VZCZCXRO1381
PP RUEHGR
DE RUEHWN #0119/01 0552141
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 242141Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7132
INFO RUCNCOM/EC CARICOM COLLECTIVE
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 08 BRIDGETOWN 000119 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR G/TIP, G, INL, DRL, PRM, AND WHA/CAR 
STATE PASS TO USAID/LAC/CAR-RILEY 
 
TAGS: KCRM ELAB KFRD ASEC KWMN PHUM PREF SMIG BB
SUBJECT: TIP SUBMISSION - ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA 
 
REF:  08 SECSTATE 132759 
 
¶1.  (U) Below are Post's responses to questions regarding Antigua 
and Barbuda for the annual Trafficking in Persons Report. 
 
------------------------------------- 
Para 23 - THE COUNTRY'S TIP SITUATION 
------------------------------------- 
 
2 (SBU) 
 
¶A. What is (are) the source(s) of available 
information on trafficking in persons?  What plans are in 
place (if any) to undertake further documentation of 
human trafficking?  How reliable are these sources? 
 
There are few sources of information available on trafficking.  The 
Gender Affairs Directorate is the focal point for much of the 
information on trafficking, documenting cases as they become known. 
The Gender Affairs Directorate is understaffed and has no full-time 
employees focused solely on trafficking issues; however, the 
Directorate is a reliable source of available information. 
 
¶B. Is the country a country of origin, transit, and/or 
destination for internationally trafficked men, women, or 
children?  Have there been any changes in the 
TIP situation since the last TIP Report (e.g. changes in 
destinations)? 
 
Antigua and Barbuda is a destination point for victims of 
Trafficking in Persons (TIP) from the Dominican Republic, Guyana, 
and Jamaica.  There have not been any changes in the TIP situation 
since the last report. 
 
-- C. What kind of conditions are the victims trafficked 
into? 
 
According to the Director of Gender Affairs and other sources, there 
are four main brothels that operate in Antigua, where women from the 
Dominican Republic are prostituted.  In addition, there are private 
residences that operate as brothels. Increasingly, however, 
English-speaking women from Guyana and Jamaica are being recruited. 
According to a UNHCR source, women are also recruited in the 
Dominican Republic to work as maids in Antigua.  The conditions, 
according to sources, vary, but in most cases the women's travel 
documents are confiscated and they are threatened with deportation. 
 
 
-- D. Vulnerability to TIP: Are certain groups of persons 
more at risk of being trafficked (e.g. women and 
children, boys versus girls, certain ethnic groups, 
refugees, IDPs, etc.)? 
 
There are no reports of Antiguans being trafficked.  Legal and 
illegal immigrants from Haiti, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and 
Guyana are reported to be the most vulnerable to trafficking. 
 
-- E. Traffickers and Their Methods: Who are the 
traffickers/exploiters?  Are they independent business 
people?  Small or family-based crime groups?  Large 
international organized crime syndicates?  What methods 
are used to approach victims?  For example, are they 
offered lucrative jobs, sold by their families, or 
approached by friends of friends?  What methods are used 
to move the victims (e.g., are false documents being 
used?).  Are employment, travel, and tourism agencies or 
marriage brokers involved with or fronting for 
traffickers or crime groups to traffic individuals? 
 
 
According to Gender Affairs, the traffickers are a mix of well 
financed businessmen from the Dominican Republic and Antiguan 
citizens acting as pimps and brothel owners. 
 
----------------------------------- --------------------- 
Para 24 - SETTING THE SCENE FOR THE GOVERNMENT'S ANTI-TIP 
EFFORTS 
-------------------------- ------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) 
 
¶A. Does the government acknowledge that trafficking is 
a problem in the country? 
 
Yes, with the exception of some members of immigration and law 
enforcement, almost all of the GOAB's government institutions are 
 
BRIDGETOWN 00000119  002 OF 008 
 
 
aware of the trafficking problem. 
 
-- B. Which government agencies are involved in anti- 
trafficking efforts and which agency, if any, has the 
lead? 
 
The GOAB Anti-TIP Working Group monitors its anti-trafficking 
efforts on a monthly basis, sharing information on suspected 
trafficking cases and formulating strategies to address the 
problem. 
 
-- C. What are the limitations on the government's 
ability to address this problem in practice?  For 
example, is funding for police or other institutions 
inadequate?  Is overall corruption a problem?  Does the 
government lack the resources to aid victims? 
 
