Human Trafficking in [Jamaica Street Children in [Jamaica] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Jamaica] [other countries] |
Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery Jamaica [ Country-by-Country
Reports ] Jamaica is a
source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked
for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor. The majority of
victims are poor Jamaican women and girls, and increasingly boys, who are
trafficked from rural to urban and tourist areas for commercial sexual
exploitation. Victims are typically recruited by family members or newspaper
advertisements promoting work as spa attendants, masseuses, or dancers; after
being recruited, however, victims are coerced into prostitution. Jamaican
children also may be subjected to conditions of forced labor as domestic
servants. Sex tourism in resort areas has been identified as a problem. Some
trafficking of women from the Dominican Republic, Russia, and Eastern Europe
into Jamaica’s sex trade has been reported. Some Jamaican women and girls
have been trafficked to Canada, the United States, The Bahamas, and other
Caribbean destinations for commercial sexual exploitation. - U.S. State Dept
Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2008
[full country report] |
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CAUTION: The following links have been culled
from the web to illuminate the situation in *** FEATURED
ARTICLE *** Social
factors and human trafficking In the context of Jamaica's
problem of violent crime, particularly homicides, human trafficking,
especially the internal movement of young women to work as exotic dancers or
prostitutes, may not be seen by many as a serious matter. Indeed, many will
claim that most of these people are free and willing participants in an open
market; except that too many of the participants are minors whose ignorance
is exploited. Having the laws, therefore, is
good. They must be enforced. But ultimately, a solution to this matter of
human trafficking, and its worst form, the exploitation, involves other
factors. Not least of these is to 'normalise' Jamaica's murder rate so that
people have a sense that there other crimes worthy of prosecution. We also
have to get the economy right so that people have real jobs and incomes and
don't so easily fall into the clutches of the exploiters. And we have to fix
education, that great social leveller and the best route to a decent life. ***
ARCHIVES *** CDA
Launches Toll Free Line for Cases of Human Trafficking The Child Development Agency (CDA)
has launched a new toll free telephone line dedicated to handling cases of
human trafficking, particularly as it relates to children. The number is 1-888-PROTECT or 1-888-776-8328. U.S.
Dept of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs INCIDENCE
AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - A 2001 study funded by ILO-IPEC found that children as young as 10
years old are sexually exploited and engaged in prostitution, catering to
tourists. Young girls are hired by
“go-go” clubs or massage parlors.
Children are trafficked internally for sexual exploitation and
pornography. CHILD
LABOR LAWS AND ENFORCEMENT - The Child Care and Protection Act of 2004 prohibits the sale or
trafficking of any child; however, the term “trafficking” is not defined,
resulting in difficulty enforcing the statute. Assault, immigration, or customs laws may
also be applied to prosecute cases of child trafficking. Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005 TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS – The country
was also a transit country for illegal migrants moving to the Concluding
Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2003 [54] The Committee is concerned at
the sexual exploitation and trafficking of children, including street
children, and the lack of accurate data and adequate laws and policies in
this regard. Ministry
fighting hard to combat human trafficking More than 150 youngsters, from
Kingston, Westmoreland and western Jamaica, took part in the programme that
raised the level of awareness about human trafficking. WARNING SIGNS q
Beware of 'modern-day slavery' or trafficking in children. q
Does a job or other opportunity sound too good to be true? q
Are you being promised lots of money, a great life, and lots of
material goods? q
Are you being chosen because you are young, good looking, and of a
particular sex? q
Is it unimportant that you have no skills or qualifications? q
Will somebody get travel and/ or identification documents for you? q
If you are to go abroad, will you be illegal in the other country? q
Are you being urged to lie if you are to travel abroad? Shelters
for Victims of Human Trafficking to be Established Soon in Jamaica Permanent Secretary in the
Ministry of Justice, Carol Palmer has assured that the establishment of
shelters for victims of human trafficking would be done in short order, so that
Jamaica can be "well in the reach" of a Tier One rating from the
United States Department of State by June 2008. "We are in the process
of coming up with shelters. Notwithstanding that, we are making arrangements
with the NGO community to provide support for our victims as we get our
shelters in operation," Mrs. Palmer informed stakeholders yesterday. Companies
Trafficking Persons will not be Allowed to Thrive Since April 2006, nine victims of
human trafficking have been rescued in Jamaica, six of whom were over 18
years old and three between the ages 13 and 17. Five persons were charged
with trafficking a child, under the Child Care and Protection Act, 2004. A significant measure in the
national attack on human trafficking is the establishment of the Trafficking
in Persons Unit in the Jamaica Constabulary Force to handle cases of human
trafficking. A drive to educate the
public about the issue is considered as seminal to the success of the effort.
