Barbados has remained on the United States’ Tier 2 Watch List for human trafficking for a second consecutive year, with the US Department of State citing the Government’s failure to prosecute suspected traffickers, identify victims or demonstrate sufficient overall progress in combating the crime.
The 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report acknowledged that Barbados increased investigations into suspected trafficking, trained law enforcement officers and conducted public awareness campaigns. However, it noted that those efforts have not translated into prosecutions or convictions under the country’s anti-trafficking legislation, while authorities have not identified a single trafficking victim since 2021.
The report also highlights the case of Barbadian national Michael Howell, 65, who was sentenced in the United States last year September to between 13 and 29 years in prison for sex trafficking, promoting prostitution and drug possession. US authorities have lodged a detainer to take him into custody for deportation to Barbados after he completes his prison sentence.
The report’s findings cover government efforts between April 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026.
Under the US classification system, Tier 2 Watch List countries do not fully meet the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking and have failed to demonstrate sufficient progress, or face concerns about the scale of trafficking and the adequacy of their response.
The report said Barbados authorities initiated investigations into six suspected trafficking cases during the reporting period, compared with none in the previous period. However, no trafficking prosecutions were initiated for the second consecutive year and Barbados has never secured a conviction under the Trafficking in Persons Prevention Act, enacted in 2016.
Although the law prescribes up to 25 years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $1 million for trafficking adults, and up to life imprisonment and a fine of up to $2 million for trafficking children, the report criticised the provision allowing fines instead of imprisonment for adult sex trafficking. It said this did not provide punishment commensurate with other serious crimes, such as rape.
There was, however, some progress in strengthening law enforcement capacity. Unlike the preceding reporting period, the Government provided anti-trafficking training to law enforcement officials and cooperated with foreign governments on investigations and operations.
The report acknowledged progress in addressing court backlogs, including the recruitment of additional staff and implementation of an electronic case management system. Nevertheless, trafficking cases remain within the High Court’s eight criminal courts rather than being heard in specialised courts.
Observers also raised concerns about the resources available to the Barbados Police Service’s Sex Crimes and Trafficking Unit, which is responsible for investigating suspected trafficking alongside other offences, including sexual abuse. High staff turnover, limited evidence-gathering capacity and the departure of officers after receiving training were identified as obstacles.
The report said language barriers and victims’ fears of deportation also hampered investigations.
Victim protection remained one of the report’s most serious concerns.
Barbados has not identified any trafficking victims since 2021 and, for the second consecutive year, did not report referring victims for care or providing them with assistance.
Authorities also did not report how many potential victims they screened, compared with 75 during the previous reporting period.
The report noted that police had an interview checklist for screening potential victims, while the Sex Crimes and Trafficking Unit and Immigration Department had standard operating procedures developed with assistance from an international organisation.
Observers said cases were sometimes closed when victims changed their testimony, reflecting the justice system’s reliance on victim cooperation.
Prevention efforts also fell short of US expectations, the report noted.
The Government maintained an interagency task force, conducted public awareness activities and reported allocating $100 000 to prevention efforts. Police and the Ministry of Labour continued to operate hotlines through which trafficking could be reported.
However, the previous national action plan expired in 2023 and the Government did not report drafting, finalising or implementing an
updated plan.
(NS)
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