WASHINGTON – “The ninth annual Trafficking in Persons Report sheds light on the faces of modern-day slavery and on new facets of this global problem. The human trafficking phenomenon affects virtually every country, including the United States.
In acknowledging America’s own struggle with modern-day slavery and slavery-related practices, we offer partnership. We call on every government to join us in working to build consensus and leverage resources to eliminate all forms of human trafficking.” –Secretary Clinton, June 16, 2009
Antigua and Barbuda is listed as a Tier 2.
Antigua and Barbuda is a destination country for women trafficked from Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic for the purposes of sexual exploitation; it may also be a destination country for
women trafficked for the purposes of forced domestic servitude.
Well-financed businessmen from the Dominican Republic and Antiguan citizens acting as pimps and brothel owners traffic women into the four
main, illegal brothels that operate in Antigua, as well as to private residences that operate as brothels.
Women voluntarily come to Antigua to engage in prostitution; brothel managers later confiscate their passports and threaten the women with deportation until they repay the brothel owner for travel and other expenses. Some victims trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation
had been given work permits as “entertainers” to legally enter the country. Information on the full extent of the human trafficking problem in Antigua and Barbuda is not available; anecdotal reporting suggests, however, that no Antiguan citizens have been trafficked and the current
number of foreign victims is comparatively small.
The Government of Antigua and Barbuda does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Despite limited resources, competing priorities, and a relatively small number of victims, the government investigated identified incidences of trafficking,
cooperated with other Caribbean governments on
trafficking issues, ensured victims’ access to social services, and conducted bilingual public awareness campaigns. No trafficking offenders, however, have been arrested or prosecuted, and law enforcement agencies continue to treat victims as criminals.
Recommendations for Antigua and Barbuda: Develop
and implement a comprehensive anti-human trafficking law; arrest, prosecute, and punish trafficking offenders; proactively identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, such as foreign women in prostitution and as domestic servants; and provide foreign victims legal alternatives to removal to countries where they may face hardship and retribution.
