Human Trafficking in [The Bahamas] [other countries]Street Children in [The Bahamas] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [The Bahamas] [other countries] |
Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery In the
early years of the 21st Century - 2000 to 2010 gvnet.com/humantrafficking/Bahamas.htm
The Bahamas is a destination country for men and women
trafficked from Haiti and other Caribbean countries primarily for the purpose
of forced labor, and women from Jamaica and other countries trafficked for the
purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. In situations that, for some
workers, may constitute forced labor, employers coerce migrant or temporary
workers -- legal and illegal -- to work longer hours, at lower pay, and in
conditions not permitted under local labor law by changing the terms of
contracts, withholding travel documents, refusing transportation back home,
threatening to withdraw the employer-specific and employer-held permits, or
to turn the employee over to immigration. For the past three years, The
Bahamas was included in the Report as a Special Case due to limited data. - U.S.
State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2009 [full country report] |
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CAUTION: The following links have been
culled from the web to illuminate the situation in the ***
FEATURED ARTICLE *** Human Trafficking Concerns Persist www.jonesbahamas.com/?c=45&a=8979 [accessed 20 January 2011] The *** ARCHIVES
*** Human
Rights Reports » 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61714.htm [accessed 20 January 2011] TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS – Although
there are no laws that specifically address trafficking in persons, the law
prohibits prostitution and the procurement of persons for purposes of
prostitution either in or outside the country by force, threats,
intimidation, or the administering of drugs. There
were no specific reports that persons were trafficked within, to, or from the
country, but concerns were increasing. The lack
of a legal prohibition may have obscured trafficking within the vulnerable
illegal migrant communities. In June the International Organization of
Migration (IOM) issued a report on human trafficking suggesting a link
between irregular migration and forced labor for domestic servitude,
agriculture, and construction. In March IOM hosted an anti-trafficking
meeting and training that included government and civil society participants. Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of
the Child (CRC) UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 31 March 2005 www1.umn.edu/humanrts/crc/bahamas2005.html [accessed 20 January 2011] [61] The
Committee notes that the State party has not yet ratified the Optional
Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of
children, child prostitution and child pornography, and on the involvement of
children in armed conflict. Gov’t To Bring Human Trafficking Bill Vanessa C. Rolle, The Bahama Journal, June 20, 2007 www.jonesbahamas.com/?c=45&a=13065 [accessed 20 January 2011] He said, "Such legislation would
provide specific protections for trafficking victims. These are essential
because only with those protections will victims feel comfortable coming
forward to identify employers who may have victimized them and to assist in
prosecution of traffickers." Gov’t Considers Human Trafficking
Legislation Macushla N. Pinder,
The Bahama Journal, August 31, 2006 www.jonesbahamas.com/?c=45&a=9849 [accessed 20 January 2011] In its analysis on The Bahamas,
the IOM concluded that overall, findings indicate that while there are cases
of trafficking in persons in The Bahamas, "in the strictest sense
fulfilling all aspects of the legal definition of human trafficking, these
are few." "For instances, although
irregular migrants may embark on their trip to The Bahamas voluntarily, the
vulnerabilities that motivate them in doing so render them susceptible to
exploitation in employment and living arrangements upon arrival in The
Bahamas," the report read. "In quantitative and
qualitative terms, a picture emerges inferring that The Bahamas is fertile
for facilitating the criminal activity of trafficking human beings." Immigration Officials Call Human Trafficking Report
“Exaggerated” www.jonesbahamas.com/?c=45&a=9161 [accessed 20 January 2011] The Bahamas Department of
Immigration has weighing in on the ongoing human trafficking discussion,
conceding that, "The Bahamas may be viewed as a transit nation
unwittingly facilitating such criminal activity." IOM Official Says www.jonesbahamas.com/?c=45&a=9069 [accessed 20 January 2011] "I definitely believe that
there are individual cases where persons have been trafficked and exploited
in The Bahamas. We saw anecdotal evidence of that when we conducted our
exploratory assessment," Ms. Garrett said. "To then extrapolate that and quantify
that on any grand scale, we wouldn’t be able to do, however, www.jonesbahamas.com/?c=45&a=9054 [accessed 20 January 2011] Mr. Rood said, "All we’re
saying is that it may exist. All this report is saying is that we don’t know
if there is a trafficking issue in the Bahamas, but there’s a potential for
it and there’s a potential for it because of the large numbers of undocumented
people in the country that don’t have legal standing here." Human Trafficking Concerns Persist www.jonesbahamas.com/?c=45&a=8979 [accessed 20 January 2011] The The Protection Project - The www.protectionproject.org/human_rights_reports/report_documents/bahamas.doc [accessed 2009] FORMS OF
TRAFFICKING - Women and girls as young as 10 and 12 years of age are
reportedly targets for sex tourism in the Bahamas Trafficking in women and
children for sexual exploitation is a growing concern in the entire US Looks For Human Trafficking
In www.bahamasb2b.com/news/wmview.php?ArtID=8124 [accessed 20 January 2011] "All
we’re saying is that it may exist. All this report is saying is that we don’t
know if there is a trafficking issue in the www.jonesbahamas.com/?c=45&a=9050 [accessed 20 January 2011] The IOM says the protocol does
create common ground for counter-trafficking activities, but "lacks any
form of enforcement or monitoring mechanism, so it is difficult to gauge its
real effect upon the actions of signatory countries." Trafficking – a gateway into the sex trade www.panosinst.org/productions/panoscope/trafficking_sextrade.php [access date unavailable] “The experience was terrible,” Denise said. “I would not go back and I would not tell even my worst enemy to go. I had sleepless nights. I cried night and day when I was there and prayed that I could get back my money so I could come back home.” Freedom House Country Report - Political Rights: 1 Civil Liberties: 1 Status: Free 2009 Edition www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=363&year=2009&country=7561 [accessed 20 January 2011] All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial, nonprofit,
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Human Trafficking in [The Bahamas] [other countries]Street Children in [The Bahamas] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [The Bahamas] [other countries]