Consequently NATFATIP is collaborating with the Jamaica Library Service to
host a series of public education forums in libraries across the island. The
mass media is also being used as a platform to transmit messages against
human trafficking. Companies
involved in human trafficking "There are firms in Jamaica,
there are companies in Jamaica, which have got themselves into positions
where persons are 'employed' and are exploited," he said. "In the
case of corporate entities, liability may be pinned on the directors,
managers or other officers concerned with the management." NO NAMES - Mr. Nicholson, who is also
Attorney-General, did not name any of the companies, but said any
organisation that conceals, withholds, removes or destroys documents relating
to the movement of persons, will be penalised. He added that the employee, once he or she
can provide evidence of exploitation, is eligible for retribution payment. Social
factors and human trafficking In the context of Jamaica's
problem of violent crime, particularly homicides, human trafficking,
especially the internal movement of young women to work as exotic dancers or
prostitutes, may not be seen by many as a serious matter. Indeed, many will
claim that most of these people are free and willing participants in an open
market; except that too many of the participants are minors whose ignorance
is exploited. Having the laws, therefore, is
good. They must be enforced. But ultimately, a solution to this matter of
human trafficking, and its worst form, the exploitation, involves other
factors. Not least of these is to 'normalise' Jamaica's murder rate so that
people have a sense that there other crimes worthy of prosecution. We also
have to get the economy right so that people have real jobs and incomes and
don't so easily fall into the clutches of the exploiters. And we have to fix
education, that great social leveller and the best route to a decent life. Two men accused of luring teenager into prostitution remanded Both were caught, court documents
said, selling a 14 year-old schoolgirl to an undercover US investigator, who
was posing as a tourist, for US$400 for the purposes of prostitution. Arrangements,
the court documents said, were also made to pay the girl another US$500 for
other sexual services. Human
trafficking warning! Gov't to go after parents who get children involved Attorney General and Minister of
Justice A J Nicholson says his ministry has been examining ways in which laws
can be enacted to prosecute parents who knowingly allow their children to
become involved in human trafficking. Police
shut down sex auction in Culloden The police have effectively
clamped down on the trading of exotic dancers in Culloden, where young girls
and women gathered weekly to be auctioned off to club owners, according to
Superintendent Devon Watkiss, head of the Organized Crime Investigative
Division. USA offers Jamaica help to tackle human trafficking Ms Owen said the measures being
proposed include the establishment of a small police unit to monitor the
trafficking of persons and public outreach campaigns. "Last year we did send out an action
plan to Human
trafficking in Barbados and six other Caribbean countries Human trafficking is a reality in Freedom
House Country Report - Political Rights: 2 Civil Liberties: 3 Status: Free Human Rights Overview by Human
Rights Watch – Defending Human Rights Worldwide Testimony
of Professor Mohamed Mattar Co-Director, Protection Project Johns Hopkins
University Based upon the analysis conducted
by The Protection Project on these cases, which the Department of Justice
kindly made available, I can say that the majority of victims that are
trafficked into the U.S. come from countries in Africa, especially Cameroon, Nigeria,
Ghana and Tonga; Latin America,
especially Jamaica, Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala; Asia, especially
South Korea, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Thailand and China and
Russia. They are trafficked to
different states, in particular, California, Florida, New York, Hawaii,
Georgia, Alaska, Texas and North Carolina. Mounting
concerns about sexual exploitation of children Frequent reports of children's
involvement in Jamaica's sex trade has forced advocate groups back to the
drawing board to devise new strategies to combat the problem of sexual
exploitation of the under-aged.
"We recognise that it is a growing problem of (under-aged)
children being involved in the sex trade. We (are) talking about go-go
dancers, in brothels, massage parlours, clubs and bars," Child
Care and Protection Act Strengthens Government's Resolve Passed in both Houses of
Parliament in March this year, the Act is intended to protect children from
abuse and neglect. It also makes persons accountable for the children left in
their care. Middle-aged women jetting into
Jamaica for sex don't see themselves as using prostitutes. INTRODUCTION - In June 1999, the General
Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), at its twenty-ninth
regular session, held in Guatemala, adopted a resolution (AG3804/99) “to
instruct the Inter-American Children’s Institute to deal systematically with
the problem of the sexual exploitation of children and adolescents in the
region (...) in coordination with other organs, agencies, and entities of the
United Nations system and other relevant organizations, in such a way as to
propose the development of strategies and plans of action aimed at preventing
and combating this scourge.” All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial,
nonprofit, and educational use |
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Human Trafficking in [Jamaica Street Children in [Jamaica] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Jamaica] [other countries]