Bahamas Reports on Human Trafficking - Additional Training Sought

Loretta Butler-Turner, State Minister for Social Development and Principal Delegate from The Bahamas to the CIM, addressed a special meeting in Washington DC on migration issues. (OAS-OEA Photo/Juan Manuel Herrera)

State Minister for Social Development the Hon. Loretta Butler-Turner, speaking on a panel at a special meeting of the Organization of American States (OAS), said the government wants additional training from the international community for key personnel in the fight against human trafficking. 

The minister was in Washington, DC, for the First Regular Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Inter-American Commission of Women (CIM). She was elected to that body during the 34th Assembly of Delegates held in Chile in December 2008. 

The minister – who also serves as The Bahamas’ principal delegate to CIM – was also one of a group of panelists who addressed a Special Meeting of the Committee on Migration. Attendees at the April 1, 2009, meeting considered the topic Gender and Migration. 

 Mrs. Turner stated the government’s intention to work along with international organizations to protect the rights of legal immigrants and to ensure the humane treatment of illegal immigrants.  
 
 “We would wish to have more support in the provision of additional training for key agencies involved in the fight against human trafficking and new methodologies for processing illegal immigrants and the construction of shelters for the victims of human trafficking,” she said. 
 
During her contribution, Mrs. Turner pointed out that legal migrants in The Bahamas enjoy the same rights and protections as Bahamian workers, including contributions to the National Insurance scheme, from which they can also benefit after having made the requisite number of contributions, and the right to join trade unions and file disputes if they feel aggrieved. 
 
“Our biggest challenge is the large number of undocumented workers who enter our country seeking work, and then attempting to be regularized,” she said. “The Department of Immigration employs several methodologies in dealing with this vexing problem, from apprehension and repatriation to prosecution of employers who hire illegal migrants.” 
 
She acknowledged the occasional need, especially on Grand Bahama and New Providence, for large numbers of short-term workers, from the labourers required to build resorts from the ground up to the highly skilled professionals required at places like the Grand Bahama Shipyard and Vopak, the new owners of the former Bahamas Oil Refining Company (BORCO). 
 
The minister said The Bahamas shared the concerns of the region regarding the trafficking of women and children, and reiterated that the Bureau of Women’s Affairs in the Ministry of Labour and Social Development had become involved with anti-human trafficking initiatives with the assurance of CIM and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) as early as 2004. 
 
“The IOM has conducted two workshops in The Bahamas on the trafficking of children, held in April and October 2008,” Mrs. Turner reported. “These were attended by representatives from relevant agencies including [the Departments of] Immigration, Customs, and Social Services, the police, and non-government organizations.” 
 
 “The major objectives were to increase knowledge on trafficking in persons, and how to identify and assist child victims of trafficking.” 
 
 The minister also reported that The Bahamas had enacted the Trafficking In Persons (Prevention and Suppression) Act in December, 2008.