Human Trafficking in [Suriname Street Children in [Suriname] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Suriname] [other countries] |
Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery Republic
of Suriname [ Country-by-Country
Reports ] The Suriname is
principally a destination and transit country for men, women, and children
trafficked transnationally for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation
and forced labor. It is also a source country for underage Surinamese girls,
and increasingly boys, trafficked internally for sexual exploitation. Some of
these children are trafficked into the sex trade surrounding gold mining
camps in the country’s interior. Foreign girls and women from Guyana, Brazil,
the Dominican Republic, and Colombia are trafficked into Suriname for
commercial sexual exploitation; some transit Suriname en route to Europe.
Chinese men are subjected to possible debt bondage in Suriname, and are
subject to forced labor in supermarkets and the construction sector. Chinese
women reportedly are exploited sexually in massage parlors and brothels.
Haitian migrants, typically en route to French Guiana, sometimes are forced
to work in Surinamese agriculture. - 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 *** BACKGROUND - Sex sells in Suriname. An
impoverished population and anti-prostitution laws that go unenforced make
this former Dutch colony a popular destination for sex industry traffickers.
A 1997 UN report noted that Suriname is one of the few countries that also
issues temporary work permits for migrant prostitutes allegedly en route to
other countries. With 70 percent of the population
living below the poverty line, parents struggling to survive have been known
to sell their children in Suriname's various gold mining towns, according to
anti-slavery organizations. In all cases, the set-up story is
similar: Promised a decent job as a waitress or other position, women
unwittingly sign up with a trafficker for assistance in coming to Paramaribo
or Suriname's mining towns, only to find themselves caught in a trafficking
ring upon arrival. ***
ARCHIVES *** U.S.
Dept of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs INCIDENCE
AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - Commercial sexual exploitation of girls and boys is allegedly
increasing in Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005 TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS – The
extent of trafficking of women and girls to, through, and within the country
for prostitution was difficult to estimate. Several commercial sex trade establishments
reportedly recruited Brazilian, Colombian, Dominican, Guyanese, and Chinese
women for prostitution. Victims in commercial sex trade transited the country
and were routed to the The police had informal agreements
with many brothel owners allowing them to proceed with their business.
However, police conducted random checks to ensure that women were not
mistreated, that no minors were present, and that owners did not keep the
women's airline tickets and passports. During the year there were fewer than
10 reports of brothel owners retaining passports and airline tickets to
uphold contract obligations. In such cases the police assisted these women to
return to their country of origin at their own expense. Concluding
Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2000 [37] While the Committee notes
that the State party has instituted a foster care program, it is concerned at
the insufficient monitoring and follow-up of placements in the program and
the widespread use of the program as a "first step" in the
inter-country adoption process rather than as a domestic fostering program.
Concern is also expressed at the unregulated nature of the practice of the
"kweekjes system" which allows parents facing economic difficulties
to give up their children to another family or person who may be in a better
financial situation to care for the child. [57] The Committee expresses its concern
about the increasing number of child victims of commercial sexual
exploitation, including prostitution and pornography, involving both boys and
girls. Concern is also expressed at the insufficient programs for the
physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration of child victims
of such abuse and exploitation Suriname
police dismantle human trafficking ring It is alleged that numerous
Chinese immigrants who entered the country either legally or illegally are
victims of human smugglers and traffickers. Chinese nationals transiting
Suriname risk debt bondage to migrant smugglers; men are exploited in forced
labor and women in commercial sexual exploitation. Human
trafficking in Barbados and six other Caribbean countries Human trafficking is a reality in Freedom
House Country Report - Political Rights: 2 Civil Liberties: 2 Status: Free Human Rights Overview by Human
Rights Watch – Defending Human Rights Worldwide BACKGROUND - Sex sells in Suriname. An
impoverished population and anti-prostitution laws that go unenforced make
this former Dutch colony a popular destination for sex industry traffickers.
A 1997 UN report noted that Suriname is one of the few countries that also
issues temporary work permits for migrant prostitutes allegedly en route to
other countries. With 70 percent of the population
living below the poverty line, parents struggling to survive have been known
to sell their children in Suriname's various gold mining towns, according to
anti-slavery organizations. In all cases, the set-up story is
similar: Promised a decent job as a waitress or other position, women
unwittingly sign up with a trafficker for assistance in coming to Paramaribo
or Suriname's mining towns, only to find themselves caught in a trafficking
ring upon arrival. Suriname
Country Report [PDF] [page 5] IDENTIFICATION - REASONS
FOR INVOLVING CHILDREN IN CSW - The Sex Workers were able to describe many reasons for
involving their children in Commercial Sex Work (CSW). Several accounts below
are taken directly from the questionnaires: 1. Most cited money (or lack
thereof) as reason for involving children in sex work. Because clients were
found to pay more for sex with children, the temptation to involve them in
sex work is very strong 2. Some women allowed a neighbor to
have sex with their child to cover the utilities/rent. Often the mothers
found themselves with no food, no electricity, or no water. Regional
Governmental Congress on Sexual Exploitation of Children 3. “Business is slow”: (clients no
longer want to be with aging mother) and clients offered a lot more money for
a child. One mother sold her 8 year old daughter because clients were no
longer Interested in her (quite a few expressed anger and hurt that clients
no longer found them desirable). 4. In many cases, the Commercial
Sex Work (CSW) stated that it was the partner’s idea to increase income. The
Commercial Sex Work (CSW) generally denied involvement in any part of the
decision making. 5. The pimp/concubine/father sold
children (to friends or at gold mine) without the permission or knowledge of
the Commercial Sex Workers (CSW). In Place
of Slavery: A Social History of British Indian and Javanese Laborers in
Suriname OVERVIEW - Rosemarijn Hoefte explores the
rise of indentured servitude on the sugar plantations of Suriname after the
end of slavery in that Dutch Caribbean colony in South America. In this first
study ever of bonded labor in Suriname, she discusses and compares the social,
cultural, and economic consequences of migration and plantation life and
offers insights into the system of indentured immigration in general. THE TRADE OF PEOPLE - The case of Suriname reflects
the domination exerted by the Northern countries over those in the South.
There is an intense traffic in women between the Netherlands and Suriname.
Suriname was a Dutch colony until 1975 and it still maintains strong links
with that country. Club owners pay traffickers 500
dollars for every Brazilian woman they provide. All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial,
nonprofit, and educational use |
Human Trafficking in [Suriname Street Children in [Suriname] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Suriname] [other countries]