There is clear recognition and strong will from the Directorate of 
Gender Affairs and other GOAB agencies that form the GOAB Anti-TIP 
Working Group.  However, law enforcement and immigration do not yet 
have the appropriate training, funding, and other necessary 
mechanisms to follow up on the Working Group's requests to 
investigate suspected cases of sexual and domestic servitude.  In 
most cases, women without documentation are deported for immigration 
violations before they can have access to services or assist with 
the prosecution of a trafficking case. 
 
 
-- D. To what extent does the government systematically 
monitor its anti-trafficking efforts (on all fronts -- 
prosecution, victim protection, and prevention) and 
periodically make available, publicly or privately and 
directly or through regional/international organizations, 
its assessments of these anti-trafficking efforts? 
 
The GOAB formed the National Coalition Against Trafficking in 
Persons, which is made up of the Ministries of Social Welfare, 
Social Transformation, Health, Labor and Gender Affairs, 
Immigration, and the Royal Antigua and Barbuda Police Force as well 
as various civil society groups, NGOs, and community activists and 
advocates.  Each agency is represented by a TIP focal person on a 
monthly basis to share information and formulate cooperative efforts 
to address the problem. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- -------- 
Para 25 - Investigations and Prosecutions of Traffickers 
--------------------------------------------- --- ------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) 
 
-- A. Existing Laws against TIP: Does the country have a 
law or laws specifically prohibiting trafficking in 
persons -- both for sexual exploitation and labor?  If 
so, please specifically cite the name of the law(s) and 
its date of enactment and provide the exact language 
[actual copies preferable] of the TIP provisions.  Please 
provide a full inventory of trafficking laws, including 
non-criminal statutes that allow for civil penalties 
against alleged trafficking crimes (e.g., civil 
forfeiture laws and laws against illegal debt). Does the 
law(s) cover both internal and transnational forms of 
trafficking?  If not, under what other laws can 
traffickers be prosecuted?  For example, are there laws 
against slavery or the exploitation of prostitution by 
means of force, fraud, or coercion?  Are these other laws 
being used in trafficking cases? 
 
There are no laws against trafficking in persons.  Violators could 
be prosecuted under immigration, prostitution, or labor laws.  Under 
the Immigration and Passport Act, if an immigration officer suspects 
that a person is coming into the country to behave in the manner of 
a prostitute the officer has the authority to refuse entry. 
Normally, undocumented foreigners are deported immediately. 
 
-- B. Punishment of Sex Trafficking Offenses: What are 
the prescribed and imposed penalties for trafficking 
people for sexual exploitation? 
 
There are no specific laws against trafficking people for sexual 
exploitation. 
 
-- C. Punishment of Labor Trafficking Offenses: What are 
the prescribed and imposed penalties for trafficking for 
labor exploitation, such as forced or bonded labor?  If 
your country is a source country for labor migrants, do 
the government's laws provide for criminal punishment -- 
 
BRIDGETOWN 00000119  003 OF 008 
 
 
i.e. jail time -- for labor recruiters who engage in 
recruitment of workers using knowingly fraudulent or 
deceptive offers with the purpose of subjecting workers 
to trafficking in the destination country?  If your 
country is a destination for labor migrants, are there 
laws punishing employers or labor agents who confiscate 
workers' passports or travel documents for the purpose of 
trafficking, switch contracts without the worker's 
consent as a means to keep the worker in a state of 
service, or withhold payment of salaries as means of 
keeping the worker in a state of service? 
 
There are no specific penalties for traffickers of people for labor 
exploitation.  They could, however, face penalties for immigration 
and labor violations.  Immigration violations could lead to 
deportation of both victim and trafficker. 
 
The constitution prohibits forced or compulsory labor, including by 
children, and there were no reports that such practices occurred. 
 
The law stipulates a minimum working age of 16 years, which 
corresponds with the provisions of the Education Act. In addition 
persons under 18 years of age must have a medical clearance to work 
and may not work later than 10 p.m. The Ministry of Labor, which is 
required by law to conduct periodic inspections of workplaces, 
effectively enforced this law. The labor commissioner's office also 
had an inspectorate that investigated exploitive child labor 
matters. 
 
The Labor Code provides that the minister of labor may issue orders, 
which have the force of law, to establish a minimum wage. The 
minimum wage was $2.26 (EC$6.00) an hour for all categories of 
labor, which provided a barely adequate standard of living for a 
worker and family. In practice the great majority of workers earned 
substantially more than the minimum wage. 
 
