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RR RUEHWEB


DE RUEHWN #0025/01 0321451
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 011451Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0251
INFO RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC
RUEHWN/AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN

UNCLAS BRIDGETOWN 000025 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
STATE FOR G - LAURA PENA 
STATE FOR G/TIP - STEPHANIE KRONENBURG 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR - KAREN JO MCISAAC 
STATE FOR WHA/PPC 
STATE ALSO FOR INL, DRL, PRM 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREF KTIP ELAB KCRM KFRD KMCA KWMN SMIG
ASEC, XL 
SUBJECT: TIP SUBMISSION - BARBADOS 
 
¶1. (U) As requested reftel, below are Post's responses to questions 
regarding Barbados for the annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) 
Report. 
 
 
 
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PARA 25 - THE COUNTRY'S TIP SITUATION 
 
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¶2. (SBU) 
 
 
 
-- A.  What is (are) the source(s) of available information on 
human trafficking?  What plans are in place (if any) to undertake 
further documentation of human trafficking?  How reliable are these 
sources? 
 
 
 
The Gender Affairs Bureau is the focal point for much of the 
information on trafficking, documenting cases as they become known. 
The Business and Professional Women's Club of Barbados is a local 
non-governmental organization (NGO) that is partially funded by the 
Government of Barbados (GOB), which covers trafficking issues and 
documents trafficking. 
 
 
 
-- B.  Is the country a country of origin, transit, and/or 
destination for men, women, or children subjected to conditions of 
commercial sexual exploitation, forced or bonded labor, or other 
slave-like conditions?  Are citizens or residents of the country 
subjected to such trafficking conditions within the country?  If 
so, does this internal trafficking occur in territory outside of 
the government's control (e.g. in a civil war situation)?  From 
where are people recruited or from where do they migrate prior to 
being subjected to these exploitative conditions?  To what other 
countries are people trafficked and for what purposes?  Provide, 
where possible, numbers or estimates for each group of trafficked 
victims.  Have there been any changes in the TIP situation since 
the last TIP Report (e.g. changes in destinations)? 
 
 
 
Barbados has been reported to be 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.  To what kind of conditions are the trafficking victims 
subjected? 
 
 
 
According to local news reports and other sources, there are a few 
"entertainment clubs" that operate as brothels in Barbados, where 
women from other Caribbean nations are prostituted.  There are also 
private residences that operate as brothels.  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 human trafficking (e.g. women and children, boys versus 
girls, certain ethnic groups, refugees, IDPs, etc.)?  If so, please 
specify the type of exploitation for which these groups are most at 
risk (e.g. girls are more at risk of domestic servitude than boys). 
 
 
 
There are no reports of Barbadians being trafficked.  Legal and 
illegal immigrants from 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 gain direct access to 
victims?  For example, are the traffickers recruiting victims 
through lucrative job offers?  Are victims sold by their families, 
or approached by friends of friends?  Are victims "self-presenting" 
(approaching the exploiter without the involvement of a recruiter 
or transporter)?  If recruitment or transportation is involved, 
what methods are used to recruit or transport 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 Embassy sources, the traffickers are largely members 
of Guyanese organizations, with Trinidadian and Barbadian cohorts 
acting as pimps and brothel owners. 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
------------------------ 
 
PARA 26 - SETTING THE SCENE FOR THE GOVERNMENT'S ANTI-TIP EFFORTS 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) 
 
 
 
-- A.  Does the government acknowledge that human trafficking is a 
problem in the country?  If not, why not? 
 
 
 
Yes, the parliament has debated the issue and it is a government 
priority.  Minister for Youth, Family  and Sport Byer-Suckoo, as 
well as the governmens's Bureau of Gender Affairs, have maintained 
a regular and aggressive public campaign to raise awareness of TIP 
issues and promote changes in social norms that provide a 
permissive environment for certain kinds of TIP, primarily 
transactional sex involving minors. 
 
 
 
-- B.  Which government agencies are involved in efforts to combat 
sex and labor trafficking - including forced labor - and, which 
agency, if any, has the lead in these efforts? 
 
 
 
A number of government agencies are involved in anti-trafficking 
efforts in Barbados.  These include the Immigration Department, the 
Customs and Excise Department, the Royal Barbados Police Force, the 
Labor Department, the Welfare Department, the Child Care Board and 
the Bureau of Gender Affairs.  The Bureau of Gender Affairs is the 
lead agency in combating TIP. 
 
