More non Barbadians seek help

The list of stranded migrants including sex workers in need of food, medicine and other essentials has more than doubled in less than two weeks, according to Migration Specialist Dr Olivia Smith.

In a recent update, she revealed that the Ministry of People Empowerment, the Guyana Consulate in Barbados and numerous charitable organisations have come forward to pledge their assistance.

Meanwhile, the number of needy women and children have ballooned from just under 100 to over 200, with Guyanese accounting for the highest number.

In addition to sex workers and victims of trafficking, other women include students, workers on short-term contracts and women who were married or in relationships with Barbadian men but are now separated.

“While we have received some help from persons in the community and agencies, the numbers have grown to 200 including children who are in urgent need of basic supplies,” Dr Smith explained.

“It doesn’t matter how big or small and it is important that this is done because Barbadians live all over the world and have family members all over the world and we would want people to treat them with kindness and respect,” she added.

The migration specialist is also appealing to migrants who are “better off” to join the effort, noting that although most of the affected persons are from the Caribbean, some are from as far away as Mexico.

“The aim of our work is to support and take some of the pressure off of Government. It’s hard enough for Government to focus on the needs of the local population with limited resources and that is why I am calling on those in the community to please help us with getting food, medicine and assistance to the migrant community at this time,” she added.

Dr Smith, who last year published a study at the level of the Caribbean Community has also responded to recent comments by Attorney General Dale Marshall who suggested that Barbados has no major problems with human trafficking.

She maintains that many of the persons currently in dire straits are victims of human trafficking who, prior to the COVID-19 outbreak were working in the sex industry and in construction.

“By doing that ground work and going down into Nelson Street and different places and asking the right questions and gaining people’s trust, we were able to gain an on-the-ground perspective…through extensive interviews with persons on the ground and officials in Barbados and throughout the region,” she explained.

The former immigration officer suggested that tackling the “syndicated criminal networks” of human trafficking would require Government tightening existing legislation, providing safe houses for victims and ensuring greater levels of confidentiality from police.

She told Barbados TODAY that based on her research, traffickers are becoming much craftier and employing more subtle coercive tactics to exploit their victims.

“Human trafficking is a crime against humanity and cannot be measured as a major or minor crime. While we understand that COVID-19 is priority, we must also acknowledge there is a need for discussions with stakeholders at a later date and we must address the problem in this country and the wider Caribbean,” Dr Smith added.
kareemsmith@barbadostoday.bb