-- D. What are the prescribed penalties for rape or 
forcible sexual assault? 
 
The penalty for rape ranges from 10 years to life imprisonment. 
 
-- E. Law Enforcement Statistics: Did the government 
prosecute any cases against human trafficking offenders 
during the reporting period?  If so, provide numbers of 
investigations, prosecutions, convictions, and sentences 
imposed, including details on plea bargains and fines, if 
relevant and available.  Please note the number of 
convicted traffickers who received suspended sentences 
and the number who received only a fine as punishment. 
Please indicate which laws were used to investigate, 
prosecute, convict, and sentence traffickers.  Also, if 
possible, please disaggregate numbers of cases by type of 
TIP (labor vs. commercial sexual exploitation) and 
victims (children under 18 years of age vs. adults).  If 
in a labor source country, did the government criminally 
prosecute labor recruiters who recruit workers using 
knowingly fraudulent or deceptive offers or by imposing 
fees or commissions for the purpose of subjecting the 
worker to debt bondage?  Did the government in a labor 
destination country criminally prosecute employers or 
labor agents who confiscate workers' passports/travel 
documents for the purpose of trafficking, switch 
contracts or terms of employment without the worker's 
consent to keep workers in a state of service, use 
physical or sexual abuse or the threat of such abuse to 
keep workers in a state of service, or withhold payment 
of salaries as a means to keep workers in a state of 
service?  What were the actual punishments imposed on 
persons convicted of these offenses?  Are the traffickers 
serving the time sentenced?  If not, why not? 
 
There were no cases brought against traffickers during the reporting 
period.  Nor have there been any cases brought against employers for 
confiscating passports or travel documents. 
 
-- F. Does the government provide any specialized 
training for government officials in how to recognize, 
investigate, and prosecute instances of trafficking? 
Specify whether NGOs, international organizations, and/or 
the USG provide specialized training for host government 
officials. 
 
In June 2008, Gender Affairs, Immigration and Royal Antigua and 
Barbuda Police Force official attended a USG sponsored 
anti-trafficking capacity building workshop.  In February 2008, 
officials from the Royal Antigua and Barbuda Police Force took part 
 
BRIDGETOWN 00000119  004 OF 008 
 
 
in an OAS-sponsored seminar and workshop.  In February 2007, the MFA 
and Immigration Department took part in International Organization 
for Migration (IOM) and UN-sponsored training.  None of these 
training programs were funded by the GOAB. 
 
--G. Does the government cooperate with other governments 
in the investigation and prosecution of trafficking 
cases?  If possible, provide the number of cooperative 
international investigations on trafficking during the 
reporting period. 
 
The GOAB cooperates with other Caribbean countries via the Gender 
Affairs Unit at the CARICOM Secretariat in Georgetown, Guyana.  In 
2003, Antigua and Barbuda cooperated with the Government of Guyana 
to assist a minor who was forced into domestic and sexual servitude. 
 The trafficker was subsequently tried and convicted in Guyana under 
the Sex Offenses Act. 
 
-- H. Does the government extradite persons who are 
charged with trafficking in other countries?  If so, 
please provide the number of traffickers extradited 
during the reporting period, and the number of 
trafficking extraditions pending. In particular, please 
report on any pending or concluded extraditions of 
trafficking offenders to the United States. 
 
There have been no requests for extradition. 
 
 
-- I. Is there evidence of government involvement in or 
tolerance of trafficking, on a local or institutional 
level?  If so, please explain in detail. 
 
The Gender Affairs Directorate has uncovered two cases of 
trafficking and helped both women repatriate to their home 
countries.  In both cases the women voluntarily came to Antigua to 
engage in prostitution only to later have their passports revoked 
until they could repay the brothel owner for expenses incurred in 
bringing the women to the country.  Both women had been given work 
permits as "entertainers" to legally enter the country.  The receipt 
of legitimate work-permits to engage in almost certain prostitution 
requires at least the acquiescence of one or more adjudicating 
officers in the immigration office. 
 
