TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS |
Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago has enacted laws to address human trafficking. The Trafficking in Persons Act was enacted in 2011 to criminalize trafficking and prescribe penalties for offenders. The Trafficking in Persons Act of 2011 criminalized sex trafficking and labor trafficking and prescribed penalties of no less than 15 years’ imprisonment and a fine of no less than 500,000 Trinidad and Tobago dollars (TTD) (USD$74,650) for offenses involving an adult victim, and no less than 20 years’ imprisonment and a fine of no less than 1 million TTD (USD$149,300) for those involving a child victim. The government has taken steps to address human trafficking, including the establishment of the Counter Trafficking Unit (CTU) within the Ministry of National Security. The CTU is responsible for coordinating anti- trafficking efforts. Trinidad and Tobago collaborates with international organizations, such as the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), to strengthen its capacity to combat human trafficking. These entities are credible sources of information but the interviews with journalists in Trinidad and Tobago indicated that they do noy actively engage or source information from all of them. The exception was the CTU, however, they were contacted only if there was a current news story about TIP victims or activity or if a press release from CTU was issued. 2021: The government identified 80 trafficking victims; 46 were exploited in sex trafficking, two were exploited in labor trafficking, and 32 were for unspecified exploitation. This compares with six identified trafficking victims in 2020 and 34 in 2019. All 46 sex trafficking victims were Venezuelan, including 21 women and 25 girls. The labor trafficking victims were both Indian men. Reports suggested some unidentified victims feared retaliation from authorities, including during police raids, trials, and interdiction operations involving Venezuelan migrants. The CTU was the primary entity responsible for identifying victims, and it used existing screening protocols. Authorities provided some assistance to 54 victims, compared with 70 potential victims in 2020. • 2022: The CTU investigated 22 new cases under the TIP Act in 2022, including 20 cases of sex trafficking and two cases of labor trafficking, compared with 23 new trafficking cases in 2021 (nine for sex trafficking, five for labor trafficking, and nine for unspecified trafficking-related crimes). The government continued investigation of 26 cases (23 for sex trafficking and three for labor trafficking) from prior reporting periods. The government reported one labor trafficking case involved a male Venezuelan victim for the first time. The media also reported police arrested 12 men during a February 2022 law enforcement action. The government initiated prosecution of five suspected sex traffickers, including two police officers, compared with 15 suspected sex traffickers, including three police officers, in 2021 and two alleged sex traffickers in 2020. Of these, the government prosecuted four defendants under the TIP Act and one under other laws for indecent assault and sexual offenses. Highlights from TIP Reports •
A Media Analysis of the Coverage of Youth Involvement in Crime and Violence and Trafficking in Persons (June 2021 to June 2023) in the Eastern Caribbean 59
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