St. John’s, Antigua: According to regional experts on the issues of sex trade and the recent United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Caribbean Human Development Report on Citizen Security, criminal networks in the twin-island state of Antigua and Barbuda were increasingly becoming involved in human trafficking which includes forced prostitution, according to a report in the Observer.
It was found that “a majority of prostitutes in the country were immigrant women forced into the sex trade.”
The women interviewed, who were mainly from Guyana, Jamaica and St Lucia, said they were recruited with the promise of employment opportunities as bartenders, masseuses, hotel workers or dancers but upon arrival they were forced into prostitution.
The Observer report stated that UNDP investigations found that organised crime groups obtained the co-operation of Antiguan & Barbudan immigration officers and senior officials, who were bribed to allow the women into the country.
Sheila Roseau, executive director of Gender Affairs Directorate, says that human trafficking is a crime “with many faces” and that its operations are often disguised. She also said the national task force that was formed in accordance with the Trafficking in Persons (Prevention) Act of 2010 has begun the implementation process.
Meetings have been held with key agencies including Gender Affairs and immigration and police officers to provide training.
Gender Affair urges those affected by trafficking or know of anyone being trafficked to contact their 24-hour crisis hotline at 463-5555, the Observer reported.
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