 
 
-- C.  What are the limitations on the government's ability to 
address these problems 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? 
 
 
 
The GOB recognizes the nature of the problem, however, law 
enforcement and immigration officials still do not yet have the 
appropriate training, funding, and other necessary mechanisms to 
monitor and investigate suspected cases of sexual and domestic 
 
servitude.  The GOB has the resources to aid victims. 
 
 
 
-- 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 Police, Immigration, and Gender Affairs Bureau are tasked with 
anti-trafficking monitoring and efforts.  Minister Byer-Suckoo 
stated recently that, while Barbados hasn't "seen much" 
trafficking, it must remain vigilant and work to "put the necessary 
systems in place to prevent [trafficking] from happening [in 
Barbados]." 
 
 
 
-- E.  What measures has the government taken to establish the 
identity of local populations, including birth registration, 
citizenship, and nationality? 
 
 
 
Barbados has nation-wide registration, including the dissemination 
of national identification cards, with births universally 
registered.  Citizenship and nationality are also identified via 
central registration techniques and issuance of citizenship 
documents such as passports. 
 
 
 
-- F.  To what extent is the government capable of gathering the 
data required for an in-depth assessment of law enforcement 
efforts?  Where are the gaps?  Are there any ways to work around 
these gaps? 
 
 
 
The GOB is fully capable of gathering datea required for an 
in-depth assessment and analysis of law enforcement efforts, and 
does so periodically for internal and public consumption. 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
------------ 
 
PARA 27 - INVESTIGATION AND PROSCECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS 
 
--------------------------------------------- ---------------------- 
------------ 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) 
 
 
 
-- A.  Existing Laws against TIP:  Does the country have a law or 
laws specifically prohibiting trafficking in 
persons -- both 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 specific laws against TIP.  However, Byer-Suckoo's 
ministry, as well as the Gender Affairs Bureau, have informed us 
 
that the anti-trafficking legislation drafting began in 2007. 
Since then, the Gender Affairs Bureau has been meeting with various 
stakeholders to further discuss human trafficking.  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, for example, 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 the trafficking of persons for 
commercial sexual exploitation, including for the forced 
prostitution of adults and the prostitution of children? 
 
 
 
The Sexual Offences Act, Cap. 154 and the Offences Against the 
Person Act, Cap. 141 address conduct which may amount to 
trafficking in persons both for sexual and non-sexual purposes. 
 
 
 
Part I of the Sexual Offences Act, which makes provisions for what 
amounts to a sexual offense, should be noted as these offenses may 
be similar to what amounts to an offense of trafficking in persons 
for sexual purposes or conduct that facilitates the offense of 
trafficking in persons for sexual purposes. 
 
 
 
-- C.  Punishment of Labor Trafficking Offenses:  What are the 
prescribed and imposed penalties for labor trafficking offenses, 
including all forms of forced labor?  If your country is a source 
country for labor migrants, do the government's laws provide for 
criminal punishment -- 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 
compelled service in the destination country?  If your country is a 
destination for labor migrants (legal/regular or 
illegal/irregular), are there laws punishing employers or labor 
agents who confiscate workers' passports or travel documents for 
the purpose of labor trafficking, switch contracts without the 
worker's consent as a means to keep the worker in a state of 
compelled service, or withhold payment of salaries as means of 
keeping the worker in a state of compelled service? 
 
Section 14 of the Barbados constitution provides that no persons 
shall be held in slavery or servitude, and no persons shall be 
required to perform forced labor. 
 
 
 
Sections 33 and 34 of the Offences Against the Person Act speak to 
the crime of slavery.  However, Sections 30 and 31 of the 
aforementioned Act should be noted as they speak directly to the 
respective crimes of kidnapping, abduction and wrongfully 
concealing a person, and that such conduct may be used to 
facilitate slavery. 
 
 
 
The GOB drafted a protocol for anti-TIP action in 2004, which the 
Gender Affairs Bureau has shared with other government agencies for 
comment.  The protocol should be introduced in Parliament in April 
of this year. 
 
