The Success of ABA ROLI’s Combatting Human Trafficking in Barbados Program

Trafficking in persons (TIP) is not only one of the most prevalent crimes in the world, but is also considered a modern form of slavery and, in some cases, a crime against humanity. Barbados, given its location in the southeastern Caribbean, is both a popular tourist destination and part of a frequent transit route for traffickers in transnational organized crime— making it an ideal environment for human trafficking. In 2020, Barbados remained in the Tier 2 classification of the U.S. Department of State TIP Report and was at risk of falling into Tier 3 because of its failure to adequately prosecute, prevent, and support victims of human trafficking.

In October 2020, ABA ROLI partnered with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Human Rights Support Mechanism (HRSM) led by the PROGRESS consortium to lead a rapid response activity to support the government of Barbados in their efforts to combat human trafficking. ABA ROLI successfully completed its anti-TIP program in Barbados in April 2021, having provided justice sector actors with the tools and skills they need to better contend with the crime of human trafficking.

ABA ROLI conducted an assessment of the current state of TIP and anti-TIP policies in Barbados, in order to identify the gaps and challenges in current procedures. This allowed ABA ROLI to develop a guide on prosecuting human trafficking for judges and court prosecutors. Moreover, and in collaboration with Barbados’ Office of the Attorney General, ABA ROLI organized training workshops for judges and court prosecutors on enforcing existing anti-trafficking legislation while protecting the rights and well-being of human trafficking survivors. This workshop series included Belize Supreme Court Justice Antoinette Moore as one of the trainers, and it involved presentations being made on a variety of TIP-related issues, such as international and domestic laws on human trafficking and proper interviewing techniques for TIP victims.

The two-day training workshop for judges & court prosecutors opened on March 23, 2021 with remarks from Yvette Goddard, Barbados Attorney General’s Permanent Secretary; Clinton White, USAID Regional Representative for OECS and Barbados, Guyana, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Bahamas; and Francisco Ciampolini, ABA ROLI Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean Division.

Additionally, ABA ROLI developed and delivered workshops to immigration and customs officers on practical skills for identifying human trafficking cases, such as how to look for signs of human trafficking on people entering the country and how to inspect passengers’ luggage to confirm any suspicions.

Dr. Jason Haynes (Project Legal Expert, ABA ROLI Latin America and Caribbean Division) presented on the difference between human trafficking and human smuggling during the two-day training workshop for immigration and customs officers. This two-day workshop took place on March 16 and 17, 2021.

ABA ROLI’s work has provided actionable training on methods of investigation, prosecution, and coordination of investigators and prosecutors attuned to the subtleties of human trafficking in Barbados. Due to the efforts of ABA ROLI, the justice sector in Barbados is better equipped to address the scourge of TIP and improve its own standing in the eyes of the international community.

Learn more about our work in Latin America and the Caribbean.