafficking as it noted that while the government is making significant efforts to combat trafficking, the Bahamas is still a “destination, source, and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labour and sex trafficking”.

“Migrant workers are especially vulnerable to involuntary servitude in the Bahamas, particularly the thousands of Haitians who arrive in the Bahamas largely voluntarily to work as domestic employees and labourers.”

“Other large, vulnerable, migrant worker communities are from China, Jamaica, and the Philippines. There were reports during the year that some US nationals who were locally employed had their movement restricted and passports taken, activities indicative of human trafficking,” the report added.

“Children born in the Bahamas to foreign-born parents do not automatically receive Bahamian citizenship and face potential discrimination and vulnerability to trafficking. Economic migrants transiting through the Bahamas were vulnerable to trafficking. Groups especially vulnerable to sex trafficking in the Bahamas include foreign citizens in prostitution or exotic dancing and local children under 18 engaging in sex with men for basic necessities such as food, transportation, or material goods; third-party prostitution of children under 18 is a form of human trafficking.”

The report follows on the heels of Central and South Abaco MP Edison Key stating that people born of Haitian descent are Bahamians and should have citizenship.

In an interview with The Tribune, Mr Key criticised successive governments for failing to address the long-standing immigration issue that has led to the marginalisation of a large group of people as “scapegoats of labour”. He called on the government to move quickly and humanely to address the growing problem that he feels will soon become unmanageable.

“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 added.

The report did, however, acknowledge the country’s first conviction, in March of this year, for human trafficking and mentioned other reports having been investigated.

A US State Department report released in June 2012 said an alleged lack of “freedom of movement” for Chinese workers at a large-scale construction site is an indication that human trafficking may be taking place.

Although the report did not specify what site it was referring to, the Thomas A Robinson national stadium, the Baha Mar resort, the Chinese Embassy, and various road projects in the Family Islands could all be described as large-scale construction projects with employed Chinese workers at the time.

Both Baha Mar and the Chinese Embassy, last year, refuted an alleged lack of freedom of movement.

Neither Foreign Affairs Minister Fred Mitchell nor National Security Minister Dr Bernard Nottage could be reached for comment on the 2014 findings up to press time.

The Bahamas is listed as a Tier 2 country for human trafficking in the 2014 report.

Last year’s trafficking report upgraded the Bahamas from Tier Two Watch to a Tier Two status with the country having been listed as a Tier Two Watch country since 2011.