-- J. If government officials are involved in 
trafficking, what steps has the government taken to end 
such participation?  Please indicate the number of 
government officials investigated and prosecuted for 
involvement in trafficking or trafficking-related 
corruption during the reporting period.  Have any been 
convicted?  What sentence(s) was imposed?  Please specify 
if officials received suspended sentences, or were given 
a fine, fired, or reassigned to another position within 
the government as punishment.  Please indicate the number 
of convicted officials that received suspended sentences 
or received only a fine as punishment. 
 
In the two reported cases the two women became trafficked after 
their arrival in the country.  The Gender Affairs Directorate has 
requested a review of the immigration department to ascertain why 
women who are likely to be trafficked are being granted 
work-permits. 
 
-- K. Is prostitution legalized or decriminalized? 
Specifically, are the activities of the prostitute 
criminalized?  Are the activities of the brothel 
owner/operator, clients, pimps, and enforcers 
criminalized?  Are these laws enforced?  If prostitution 
is legal and regulated, what is the legal minimum age for 
this activity?  Note that in countries with federalist 
systems, prostitution laws may be under state or local 
jurisdiction and may differ among jurisdictions. 
 
Prostitution is illegal under Antiguan law.  Although members of the 
National Coalition Against Trafficking request assistance from the 
police and immigration, it is not yet a priority for law 
enforcement. 
 
-- M. If the country has an identified problem of child 
sex tourists coming to the country, what are the 
countries of origin for sex tourists?  How many foreign 
pedophiles did the government prosecute or 
deport/extradite to their country of origin?  If your 
host country's nationals are perpetrators of child sex 
tourism, do the country's child sexual abuse laws have 
extraterritorial coverage (similar to the U.S. PROTECT 
 
BRIDGETOWN 00000119  005 OF 008 
 
 
Act) to allow the prosecution of suspected sex tourists 
for crimes committed abroad?  If so, how many of the 
country's nationals were prosecuted and/or convicted 
during the reporting period under the extraterritorial 
provision(s) for traveling to other countries to engage 
in child sex tourism? 
 
There have been no reports of child sex tourism in Antigua. 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
Para 26 - Protection and Assistance to Victims 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶5.  (SBU) 
 
-- A.  What kind of protection is the government able 
under existing law to provide for victims and witnesses? 
Does it provide these protections in practice? 
 
The GOAB and National Coalition members lack the resources to 
establish a permanent shelter that could protect and provide 
anonymity for victims, due to the size of the country. Therefore, 
the Gender Affairs Directorate established "Emergency Safe Havens," 
where the victims' location can be hidden from their victimizers. 
This innovative safe haven network consists of locations provided by 
businesses, churches, clinics, and individuals. 
 
-- B.  Does the country have victim care facilities 
(shelters or drop-in centers) which are accessible to 
trafficking victims?  Do foreign victims have the same 
access to care as domestic trafficking victims?  Where 
are child victims placed (e.g., in shelters, foster care, 
or juvenile justice detention centers)?  Does the country 
have specialized care for adults in addition to children? 
Does the country have specialized care for male victims 
as well as female?   Does the country have specialized 
facilities dedicated to helping victims of trafficking? 
Are these facilities operated by the government or by 
NGOs?  What is the funding source of these facilities? 
Please estimate the amount the government spent (in U.S. 
dollar equivalent) on these specialized facilities 
dedicated to helping trafficking victims during the 
reporting period. 
 
Through the GOAB's Directorate of Gender Affairs, victims of 
trafficking have benefitted from various legal, health, advocacy, 
and crisis services.  All victims of trafficking, foreign or local, 
can access the services offered through Gender Affairs. 
 
-- C.  Does the government provide trafficking victims 
with access to legal, medical and psychological services? 
If so, please specify the kind of assistance provided. 
Does the government provide funding or other forms of 
support to foreign or domestic NGOs and/or international 
organizations for providing these services to trafficking 
victims?  Please explain and provide any funding amounts 
in U.S. dollar equivalent.  If assistance provided was 
in-kind, please specify exact assistance.  Pleasespecify 
if funding for assistance comes from a fderal budget or 
from regional or local governmens. 
 
The Directorate of Gender Affairs has recruied Spanish-speaking 
volunteers to assist with seeral cases of suspected abuse of 
Dominican Republc nationals. Funding is provided to the Gender 
Afairs Directorate to coordinate the work of the Ani-TIP 
Coalition, as well as cover multiple servies to victims of domestic 
abuse, rape, and otherforms of violence and exploitation.  However, 
most victims, if discovered by immigration and/or the olice, are 
generally arrested or detained for imigration violations and are 
expeditiously deported. 
 
