Caribbean Review: Curaçao’s Fight Against Human Trafficking
Curaçao continues its fight against human trafficking through awareness campaigns like “Path Curaçao”, Curaçao’s leading anti-trafficking campaign that celebrated their one-year anniversary in March. Victim protection is also a primary objective for activists and campaigns and though challenges with prosecution and funding persist, the fight isn’t over.
Human trafficking consists of sex trade, forced labor, domestic servitude, forced marriage, child soldiers, and other forms of modern-day slavery, in which someone is kidnapped and often sold to others to do some form of labor. A common fate for trafficked women in nations with large tourist industries is what in some nations are called “trago girls” or “bargirls” who make money for bars through entertaining guests, serving drinks, dancing, and in some cases prostitution. Historically, like many nations that rely on tourism for their economy, Curaçao has experienced problems with human trafficking on the island, however, the nation has recently made many efforts to crack down on this terrible crime.
The most recent battle against human trafficking in Curaçao started in 2009 with the passing of Article 273f of the Dutch Criminal Code. This article addresses what constitutes human trafficking, including the recruiting, sheltering, or kidnapping of someone with the intent to exploit them in any manner. Culprits could be imprisoned for up to 12 years, depending on the severity of the offence and if the perpetrator is over the age of 16.
The article also points out organ trafficking and how the intent to remove someone's organs falls under this 12-year sentence. The Article primarily defines sex and organ trafficking, but became a foundation to start the legal and activist fight for harsher penalties against traffickers.
On September 5, 2010, Article 2:239 of the Dutch Penal Code was passed, further prosecuting traffickers. Traffickers now face up to nine years or a fine of 100,000 Antillean Guilder, or $56,180 USD, for trafficking someone over the age of 16. If the victim is younger than 16-years-old, traffickers face up to 12 years in prison or a fine.
Although Curaçao has passed legislation to combat human trafficking, the nation has faced difficulties in actually prosecuting offenders.
Reported Trafficking Victims Identified In Curaçao
In 2018, there was a spike in identified human trafficking cases; despite this there were zero traffickers prosecuted in that year. In 2021, there was one conviction for labor and sex trafficking, which was overturned on appeal, and a trafficker received a suspended sentence instead of prison time. There have also been recent issues with the government's ability to accurately report the number of individuals who have been trafficked because there have been problems reporting exploited, unidentified foreign migrants as trafficked individuals, due to the amount of migrants and their lack of Curaçaoan or Dutch identification. This step backwards in the ability to report victims has been considered by some critics to be a sign of failure in identifying and prosecuting human traffickers properly.
PATH Curaçao
Though there have been issues in identifying and prosecuting human traffickers, there have also been steps forward. One large step was the creation of the Programme to Advance Through Healing, also known as PATH Curaçao, which is a division within the Ministry of Justice and works closely with the government to combat human trafficking. PATH Curaçao was launched on July 30, 2024, and has become a leading force in the fight to end this problem
“Human trafficking uses force, fraud, or coercion for labor or commercial sex,” the organization writes on their website. “Millions, including in Curaçao, are trafficked annually across all communities, affecting individuals of any age, race, gender, or nationality. Traffickers often employ violence, deceit, or fake promises of lucrative jobs or relationships to ensnare victims”.
PATH Curaçao focuses heavily on providing resources and information on how people can identify physical, situational, and behavioral signs of human trafficked individuals. They also provide resources to contact authorities to report trafficking. They follow a “3P’s Framework” used worldwide to combat human trafficking. These 3Ps are prosecution, protection, and prevention. Prosecution focuses on the relentless pursuit of justice for human trafficking victims, and that all traffickers are rightfully charged and face justice. Protection and prevention entail empowering communities through awareness to see human trafficking signs, like unusual working conditions or restricted movement, to help catch traffickers.
Recently, Priyanka Rohera has been appointed as the National Reporter for Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants and works closely with PATH Curaçao. She has over three years of experience working in humanitarian and migration sectors and has a long list of degrees, including double Master’s degrees in public policy and human development, specializing in migration studies, a Bachelor’s in communications, and A Bachelor’s in international studies. Rohera, with these credentials, can be a valuable addition to the team combating human trafficking in the Netherlands and controlled regions, like Curaçao. Her specializations in migration and development could also help tackle the issue of the lack of reported migrant trafficking that goes unnoticed at the government level.
PATH Curaçao and Priyanka Rohera are the current leading figures in the fight against trafficking in Curaçao and, by association, the Caribbean as a whole. Human trafficking is not just one nation or region’s problem, but rather a system that crosses borders and must be combatted by all nations to ensure a safer world. Curaçao’s fight and spread of awareness could hopefully have a domino effect over the region to help end trafficking in the West Indies.