 
 
-- D.  What are the prescribed penalties for rape or forcible 
sexual assault?  (NOTE:  This is necessary to 
evaluate a foreign government's compliance with TVPA Minimum 
Standard 2, which reads:  "For the knowing  commission of any act 
of sex trafficking ... the government of the country should 
prescribe punishment commensurate with that for grave crimes, such 
as forcible sexual assault (rape)."  END NOTE) 
 
The penalty for rape or forcible sexual assault is 10 years to life 
in prison. 
 
 
-- E.  Law Enforcement Statistics: Did the government take legal 
action 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 trafficking offenders 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).   What were the actual punishments imposed on 
convicted trafficking offenders? Are they serving the time 
sentenced?  If not, why not? 
 
 
 
According to the Gender Affairs Bureau, 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 law 
enforcement and immigration officials on identifying and treating 
victims of trafficking?  Or training on investigating and 
prosecuting human trafficking crimes?  Specify whether NGOs, 
international organizations, and/or the USG provide specialized 
training for host government officials. 
 
 
 
Barbadian officials regularly participate in anti-TIP training 
opportunities offered by the USG and the international community. 
In November, 2009 GOB officials participated in a USG-sponsored 
training in St. Kitts and Nevis.  In January, 2010, GOB officials 
also participated in International Organization for Migration 
(IOM)-sponsored training. 
 
 
 
--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. 
 
 
 
Barbados cooperates regularly with other Caribbean countries via 
the Gender Affairs Unit at the CARICOM Secretariat in Guyana.  The 
GOB has also fully cooperated with international law enforcement 
organizations to identify and track migration to and through 
Barbados.  For example, the GOB has provided human as well as 
limited material and financial resources - in cooperation with the 
U.S. - for the Advanced Passenger Information System, which checks 
the criminal backgrounds and migration history of individuals 
traveling to or through Barbados before they depart their countries 
of origin. 
 
 
 
-- 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. 
 
No, there is no such evidence of government involvement in or 
tolerance of trafficking, on a local or institutional level. 
 
 
 
-- J.  If government officials are involved in human trafficking, 
what steps has the government taken to end such complicity?  Please 
indicate the number of government officials investigated and 
prosecuted for involvement in trafficking or trafficking-related 
criminal activities 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. 
 
 
 
There is no evidence suggesting government officials are involved 
in TIP, and no government officials have been charged or prosecuted 
for TIP offenses. 
 
 
 
-- K.  For countries that contribute troops to international 
peacekeeping efforts, please indicate 
whether the government vigorously investigated, prosecuted, 
convicted and sentenced nationals of the 
country deployed abroad as part of a peacekeeping or other similar 
mission who engaged in or facilitated severe forms of trafficking 
or who exploited victims of such trafficking. 
 
 
 
Barbados does not generally contribute troops to international 
peacekeeping efforts. 
 
 
 
-- L.  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 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? 
 
Barbados does not have an identified problem of child sex tourists 
coming to the country. 
 
 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------------------- 
 
PARA 28 - 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 GOB has no specific legal protections for victims of 
 
trafficking; however, existing programs to assist victims of other 
crimes could easily be used to support trafficking victims.  For 
example, through the Gender Affairs Bureau, assistance can be 
provided to both victims and witnesses, in concert with local NGOs 
and attorneys. 
 
 
 
-- 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. 
 
 
 
There are government sponsored shelters run by the Barbados 
Business Professional Women's Club and the Salvation Army to house 
victims.  Total funding for the two facilities is approximately USD 
$300,000 per year. 
 
 
 
-- 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. 
Please specify if funding for assistance comes from a federal 
budget or from regional or local governments. 
 
 
 
Victims are normally deported for immigration violations before any 
services can be provided, or they can assist in prosecutions. 
Without anti-TIP legislation, the Immigration Department is legally 
bound to detain and deport. 
 
 
 
-- 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. 
 
 
 
Assistance is available to TIP victims, in terms of shelter and 
medical care.  These services are available to all victims of crime 
and are not specific to TIP victims. 
 
 
 
-- E.  Does the government provide longer-term shelter or housing 
benefits to victims or other resources to aid the victims in 
rebuilding their lives? 
 
Not at present. 
 
 
 
-- F.  Does the government have a referral process to 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)? 
 
Yes, any victims of trafficking identified by the government would 
be referred to the Bureau of Gender Affairs for support services. 
 
 
 
-- G.  What is the total number of trafficking victims identified 
during the reporting period?  (If available, please specify the 
type of exploitation of these victims - e.g. "The government 
identified X number of trafficking victims during the reporting 
period, Y or which were victims of trafficking for sexual 
exploitation and Z of which were victims of nonconsensual labor 
exploitation.)  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 no reports of TIP victims during the reporting period. 
 
