IOM's Caribbean Counter-Trafficking Model Legislation and Explanatory Guidelines Available On-line
IOM's Caribbean Counter-Trafficking Model Legislation and
Explanatory Guidelines is now available on-line as a resource for
stakeholders in government and civil society wishing to improve
domestic legislation and policy to address the crime of trafficking
in persons in the Caribbean.
In 2008, IOM set out to equip Caribbean countries with tools
appropriate for the various legal, social, and economic
characteristics throughout the region; to improve regional
cooperation among nations; and to harmonize legislation to combat
human trafficking on the national and regional levels, resulting in
a more effective deterrent for traffickers and would-be
traffickers.
The IOM initiative brought together legal experts from 10
countries (Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, Grenada,
Guyana, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and
the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago) and CARICOM officials.
The results are a two-part booklet: 1) the model legislation
which upholds the UN Anti-Trafficking Protocol's standards and
incorporates the local and regional contexts, and 2) the
explanatory guidelines summarizing the group's discussions, with
easy-to-read textboxes and "best practices" to facilitate
implementation, and provides a counter-trafficking legal framework
by suggesting provisions and sentencing guidelines.
Because of their participation in IOM's group sessions to
develop the model legislation, St. Kitts and Nevis was able to
adapt the model legislation to the local context and enact the
"Trafficking in Persons Act" in August 2008. More recently,
comprehensive Bills were being considered by Parliament in Antigua
and Barbuda and The Bahamas.
During the past five years, IOM and its Caribbean partners have
made steady progress in the fight against human trafficking, with
efforts focusing on regional collaboration and information sharing,
capacity building and training, direct assistance to victims, and
legislative initiatives.
IOM's 2005 research identified some level of human trafficking
in the areas of forced labour, sexual exploitation and domestic
servitude. The victims - men, women, boys, and girls - were
found to be trafficked through legal methods, such as work permits
and visas, and illegal methods, such as smuggling or fraudulent
documents.
The initiative was funded by the U.S. Department of State Office
to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (G/TIP).
Limited hardcopies of the booklet published in English are
available. On-line copies are available to the general public
through IOM's website at
href="http://www.iom.int">www.iom.int.
For more information please contact:
Chissey Mueller
IOM Washington D.C.
Tel: +1-202-862-1826 ext. 236
Email:
"mailto:cmueller@iom.int">cmueller@iom.int