Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery Poverty drives the unsuspecting poor into the
hands of traffickers Published reports & articles from 2000 to 2025 gvnet.com/humantrafficking/Barbados.htm
Barbados is a
destination country for women from the Dominican Republic, Guyana, and
Jamaica trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation; it is also a
destination for men from China, India, and Guyana trafficked for the purpose
of labor exploitation in construction and other sectors. Reports from 2005
indicated that girls and women within Barbados and from other Caribbean
countries were trafficked for the purpose of domestic servitude. - U.S. State Dept
Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2009 Check out a later country report here
or the full TIP Report here |
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CAUTION: The following links
have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Barbados. Some of these links may lead to websites
that present allegations that are unsubstantiated or even false. No
attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content. HOW TO USE THIS WEB-PAGE Students If you are looking
for material to use in a term-paper, you are advised to scan the postings on
this page and others to see which aspects of Human Trafficking are of
particular interest to you. Would you
like to write about Forced-Labor? Debt
Bondage? Prostitution? Forced Begging? Child Soldiers? Sale of Organs? etc. On the other
hand, you might choose to include possible precursors of trafficking such as poverty. There is a lot to the subject
of Trafficking. Scan other countries
as well. Draw comparisons between
activity in adjacent countries and/or regions. Meanwhile, check out some of the Term-Paper resources
that are available on-line. Teachers Check out some of
the Resources
for Teachers attached to this website. ***
FEATURED ARTICLE *** Human trafficking
in Caribbean Net News, www.caribbeannewsnow.com/caribnet/2005/03/18/trafficking.shtml [accessed 21 January
2011] Human trafficking
is a reality in ***
ARCHIVES *** 2023 Findings on the
Worst Forms of Child Labor U.S. Dept of Labor, Bureau of International Labor Affairs,
Child Labor and Forced Labor Reports www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/resources/reports/child-labor/barbados
[accessed 22
December 2024] Minimal Advancement - Note: ILAB ceased reporting on Barbados after the 2014 report. In 2014, Barbados
made a minimal advancement in efforts to eliminate the worst forms of child
labor. The Government created the National Committee for Monitoring the
Rights of the Child to protect the rights of children and to implement the UN
CRC. The Government also supported and continued social programs that may
help prevent child labor. However, although the problem does not appear to be
widespread, children in Barbados are engaged in the worst forms of child
labor, including in drug trafficking and in commercial sexual exploitation
sometimes as a result of human trafficking. Important legislative gaps
remain. For example, Barbados lacks a legally enforceable list of hazardous
occupations prohibited for children. In addition, the Government does not have
a comprehensive policy framework to address all relevant forms of child
labor. 2020 Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices: Barbados U.S. Dept of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and
Labor, 30 March 2021 www.state.gov/reports/2020-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/barbados/
[accessed 11 May
2021] PROHIBITION OF
FORCED OR COMPULSORY LABOR The constitution
prohibits all forms of forced or compulsory labor. The government generally
enforced such laws, which was sufficient to deter violations. Although there were
no official reports of forced labor during the year, foreigners–especially
those from neighboring Caribbean nations–remained at risk for forced labor,
particularly in domestic service, agriculture, and construction. PROHIBITION OF CHILD
LABOR AND MINIMUM AGE FOR EMPLOYMENT The law prohibits the worst forms of child labor. The law provides for a minimum working age of 16 in certain sectors but does not cover sectors such as agriculture or family businesses. The law prohibits children younger than 18 from engaging in work likely to harm their health, safety, or morals, but it does not specify which occupations fall under this prohibition. The law was effectively enforced, and child labor laws were generally observed. Parents are culpable under the law if their children younger than 16 are not in school. By law children ages 14-16 may engage in light work with parental consent. The law does not provide a list of occupations constituting light work. Freedom House
Country Report 2020 Edition freedomhouse.org/country/barbados/freedom-world/2020 [accessed 23 July
2020] G4. DO INDIVIDUALS
ENJOY EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY AND FREEDOM FROM ECONOMIC EXPLOITATION? Residents generally
have access to economic opportunity, and the law provides some protections against
exploitative labor practices. However, nearly 18 percent of the population
lives in poverty. The government has
taken steps to crack down on human trafficking, including police raids,
screening of vulnerable people, training officials to detect possible
trafficking victims, and awareness campaigns. However, there have been no
prosecutions for trafficking since 2013, and government agencies that work on
trafficking-related issues are poorly funded. No big role in
human trafficking Tony Best, Nation News,
6/17/08 barpublish.bits.baseview.com/291942300309363.php [accessed 4
September 2011] NOT UNTOUCHED - But the island
didn't entirely escape unscathed. It was among the Caribbean countries the
report mentioned as accepting Guyanese as victims of human trafficking. "Reporting
from other (Caribbean) nations suggest Guyanese women and girls are
trafficked for sexual exploitation to neighbouring
countries such as Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago, Brazil, Suriname, Venezuela,
and that Guyanese men and boys are subject to labour
exploitation in construction and agriculture in these same countries. UN reviews
Barbados' Human Rights report Nicholas -- Source:
www.barbadosadvocate.com/NewViewNewsleft.cfm?Record=30579 www.infosud.org/spip.php?breve297 [partial access 21
January 2011] With respect to
human trafficking, the UNHRC wanted to see more policy and legislative
responses to the problem to ensure that victims have access to the provision
of support and assistance. In addition, the State party should criminalise the trafficking of human beings in
consultations with CARICOM, the organisation said. Regional 'hub' for
trafficking www.nationnews.com/story/322339253697505.php [access date
unavailable] The trafficking
of Guyanese women and girls to But Barbados isn't
alone in receiving Guyanese women and teenage girls for the sex trade,
according to the State Department. However, Barbados
wasn't singled out in the document for any special mention as a place that
was central to human trafficking in the Caribbean and Latin America. TACKLE ISSUE: - Earlier this
year, the island had to answer questions about trafficking when a United
Nations human rights panel examined the island's latest human rights report.
