St. John’s, Antigua: Lieutenant Colonel Ivor Walker, Chief Immigration Officer, yesterday responded to a UNDP report that Antigua and Barbuda had increased levels of human trafficking and that immigration officers were bribed by criminal organizations to traffic women for the purpose of prostitution, according to an Observer report.
Colonel Walker said that he was not shocked at the report of an increase in human trafficking. “I don’t think it is a hidden point … This is not the first time we have been tagged as such. The Government, from a policy point of view, has made a concerted effort over the last few years to address this issue.”
The Observer said that Walker is referring to The Migrant Smuggling and Trafficking in Persons Prevention Acts of 2010. These acts were enacted in an effort to protect the rights of migrants in and entering Antigua & Barbuda from human trafficking.
Walker also addressed the UNDP report claim that immigration officers were in collusion with criminal organizations and accepting bribes to allow trafficked individuals to enter the country. He said, “We have had incidences with officers and these incidences have been bought before the court … As to how the report phrased it, I don’t know if I can speak definitively.”
Walker noted that there are currently investigations into the misconduct of immigration officers. However he declined to speak to the specific incidences or details of the investigation. Walker wanted to make clear that he would not be lenient on officers that are found to be in violation of the acts.
He noted that it is the duty of law enforcement agencies to investigate instances of human trafficking and said that the Immigration Department works alongside the Police Department in these investigations.
The Chief Immigration Officer said that training the department received from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has helped to prepare the department to recognize and address issues of trafficking, the Observer report stated.
The Immigration Department has been working in concert with the IOM to assist the nation in addressing and decreasing human trafficking. Walker also stated that an IOM officer is stationed at the Immigration Office to assist with the implementation of the Acts.
You must be logged in to post a comment.