-- D. Does the government assist foreign trafficking 
victims, for example, by providing temporary to permanent 
residency status, or other relief from deportation?  If 
so, please explain. 
 
No. 
 
-- E. Does the government provide longer-term shelter or 
housing benefits to victims or other resources to aid the 
victims in rebuilding their lives? 
 
No.  All victims are assisted in their repatriation to their home 
countries. 
 
-- F. Does the government have a referral process to 
 
BRIDGETOWN 00000119  006 OF 008 
 
 
transfer victims detained, arrested or placed in 
protective custody by law enforcement authorities to 
institutions that provide short- or long-term care 
(either government or NGO-run)? 
 
Any victims of trafficking identified by the government will be 
referred to the Gender Affairs Directorate for support services. 
 
-- G. What is the total number of trafficking victims 
identified during the reporting period?  Of these, how 
many victims were referred to care facilities for 
assistance by law enforcement authorities during the 
reporting period?  By social services officials?  What is 
the number of victims assisted by government-funded 
assistance programs and those not funded by the 
government during the reporting period? 
 
There were two cases of trafficking reported by the Gender Affairs 
Directorate.  These women were offered counseling by the staff of 
the Directorate and were assisted in their repatriation to their 
home countries. 
 
-- H. Do the government's law enforcement, immigration, 
and social services personnel have a formal system of 
proactively identifying victims of trafficking among 
high-risk persons with whom they come in contact (e.g., 
foreign persons arrested for prostitution or immigration 
violations)?  For countries with legalized prostitution, 
does the government have a mechanism for screening for 
trafficking victims among persons involved in the 
legal/regulated commercial sex trade? 
 
The GOAB does not conduct screening for potential TIP victims.  The 
Gender Affairs Directorate and the National Coalition Against 
Trafficking in Persons are able to identify TIP victims as well as 
suspected cases of trafficking, and modify their efforts 
accordingly. 
 
-- I. Are the rights of victims respected?  Are 
trafficking victims detained or jailed?   If so, for how 
long?  Are victims fined?  Are victims prosecuted for 
violations of other laws, such as those governing 
immigration or prostitution? 
 
Victims are treated with compassion and respect by the Gender 
Affairs Directorate and affiliated NGOs, community advocates, and 
religious representatives.   However, they are treated as 
undocumented criminals by many in the police force and immigration. 
 
-- J. Does the government encourage victims to assist in 
the investigation and prosecution of trafficking?  How 
many victims assisted in the investigation and 
prosecution of traffickers during the reporting period? 
May victims file civil suits or seek legal action against 
traffickers?  Does anyone impede victim access to such 
legal redress?  If a victim is a material witness in a 
court case against a former employer, is the victim 
permitted to obtain other employment or to leave the 
country pending trial proceedings?  Are there means by 
which a victim may obtain restitution? 
 
No.  The victims in the two known cases were assisted in their 
repatriation before they could assist in investigations or 
prosecutions. 
 
-- K. Does the government provide any specialized 
training for government officials in identifying 
trafficking victims and in the provision of assistance to 
trafficked victims, including the special needs of 
trafficked children?  Does the government provide 
training on protections and assistance to its embassies 
and consulates in foreign countries that are destination 
or transit countries?   What is the number of trafficking 
victims assisted by the host country's embassies or 
consulates abroad during the reporting period?  Please 
explain the type of assistance provided (travel 
documents, referrals to assistance, payment for 
transportation home). 
 
The Gender Affairs Directorate runs a gender awareness training for 
the Antigua and Barbuda Royal Police Force. 
 
Antigua has very few Embassies world-wide and has not provided 
assistance through any of its embassies during the current reporting 
period. 
 
 
BRIDGETOWN 00000119  007 OF 008 
 
 
-- L. Does the government provide assistance, such as 
medical aid, shelter, or financial help, to its nationals 
who are repatriated as victims of trafficking? 
 
There have been no reported cases of Antiguans being trafficked. 
Gender Affairs has specialized services in place should a case 
arise. 
 
-- M. Which international organizations or NGOs, if any, 
work with trafficking victims?  What type of services do 
they provide?  What sort of cooperation do they receive 
from local authorities? 
 
Other than general funding for the social services operations of the 
Gender Affairs Directorate, the GOAB has not allocated funding 
toward anti-TIP specific protection services. However, these social 
services can be and have been provided to TIP victims.  Other NGOs 
provide services such as health screening and assistance in 
repatriation. 
 
