Criminologist: Some ‘trafficking victims’ paid to come to TT

Criminologist Darius Figuera says people held as illegals in TT but claim to have been trafficked may have actually paid to be brought into the country. This, he said, gave the people they paid the advantage of having a hold over them to use in some form of slave trade.

Figuera was responding to the the 2019 Trafficking in Persons Report done by the US Department of State which said TT did not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.

The report also said without screening potential victims for trafficking indicators, officials detained foreign victims for violating immigration laws. Figuera said in the past, TT’s response to human trafficking had largely been framed by the pressure exerted by the US and that annual report. He added that TT underwent a process of putting in place the minimum by which to satisfy the minimum requirement of the US to attempt to reduce the pressure. However, he said the manner in which the structure was created to tackle human trafficking did not responded to the threats faced by the country.

“What has now happened to us as time has passed and the movement of people into TT via human smuggling has increased over the years, the most noteworthy movement in TT in recent times which everybody noticed was the Chinese which never stopped. After that we had the Venezuelans moving in as early as 2012-2013. What has happened now is that we have been literally caught with our pants down.”

He said the US report had increased the pressure again and while TT was attempting to reduce the pressure, it was not adjusting the reality on the ground.

“The supposition we are making is that they (US) know the reality on the ground. They don’t. The only people who can know our reality on the ground is us based on a research-based process. They don’t conduct any research on the ground and that is why the whole process so far to tackle the reality has been so inadequate.

“This is a geo-political issue, this is not an issue dealing with trans-national crime in TT. This is an issue where you are making cognitive changes to respond to geo-political pressure, not to a reality on the ground.”

Figuera said the fundamental problem TT faced in dealing with human trafficking was that local authorities had accepted US definitions of human trafficking that did not really fit reality on the ground in TT.

“The ongoing reality on the ground is that you pay these people to bring you. Then there is nothing stopping them from holding on to you and demanding from you, your family and your contacts, more money by taking you and putting you in some form of slave work.

“So the issue is not that they forced you to come. The majority reality is that you paid to come and then they bragging when you reach. So what do you do then? Remember you have entered the country illegally.”

Figuera said it was difficult for the authorities to determine whether migrants were forced to come here.

“Everybody is taught by the smugglers (that) when you are arrested you immediately claim you were trafficked. That is the rule of the game. Everybody arrested 'was brought here against their will.' Second rule of the game is that you throw away all your ID, you come without ID.”

Contacted for a comment yesterday, Commissioner of Police Gary Griffith said it would be irresponsible for him as CoP to make a comment on the issue.

A release from the National Security Ministry said the ministry was cognisant of the recommendations made in the report specific to TT with regard to expanding victim screening and victim services, increasing training on trafficking for Non-Governmental Organisations and shelter staff, and further increasing efforts to investigate, prosecute, and convict traffickers, including complicit officials.

It further stated that the ministry’s Counter Trafficking Unit (CTU) continued to work with partnering agencies, NGOs and civil society to increase public awareness on human trafficking, and to reduce incidents of trafficking in people in TT. The CTU is also working closely with independent statutory organisations to treat with any incidents of law enforcement complicity in human trafficking matters.

Members of the public who have information on suspected human trafficking activity should contact the CTU toll-free hotline at 800-4288(4CTU).