HUMAN TRAFFICKING appears to have found a place in Barbados. And yesterday during debate on the Transnational Organised Crime (Prevention and Control) Bill, 2011, both Government and Opposition spokespersons were in unison on its likely existence in the island and the need for a holistic approach to stop it.
Leader of Government Business Senator Maxine McClean and principal Opposition spokesperson in the Upper Chamber, Senator Kerrie Symmonds, gave accounts of situations involving women, which fell within the perimeters of human trafficking.
McClean referred to the Ghanaian nationals who were left stranded in Barbados two years ago and indicated that some of the females in the group were reportedly engaged in acts of prostitution almost immediately after arriving and subsequently disappearing on the island.
She noted many of them had come to Barbados based on promises of employment and a better life. She added it was clearly a situation where the Africans were exploited.
Symmonds revealed one situation where he had represented non-national clients who worked in a nightclub on Baxters Road and were arrested by police but their travel documents were held by someone as part of the conditions of their employment.
He noted that this type of exploitative situation extended to the agricultural sector. He again related how another non-national female artisan was in an exploitative situation without access to her documents.
“She was placed in an area where the accommodation was deplorable, her passport was taken away from her . . . so that even if she felt that she wished to break terms with the employer, the reality is that you are in a strange land, there is no family connection whatsoever, no access to the external society,” he said.
He welcomed the legislation, indicating Barbados had previously been placed on an international watch list because it appeared that though being signatory to the convention on human trafficking, it was not taking sufficient steps to conform with protocols on human trafficking with respect to implementing minimum standards and having concomitant legislation.
Symmonds suggested there was a need for the compilation and maintenance of data on the subject as well as human resources training for police, teachers and healthcare providers as it related to dealing with criminal matters arising out of human trafficking.
During her contribution Government Senator Irene Sandiford-Garner noted it was unfortunate that Barbados had been placed on a watch list based on anecdotal information and not documented evidence.
She said under those circumstances the collation of data was critical as well as the role of the media since Barbados’ reputation could depend on what appeared in the public domain.
McClean explained the bill gave legislative strength to Barbados’ signature on an international convention in 2000 related to organised transnational crime.
The protocols to which Barbados agreed were the prevention, suppression and punishment of human traffickers; prevention of smuggling of migrants by sea, land and air; and prevention of illicit manufacturing and trafficking in firearms and ammunition. She added the legislation was of major importance to Barbados.
