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HUMAN TRAFFICKING

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Human Trafficking: The Secret of the Caribbean

by Amanda McFarlane
Modern-day slavery. Current discussions about the global order inform this term, since it directly illustrates the challenges of globalization. The fact that forms of servitude still persist even after the Caribbean and American slave trades have ended is shocking to peoples moral standards. It has been 150 years since Emancipation has granted freedom to once-oppressed individuals, yet it is evident that freedom fails to exist across all borders. The fact that the number of enslaved individuals today surpasses all accounts recorded in history poses a severe problem. The global community should prevent this enslavement. Yet this issue continues to grow, regardless of the fact that each countrys activities are often open to the scrutiny of the entire international network.1 Human trafficking is a form of servitude that encompasses the forced labor and sexual exploitation of 12 to 27 million people globally.2 Trafficking is the newest grave threat to human rights. This paper will examine human trafficking in the Caribbean, specifically female sex trafficking, and argue that the Caribbean islands brutal histories, migratory trends, and fractured economies provide the ideal environment to practice severe forms of human trafficking.

is pronounced constitutes a global emergency. Globalization contributes to the growth of human trafficking by facilitating travel and trade.4 Trafficking is present on three levels: global, regional, and national.5 The issues prevalence on multiple scales makes it difficult to determine where to begin fighting human trafficking. The global community will need to come up with a coordinated, substantial effort to successfully resolve the problem.

Part 1: Trafficking in the Caribbean

The geographic proximity of the Caribbean islands fosters the growth of intraregional trafficking. In addition, the islands conquest histories mirror each other strikingly. The colonial period of their interconnected past, many scholars argue, is the source of the economic disadvantages that the region faces. The islands former reliance on mother countries debilitated the region. After independence, the countries lacked the resources and avenues to grow substantially, and an environment of economic failure arose. By evaluating the relationship between the regions history and current conditions, understanding its geography, and revealing how the search for new revenue sources leads to the exploitation of vulnerable persons, it is evident that the Caribbean exhibits the ideal conditions for a successful trafficking

Introduction: Global Human Trafficking

Trafficking is the fastest growing sector of the criminal industry in terms of monetary benefits; its participants collectively accumulate an annual profit of around $32 billion dollars.3 The industrys dominant role in criminal society overlaps with the presence of corrupt governments, which fail to institute the right policies and laws to prevent such acts within their borders. Furthermore, governments refuse to implement legal punishments that are severe enough to exhibit a public message of disapproval of human trafficking. The lack of governmental intervention in countries where trafficking

Facts About Human Trafficking

> The majority of trafficking victims are between 18 and 24 years old. > The conservative estimate is that for every 800 people trafficked, only 1 person was convicted worldwide in 2006.

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There are more human slaves today than at any other point in history.
network. It is essential to evaluate history when discussing present situations, since behaviors are at times reflective of historical attitudes that have not been altered. The limited civil society and authoritarian traditions of previous eras permeate the present governing style of the region.6 The limited civil society has its roots in slavery; the importation of slaves sculpted an immutable underclass that remains ripe for exploitation.7 The lack of hope and opportunity makes any job possibility with a steady flow of cash worthy of consideration. As a result, trafficking is successful through the exploitation of a social class that has historically experienced economic hardships in the Caribbean. As a result, trafficking is successful through the exploitation of a social class that has historically experienced economic hardships in the Caribbean. The regions authoritarian traditions are reflected in the current, inadequate approach to the concept of rights. Before colonizing the Americas, the governments of the Iberian Peninsula had no concept of inalienable rights. When these began to colonize the New World, the colonists instituted their model of government in the Caribbean.8 Consequently, the region has not yet fully embraced anti-discrimination laws, a shortcoming evident in their constitutions. Clearly, the limited society and authoritarianism of the colonial Caribbean period have inhibited the progress toward modern. The region has a highly mobile population due to the islands close proximity to each other and their shared culture and lifestyles. The possibility of intraregional movement permits people in the Caribbean to expand their opportunities by seeking employment beyond their native countries.9 The prevalence of irregular migration allows traffickers to persuade women to migrate with the assurance of obtaining a job in a legitimate economy.10 The region harbors the growth of a dirty little secret,11 meaning that women are exploited for sexual purposes rather than for forced manual labor on the fields or in factories. In Sint Maarten, for instance, immigration offices grant women a three-month working permit. As long as the women pass an HIV test, clear a syphilis test, and acquire a health certificate, they can work on the island. After three months, the country restricts the womens access across the border until two months have passed.12 The island is a haven for trafficked women, and Sint Maarten is known for its brothels that continuously provide income to these women. Women return consistently for up to four years; the brothel owners portray the job as the only available option for these women, luring them into prostitution. The GDP per capita of many of the smaller islands is low compared to the wealthier Caribbean nations. Comparing the GDP per capita across the region, the incentive to travel to certain countries is understandable: The Bahamas and Barbados receive the greatest volume of irregular migrants, while Jamaica and Haiti receive drastically lower numbers.14 The 1998 GDP per capita in the Bahamas was more than four times that of Guyana and Jamaica and eleven times larger than the GDP per capita of Haiti. This income differential supports the traffickers abilities to mislead women. By

In some cases, women are aware of their new job description but are blind to the degree that they will be exploited, controlled, intimidated, and indebted.
asserting that the market in the Bahamas is lucrative, and provides job opportunities, traffickers persuade females to migrate to countries like the Bahamas. However, after the women cross the border, employers sexually exploit them through prostitution and physically abuse them on a regular basis. In some cases, women are aware of their new job description but are blind to the degree that they will be exploited, controlled, intimidated, and indebted.15

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Employers justify their crimes by arguing that they provide food and shelter for these women. The fractured economies of the Caribbean permit trafficking. Hoping to avoid homelessness and poverty, women aspire to opportunities their own countries cannot offer. However, once the women migrate to more economically prosperous countries, the realities of their new positions are nothing like the ideal livelihoods that the traffickers advertised.