Organizations that work with trafficking victims are the Caribbean 
Conference of Churches, Caribbean International HIV/AIDS Alliance, 
Population Services International, and the Red Cross.  UNHCR 
provides medical assistance and help with repatriation.  Cooperation 
from police and immigration needs improvement.  In addition, the 
GOAB should provide increased funding to its Gender Affairs 
Directorate and the National Coalition Against Trafficking in 
Persons, as both have proven track records as the most effective and 
knowledgeable institutions to prevent trafficking, identify cases 
and protect victims. 
 
-------------------- 
Para 27 - PREVENTION 
-------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU): 
 
-- A. Did the government conduct anti-trafficking 
information or education campaigns during the reporting 
period?  If so, briefly describe the campaign(s), 
including their objectives and effectiveness.  Please 
provide the number of people reached by such awareness 
efforts, if available.  Do these campaigns target 
potential trafficking victims and/or the demand for 
trafficking (e.g. "clients" of prostitutes or 
beneficiaries of forced labor)?  (Note: This can be an 
especially noteworthy effort where prostitution is legal. 
End Note.) 
 
The government has provided education and awareness campaigns in the 
form of brochures and radio spots.  These campaigns have been 
bilingual in many instances to reach the Spanish-speaking population 
in Antigua. 
 
-- B. Does the government monitor immigration and 
emigration patterns for evidence of trafficking? 
 
Antigua and Barbuda contributes staff and other resources to the 
Regional Security Service (RSS), a coalition of top-level police, 
customs, immigration, military, and Coast Guard representatives from 
across the Caribbean.  The GOAB also provided some human and 
material resources to assist with the Advanced Passenger Information 
System (APIS), which runs background criminal history checks on 
travelers before they depart their countries of origin.  Through 
this region-wide network, law enforcement agencies share 
information, which leads to investigations and detainment of 
suspected criminals once they arrive at immigration and customs. 
 
-- C. Is there a mechanism for coordination and 
communication between various agencies, internal, 
international, and multilateral on trafficking-related 
matters, such as a multi-agency working group or a task 
force? 
 
The GOAB formed the National Coalition Against Trafficking in 
Persons, which is made up of the Ministries of Social Welfare, 
Social Transformation, Health, Labor and Gender Affairs, 
Immigration, and the Royal Antigua and Barbuda Police Force as well 
as various civil society groups, NGOs, and community activists and 
advocates.  The Coalition is coordinated by the Directorate of 
Gender Affairs, and meets at the end of every month to discuss 
suspected cases, formulate strategies to address them, and follow up 
with law enforcement to conduct investigations. 
 
-- D. Does the government have a national plan of action 
to address trafficking in persons?  If the plan was 
 
BRIDGETOWN 00000119  008 OF 008 
 
 
developed during the reporting period, which agencies 
were involved in developing it?  Were NGOs consulted in 
the process?  What steps has the government taken to 
implement the action plan? 
 
The National Coalition has a national action plan that focuses on 
educating immigrants, the general public, and frontline workers on 
human trafficking; establishes a spokesperson to represent the 
Coalition; combining outreach and protection efforts with the Gender 
Affairs crisis hotline; and creating a legislative review of 
anti-TIP laws and statutory instruments in Antigua and Barbuda; 
share information and cooperate with law enforcement investigations. 
 NGOs, religious groups, and community advocates were consulted and 
take part in the monthly meetings.  The plan is transparent and 
shared with any person who assists in anti-TIP efforts. 
 
-- E: What measures has the government taken during the 
reporting period to reduce the demand for commercial sex 
acts? 
 
Commercial sex is illegal in Antigua and Barbuda; however, 
prosecution of those involved in such activity has not been a 
priority.  There have been no government programs to reduce demand 
for commercial sex during the rating period. 
 
-- F. What measures has the government taken during the reporting 
period to reduce the participation in international child sex 
tourism by nationals of the country? 
 
 
There have been no reports of international sex tourism.  Neither 
the government, nor local NGOs have any evidence that child sex 
tourism occurs in Antigua. 
 
The GOAB National Coalition Against Trafficking in Persons appears 
very concerned about TIP and works very well with regional and local 
NGOs, religious representatives and community advocates to better 
organize their efforts and outreach. 
 
HARDT