 
 
-- 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? 
 
Yes, the GOB's law enforcement, immigration, and social services 
personnel do have proactive systems in place to identify potential 
victims of trafficking.  These systems function at the air and sea 
ports as well as internally. 
 
 
 
-- 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 normally deported for immigration violations before any 
services can be provided, or they can assist in prosecutions. 
Without anti-TIP legislation, the Immigration Department is legally 
bound to detain and deport. 
 
 
 
-- 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? 
 
As there were no reports of TIP victims, practical references 
cannot be cited. 
 
 
 
-- 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 Bureau of Gender Affairs collaborates with the Business and 
Professional Women's Club of Barbados to sensitize government 
agencies on the differences between smuggling and trafficking, the 
importance of referral mechanisms and working with civil society 
groups, and the importance of implementing a trafficking-specific 
protocol and legislation to better target their efforts. 
 
 
 
Barbados has very few Embassies worldwide and has not provided 
assistance through any of its embassies during the current 
reporting period. 
 
 
 
-- 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 Barbadians being trafficked. 
The Bureau of Gender Affairs has specialized services in place 
should a case arise, however. 
 
 
 
-- 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? 
 
 
 
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 is provided by the Barbados Police Force and 
Immigration Department. 
 
 
 
----------------------------- 
 
PARA 29 - 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 GOB has provided education and awareness campaigns in the form 
of workshops and press releases.  It should also be noted that 
Minister for Youth, Family Affairs and Sport Byer-Suckoo has led 
public discussions on the issue. 
 
 
 
-- B.  Does the government monitor immigration and emigration 
patterns for evidence of trafficking? 
 
 
 
Barbados is the headquarters and largest financial supporter of the 
Regional Security Service (RSS), a coalition of top-level police, 
customs, immigration, military, and Coast Guard representatives 
from across the Caribbean.  The GOB 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? 
 
 
 
Various agencies coordinate and cooperate on illegal immigration 
issues as well as gender violence issues.  There is no coordinated 
mechanism to address trafficking in persons specifically, however. 
 
 
 
-- D.  Does the government have a national plan of action to 
address trafficking in persons?  If the plan was 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 GOB does not have a "national plan of action" for TIP, but did 
draft a protocol for anti-TIP action in 2004 which the Bureau of 
Gender Affairs shared widely with other government agencies.  The 
anti-TIP protocol should be introduced to Parliament in April, 2010 
for additional discussion and action. 
 
 
 
-- E:  Required of all Posts:  What measures has the government 
taken during the reporting period to reduce the demand for 
commercial sex acts? (please see ref B, para. 9(3) for examples) 
 
 
 
Commercial sex is illegal in Barbados, and the GOB continued its 
public awareness campaign to reduce the demand for commercial sex 
acts. 
 
 
 
-- F.  Required of all Posts:  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 child sex tourism. 
Neither the government nor local NGOs have any evidence that child 
sex tourism occurs in Barbados. 
 
 
 
------------------------------- 
 
PARA 30 - PARTNERSHIPS 
 
------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) 
 
 
 
-- A.  Does the government engage with other governments, civil 
society, and/or multilateral 
organizations to focus attention and devote resources to addressing 
human trafficking?  If so, please provide details. 
 
The GOB regularly engages with other governments, civil society and 
multilateral organizations, including the Caribbean Conference of 
Churches, Caribbean International HIV/AIDS Alliance, Population 
Services International, Red Cross, and UNHCR to focus attention and 
devote resources to address human trafficking.  During the 
reporting period, immigration representatives also observed the 
anti-TIP methods employed by adjudicating officers in the Embassy's 
Consular Section. 
 
 
 
-- B.  What sort of international assistance does the government 
provide to other countries to address TIP? 
 
 
 
International assistance is provided mainly through the RSS and 
regional organizations listed above. 
 
 
 
 
¶8. (U) The Embassy point of contact is Poloff Jamal A. Al-Mussawi, 
who can be reached at Al-MussawiJA@state.gov; 246-227-4237 
(office); 246-227-4174 (fax).  The approximate number of hours 
spent by the FS-03 drafter was 40; FS-01 clearer, 8; and OC 
approver, 8. 
HARDT