Part 2: An Attempt to Alleviate the Problem of Trafficking in the Caribbean

With the help of NGOs and other organizations, Caribbean countries are trying to combat human trafficking in the region. One of the primary organizations attempting to fight the problem is the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The IOMs work includes granting migrants services such as shelter, medical care, psychological support, and either voluntary return back to their native countries or integration assistance.16 Furthermore, the IOM identifies areas with extreme trafficking problems to help implement counter-trafficking mechanisms, such as creating regional awareness campaigns and facilitating workshops that provide background about the issue and explain why human-trafficking is a regional and national concern. The IOM hopes that spreading awareness about trafficking throughout the Caribbean will propel governmental action and promote the message that job options other than prostitution do exist.17 The IOMs initiative can be viewed from the perspective of resource mobilization theory, which

postulates that individuals require a certain level of skill in order to successfully rebel against an authority figure that abuses rights. Lacking expertise, the incentive to reclaim power is weak, since the likelihood of success is minimal. If victimized women are educated about the problems surrounding trafficking in the region, the women will have the knowledge to make decisions that promote the protection of their rights. It is vital that the women understand that certain occupations and situations are targets for trafficking purposes. Females in the region will be better equipped to avoid situations that perpetuate trafficking, instead of being drawn in by the promise of a steady income.

Part 3: The Problem of Tourism

The IOM, along with other non-governmental organizations such as the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, attempts to rectify the human trafficking problem in the Caribbean. However, even with aid from organizations like these two, counter-trafficking efforts have not seen dramatic results. The organizations inability to reverse the issue in the region stems from the countries infrastructural failure and the countertrafficking organizations subsequent difficulties in proposing solutions to these governments. An analysis of the islands tourist-dependent economiesand inadequate policies reveals why the IOM and CHRI face difficulties in preventing the growth of trafficking in the Caribbean. Many of the smaller islands in the Lesser Antilles rely on tourism to foster the growth of the service sector. The majority of people living on the islands work in hotels or have other service-oriented positions. Part of the Caribbeans draw for travelers are the countries famed, exotic bars and brothels. These places are known as places of male socialization, where men can either socialize with other visitors or engage in sexual activities with the workers.18 Consequently, sex workers become essential to the profitability of tourism in the region, only furthering the success of human trafficking and undermining counter-trafficking endeavors. Countries in the Caribbean suffer from a problem of decoupling: the countries may desire to implement certain policies to reverse an issue, but are unable to

The Caribbean is the archetype of paradise for visitors, but this image is a faade for natives, who have had to deal with the consequences of the foreign attraction to the region for centuries.

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because the countries lack sufficient resources to execute the plans. Prostitution is viewed in a positive light because the occupation helps stimulate growth in the service sector. The decoupling problem is apparent in that the countries argue that they do not condone trafficking, but refuse to perceive prostitution as trafficking because these women are essential to the tourism industry. This economic reliance on trafficking results in a weak approach taken by the Caribbean governments to combat trafficking within the countries borders. The prosecution of offenders, for instance, is miniscule compared to other offenses. For example, Belize forbids human trafficking under the Trafficking in Persons Prohibition Act of 2003. The penalty is one to five years of imprisonment or a $5000 fine. However, this penalty is not proportionate to other offenses, and as a result, the populations do not perceive human trafficking in the same negative light as other acts like rape.19

Part 5: Conclusion
The economic and political consequences of colonization in the Caribbean are still apparent today. The character of Caribbean governments, combined with the islands unique geography and emphasis on tourism-friendly resources, make human trafficking a formidable problem. The Caribbean is the archetype of paradise for visitors, but this image is a faade for natives, who have had to deal with the consequences of the foreign attraction to the region for centuries. The current trafficking crisis parallels the Atlantic slave trade of the colonial period, in that both revolve around forced servitude. However, the present dilemma is not just a form of enslavement, but it is also the victimization of women. If people look beyond the hype that exists around the term modern-day slavery, maybe the international community will be able to appreciate the full complexity of the situation in the Caribbean and approach the issue in a more strategic manner.23

Part 4: Potential Steps to Combat Human Trafficking

Currently, strategized efforts against human trafficking are relatively inactive in the Caribbean compared to other regions of the world. Many countries in the Caribbean, for instance, have failed to achieve even the first step in mitigating the problem, the passing of anti-trafficking legislation. These countries efforts lag behind those of 80% of the international community, which has already implemented such laws.20 It is essential that countries in the Caribbean first establish more powerful anti-trafficking legislation, and secondly, explicitly address human rights in their constitutions. To a limited degree, some precedent for these steps exists in the Caribbean. St. Vincent and the Grenadines first introduced antidiscrimination laws into its constitution in 1979, partially aligning itself with international standards.21 Some countries, like Guyana, already have anti-trafficking laws but do not prosecute any trafficking offenders.22 If all of the Caribbean countries redefine certain sections of their constitutions to reflect international codes of conduct and legally castigate any violations, a decline in human trafficking in the region can follow.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

AMANDA McFARLANE is a junior studying International Relations. She is currently a Campus Outreach Manager for WorldTeach, an organization that sends students around the world to teach English in different countries. She is also an intern for the Stanford Journal of International Law and a member of the Stanford Black Pre-Law Society. Amanda wrote this paper for the seminar Globalization, Governance, and Human Rights. She is interested in the papers topic, since her family is from the Caribbean, and thus she wanted to learn more about certain problems that exist in the countries where her parents are from. She hopes this paper provides insight on a growing problem in an area of the world that tends to be overlooked at times.