UN to study human trafficking in The Bahamas

Wed, Dec 4th 2013, 12:00 PM

A United Nations (UN) independent expert on human trafficking will carry out a three-day trafficking in persons study in The Bahamas, according to a statement from the United Nations (UN).
Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, a UN special rapporteur on trafficking in persons, will come to the country during a time when local officials acknowledge that human trafficking is one of the fastest growing challenges in The Bahamas. National Security Minister Dr. Bernard Nottage said recently that issues associated with human trafficking are "silently festering within our community".
Ezeilo will make her first official visit to The Bahamas December 9 to 11. She was invited by the government to conduct the study, according to the UN.
"Her visit will be the first ever to the Caribbean country by an independent expert of the UN Human Rights Council," said the statement.
"I will study the situation of the trafficking of women, men and children in The Bahamas, and assess the state's responses to counter trafficking in persons and protecting the human rights of its victims," said Ezeilo in the statement.
Dr. Nottage has pledged that the government will place renewed attention on the issue.
During a conference in September, Nottage said the government is taking a victim-centric approach to combating human trafficking, which will include its prevention, the protection of victims and the prosecution of perpetrators.
The government has partnered with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to conduct a 36-month project in a bid to strengthen its capacity to tackle the crime.
According to the statement, the UN special rapporteur is "mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to prevent and fight trafficking in persons in all its forms, and to encourage measures to uphold and protect the human rights of victims."
"During her three-day visit, the human rights expert will meet with representatives of various government agencies, as well as members of international and civil society organizations working on the fight against trafficking in persons," the statement said.
Ezeilo said she is "looking forward to my discussions with the government and all relevant authorities and to engage with them in a collective effort to fight all forms of human trafficking in The Bahamas".
Ezeilo is expected to hold a press conference on December 11 at the British Colonial Hilton.
She is also expected present her final observations and recommendations to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2014, notes the UN statement.
Minister of Immigration and Foreign Affairs Fred Mitchell said yesterday that the country is open to assistance from the United Nations.
"We are very much committed to defeating trafficking in persons in the country. We have the legislative machinery in place and we are working with a number of international bodies," he said.

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