Barbados' representative told the experts that authorities back home were
trying to do something about it. Human Rights
Committee Examines Issues Concerning Human Trafficking, Juvenile Justice,
Access To Legal Aid, As It Concludes Review Of Report By Human Rights
Committee, Eighty-ninth Session, 2440th Meeting (AM), 22 March 2007 www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2007/hrct689.doc.htm [accessed 21 January
2011] Owing
to its geographical location, the So,
on the trafficking question, Barbados’ authorities had met with the Caribbean
Community (CARICOM) members and had evolved several initiatives, apart from
information campaigns. Among those had been the establishment of victim
protection programmes for the various jurisdictions involving all the
islands. Steps had also been taken to firm up a task force to deal with
scouting and exploration of the waters of the Caribbean Sea. The
matters had first been brought to the attention of the region at a meeting in
Guyana in April 2005, when the idea of mapping out a regional plan had come
into being. The region also had cooperation with the International
Organization of Migration. He
said, “It troubles us. What more can I say? We are working
actively on it. It is not yet a big problem… but it probably is
happening.” He added, “We are trying to nip it in the bud by
approaching it at a local and regional level.” BPW Barbados collaboration to prevent human trafficking Monica McNeil, At one time this
article had been archived and may possibly still be accessible [here] [accessed 4
September 2011] BPW Barbados partners
with the Bureau of Gender Affairs in a project sponsored by the International
Organization of Migration (IOM) since year 2005. IOM wanted to alert the
Barbadian Public as to the nature and characteristics of Human Trafficking.
It wanted to put Barbados on guard, to prevent the island from being used as
a point of distribution for human trafficking. A coalition was formed, made
up of representatives of the agencies/organizations. Planning meetings were
held. Three public campaigns were held in Speightswn,
Oistins and Bridgetown. In 2006, two officers of
IOM came to the island and conducted a workshop on Human Trafficking, its
implications and ramifications. The outcome of the workshop was that
participants arranged to set up mechanisms to do empirical research and to
set up a watch- dog operation to scrutinize events or actions that resembled
human trafficking and report to IOM. The Protection Project - Barbados The www.protectionproject.org/human_rights_reports/report_documents/barbados.doc [accessed 2009] www.protectionproject.org/country-reports/ [accessed 22
February 2016] FACTORS
THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE TRAFFICKING INFRASTRUCTURE – An increase in tourism to the island nation has
reportedly resulted in an increase in sex tourism. Furthermore, the seaport
in the capital, Bridgetown, provides a steady demand for commercial sex. ***
EARLIER EDITIONS OF SOME OF THE ABOVE *** 2017 Country Reports
on Human Rights Practices U.S. Dept of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and
Labor, 20 April 2018 www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2017/wha/277307.htm
[accessed 17 March
2019] www.state.gov/reports/2017-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/barbados/ [accessed 17 March
2019] PROHIBITION OF
FORCED OR COMPULSORY LABOR Although there were
no official reports of forced labor during the year, foreigners remained at
risk for forced labor, especially in the domestic service, agriculture, and
construction sectors. The punishment for labor or sex trafficking of adults
is the same: 25 years in prison, a fine of one million BBD ($500,000), or
both. Labor or sex trafficking of children is punished by a fine of two
million BBD (one million dollars), life imprisonment, or both. There were no
prosecutions in recent years. Human Rights
Reports » 2006 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices 2009-2017.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78879.htm [accessed 6 February
2020] TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS
– The constitution and laws do not specifically prohibit trafficking in
persons. Although laws against slavery, forced labor or other crimes could be
applied, no trafficking cases were prosecuted. There were reports that
persons were trafficked to the country. A 2005 assessment
by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) stated that persons
were trafficked both to work as prostitutes and as domestic workers. Persons
also reportedly were trafficked to work in the construction and garment
industries, where they were subject to low wages and false contracts. The IOM
noted that in cases where trafficking may have occurred, the government
typically deported the persons suspected of being trafficked and failed to
investigate or prosecute the alleged traffickers. The government has no
dedicated facilities to assist victims and does not provide funding to antitrafficking NGOs. All material
used herein reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107 for
noncommercial, nonprofit, and educational use. PLEASE RESPECT COPYRIGHTS OF COMPONENT
ARTICLES. Cite this webpage as: Patt,
Prof. Martin, "Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery - |
