Trafficking in person is a modern-day form of slavery, involving victims who are typically forced, defrauded or coerced into various forms of exploitation.

In June 2005, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) issued an Exploratory Assessment of Trafficking in Persons in the Caribbean Region (PDF document), which examined the occurrence of human trafficking in several Caribbean countries, including Barbados. Here are some stories from that assessment.

Someone promised my maid's niece, who was 17 at the time, a big career in a bakery in Barbados. They paid for her travel but when she came, it was to work as a prostitute. Luckily, her aunt was able to get her away.

I know a woman and a man who have Guyanese contacts. The woman would round up girls ... and does not tell them what it is. Tickets are sent for them from Barbados. The girls are collected at the airport [and taken to] a guesthouse or ... other establishment. They keep their documents supposedly to get work permits for them, but they end up as prostitutes. They have to stay at the place and are monitored...

Stella was only 19 years old. She was brought int o Barbados from Jamaica by a professional couple to look after their children. She was not allowed to leave the house by herself and when the family left home, they would lock her in the house. She was paid no wages because they said that they would provide for her. Her passport was also taken away.

There are many more accounts in the report, which I strongly suggest you read for yourself. If you are living in Barbados and you haven't heard or heard about stories like these before you are fortunate. I've heard them and they hurt my heart. What hurts and angers me even more is the seemingly uncaring attitudes of Barbadians towards this terrible trade taking place in our island. Too often I've heard comments that are dismissive of the reality that migrant women in Barbados are being shamefully and cruelly exploited by unscrupulous persons, Bajan and otherwise. We as a people can be so callous.

In 2005, before the IOM report came out, the Director of the Bureau of Gender Affairs was reported as saying that the trafficking of human being was "not even a minor problem" in Barbados (she conceded that it could become so "sooner or later"). In 2006, at an awareness-raising workshop held in collaboration with the IOM, a representative from the same Bureau stated that they had no information to indicate that human trafficking was a "major problem", and went on to say that "given [Barbados'] economic strength in relation to other Caribbean islands we are seen as a prime target to be exploited for this practice". This latter statement seems to me a bit skewed in the way it portrays the situation occurring here: it talks about the exploitation of Barbados as "a prime target", but somehow avoids addressing, or even mentioning, the exploitation of the unfortunate women and girls who are the real targets and true victims of human trafficking.

I close with a quote from one of the people interviewed for the Barbados assessment.

A society where you can find these practices is one that should recognise that there is a lot of work to do and it is not as sophisticated as it would like to think. When we treat people like that or are aware that it goes on, we're all the poorer for it.

1335 days ago