NASSAU, The Bahamas — Minister of National Security the Hon. Wayne Munroe said despite global efforts to combat it, Human Trafficking keeps growing.
“It thrives where there is poverty, a lack of education or any area in which there is a conflict,” the National Security Minister said at the Opening of the Bahamas National Neighbourhood Watch Council Two-Day Workshop on Human Trafficking at the Paul E. Farquharson Centre, Police Headquarters on Wednesday, September 25, 2024.
He explained that there are countries in our hemisphere where those three issues are happening and persons from those nations are being trafficked to The Bahamas and elsewhere.
“It is happening in our country, so there is no point seeking to hide our head in the sand and saying it is happening somewhere else.”
The Minister noted that authorities have found young Bahamian girls who were trafficked for sexual exploitation by family members.
He said human trafficking continues to be a problem because it is a lucrative industry.
The Minister explained that the International Labour Organization statistics show that over $150 billion was made from human trafficking in 2017.
He said local law enforcement officials need all the help they can get to address this problem.
The Minister said, “Therefore, it is critical for the National Neighbourhood Watch Council and its constituent neighbourhood watch associations to be part of the effort to eliminate modern day slavery.”
Trafficking in Persons Task Force Chairman, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Indirah Belle said the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimated that in 2022, 50 million persons were illegally trafficked globally; and in the Caribbean and Latin American region most are girls under the age of 18.
ASP Belle said although there are instances of Bahamians being trafficked, The Bahamas is mainly a destination and not a source country.
She said human trafficking is known as transporting people against their will and is different from human smuggling.
ASP Belle explained that human trafficking is not voluntary while human smuggling is voluntary and people usually pay to be taken across borders.
She also explained that people are being trafficked not only for cheap labour and the sex industry.
ASP Belle said people are being trafficked for their organs. A heart can go for $120,000, a kidney for $150,000, a pancreas for $125,000 and a stomach for $500,000.
She said some of the causes for human trafficking include poverty, lack of education, abuse, homelessness, family dysfunction, political instability, unemployment, civil unrest/armed conflict and natural disasters.
ASP Belle explained that human trafficking can be prevented by dealing with the root causes.
She said this can be done by:
- Reducing the vulnerability of potential victims through social and economic development;
- Discouraging the demands for the services of trafficked persons;
- Public education;
- Law enforcement interventions/healthcare interventions/social assistance;
- Preventing the corruption of public officials; and
- Creating employment opportunities
