The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas has maintained its Tier 1 ranking in the latest human trafficking report by the US State Department but concerns persist over a reported decline in law enforcement and credible allegations of corruption.

The State Department noted the country recorded the lowest number of trafficking investigations in the past six years – with just two sex trafficking cases initiated this past year.

In previous years, annual investigations ranged between 11 and 15 new cases.

The report also highlighted a decrease in the identification of victims.

The government identified two victims of sex trafficking among the 28 individuals screened in 2018, according to the State Department, which compared the statistic to the five victims identified out of 37 individuals screened in 2017.

“The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government officials complicit in trafficking offences,” the report continued, “however, outside reports of official involvement in protecting sex trafficking rings and corruption within the Immigration Department remained a concern, as these created vulnerabilities for potential trafficking victims and reduced victims’ willingness to self-identify to or assist law enforcement in the investigation and prosecution of their traffickers.”

The report continued: “Experts reported authorities did not use formal protocols to screen all migrants, both those residing in country and others upon arrival, for trafficking or to protect those identified as victims.

“The increasing influx of migrants, inconsistent training of staff, and lack of implementation of identification protocols in migrant languages raised concerns that authorities penalised potential trafficking victims. Experts reported authorities rapidly and routinely detained and deported irregular Haitian migrants without screening for trafficking.”

It was also noted that authorities only initiated one prosecution last year. There were two prosecutions in 2017, with one conviction. The State Department underscored the 2017 conviction had a sentence of 21 years, while a conviction done last year resulted in a 12 year sentence.

Among prioritised recommendations are calls for an increase in “efforts to investigate, prosecute, convict, and appropriately punish traffickers, including officials complicit in sex or labour trafficking”.

“Implement robustly the victim identification and referral protocol to identify victims of sex and labour trafficking, especially among vulnerable groups, including Haitians, Venezuelans, and other migrants,” the report continued.

“Provide vulnerable individuals with assistance prior to, during, and after screening for trafficking. Provide language and cultural interpretation in screening and trauma-informed protective services for vulnerable populations, particularly in lesser known languages such as Creole and Spanish.

“Increase victim-centred training for prosecutors, judges, and police on the Trafficking in Persons Act and collecting corroborative evidence to support victim testimony. Increase grassroots outreach to potential trafficking victims among vulnerable groups, in partnership with non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Strengthen engagement with officials involved in anti-trafficking activities in other countries in the region.”

The report noted an increase in overall prevention efforts, namely the approval of a new five-year national action plan and an increase in funding for anti-trafficking efforts.

However, it pointed to observations by “outside experts” that the government outreach to vulnerable populations like the Haitian community, was insufficient.

“The government conducted assessments of its anti-trafficking efforts but did not make them public,” the report read.

“The Department of Labour did not continue past practices of distributing pamphlets or letters about labour trafficking and workers’ rights to foreign nationals with work permits and advising employers of the prohibition against document retention.

“The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts or forced labour.”

Among noted efforts: a survey administered to 130 students assessing their understanding of trafficking at 29 schools; awareness campaigns in Family Islands and in Haitian Creole for migrant communities with the Department of Labour and an NGO; and awareness training for 153 health professionals and student nurses by the Department of Public Health and National Trafficking Committee.

A new trafficking hotline was established in February with one staff member and government purchased a vehicle to promote the hotline in vulnerable communities, according to the report.

As for the country’s profile, the report identified groups at a heightened risk of trafficking as: children born outside the Bahamas to female citizens or in the Bahamas to foreign-born parents who do not automatically receive Bahamian citizenship.

The report read: “Traffickers recruit migrant workers, especially those from Haiti, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Colombia, Venezuela, the Philippines, and the United States through false offers of employment, such as through advertisements in foreign newspapers; upon arrival, traffickers subject them to sex trafficking and forced labour, including in domestic service and in sectors with low-skilled labour.

“Individuals lured for employment and those involved in prostitution and exotic dancing and illegal migrants are particularly vulnerable to trafficking,” the report added.