[ Human Trafficking, Country-by-Country ]

Saint Lucia (Tier 2) – Extracted in part from the U.S. State Dept 2023 TIP Report

The Government of Saint Lucia does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period, considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, if any, on its anti-trafficking capacity; therefore Saint Lucia was upgraded to Tier 2. These efforts included initiating a prosecution for the first time since 2015, increasing investigations, designating one trafficking-specific prosecutor with the ability to fast track cases, and cooperating with neighboring countries on two cases. The government also identified four victims for the first time since 2020 and provided them services, drafted and began implementing a new NAP, enabled witnesses in trafficking cases to testify remotely, screened at-risk Cuban medical workers for trafficking indicators and reviewed their contracts, and restarted an anti-trafficking hotline. However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas. The government has never convicted a trafficker. Penalties under the Counter Trafficking Act, as amended, were not commensurate with those for other serious crimes. Resources and personnel for trafficking remained inadequate and the government did not effectively enforce its laws prohibiting forced or compulsory labor.

Prioritized Recommendations

Continue to increase efforts to identify vulnerable individuals, especially children, migrants, and foreign workers; screen them for trafficking indicators and refer identified victims to services.

Continue to increase efforts to investigate, prosecute, convict, and punish traffickers under the Counter-Trafficking (Amendment) Act.

Amend trafficking provisions in the 2021 Counter-Trafficking (Amendment) Act to prescribe penalties for sex trafficking that are commensurate with penalties prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape.

Provide sufficient resources for anti-trafficking efforts.

Continue to reduce court backlog and pretrial detention delays affecting trafficking cases.

Develop and implement labor recruitment policies, hire and train more inspectors for labor trafficking inspections, update labor migration legislation as necessary, and improve interagency coordination on labor issues.

Continue to consistently use SOPs on a victim-centered approach with training for police, immigration, labor, child protection, judicial, and social welfare officials on victim identification and referral.

Continue to train law enforcement officials to gather evidence of trafficking cases appropriate for prosecution.