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From: Bahamas Information Services
By LLONELLA GILBERT

NASSAU, The Bahamas — Minister of National Security, the Hon. Wayne Munroe said despite global efforts to combat it, human trafficking continues to grow.

“It thrives where there is poverty, a lack of education or any area of ​​conflict,” the Minister of National Security said during the opening of the Bahamas National Neighborhood Watch Council’s two-day workshop on human trafficking at the Paul E . Farquharson Centre, Police Headquarters on Wednesday 25 September 2024.

He explained that there are countries in our hemisphere where these three problems exist and individuals from those countries are being trafficked to the Bahamas and elsewhere.

“It’s happening in our country, so there’s no point in burying our heads in the sand and saying it’s happening somewhere else.”

The minister noted that authorities have found young Bahamian girls being trafficked for sexual exploitation by family members.

He said human trafficking remains a problem because it is a lucrative industry.

The minister explained that International Labor Organization statistics show that more than $150 billion was earned from human trafficking in 2017.

He said local law enforcement needs all the help they can get to address this problem.

The minister said: “That is why it is critical for the National Neighborhood Watch Council and its constituent neighborhood watch associations to be part of the effort to eradicate modern slavery.”

Indirah Belle, chair of the Human Trafficking Task Force and Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), said the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime estimates that 50 million people were illegally trafficked worldwide in 2022; and in the Caribbean and Latin America, most girls are under 18 years old.

ASP Belle said that while there are cases of Bahamians being trafficked, the Bahamas is primarily a destination and not a source country.

She said human trafficking is known as transporting people against their will and is different from human smuggling.

ASP Belle explained that human trafficking is not voluntary, while human smuggling is voluntary and people usually pay to be taken across the border.

She also explained that people are not just trafficked for cheap labor and the sex industry.

ASP Belle said people are being trafficked for their organs. A heart costs $120,000, a kidney $150,000, a pancreas $125,000 and a stomach $500,000.

She said some of the causes of human trafficking include poverty, lack of education, abuse, homelessness, family dysfunction, political instability, unemployment, civil unrest/armed conflict and natural disasters.

ASP Belle explained that human trafficking can be prevented by tackling the root causes.

She said this can be done by:

• Reducing the vulnerability of potential victims through social and economic development;
• Discouraging demand for human trafficking services;
• Public education;
• Law enforcement interventions/healthcare interventions/social assistance;
• Preventing the corruption of government officials; And
• Creating employment

PHOTO CAPTION

Minister of National Security, the Hon. Wayne Munroe delivered remarks during the opening of the Bahamas National Neighborhood Watch Council’s two-day human trafficking workshop at the Paul E. Farquharson Center, Police Headquarters, on Wednesday, September 25, 2024. Human Trafficking Task Force Chair, Assistant Superintendent of Police ( ASP) Indirah Belle was the main presenter of the workshop. (BIS photos/Patrice Johnson)