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The Bahamas is one of the strongest advocates of human rights in the western hemisphere and has a "commendable record."
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U.S. official lauds Bahamas as strong human rights advocate:
By ROGAN M. SMITH, Guardian Senior Reporter -
Nassau, Bahamas:



A recently released U.S. report on human rights in The Bahamas expressed serious concern about complaints of police and prison guard abuse, delays in court trials, lengthy pre-trial detentions and discrimination against persons of Haitian descent.

The report noted concerns about the lack of government transparency with regards to investigations of human rights abuses and the plight of Haitians living in The Bahamas whose claims to citizenship were not resolved speedily.

The report was released by the U.S. government on Tuesday.

Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy, Dr. Brent Hardt said, however, that The Bahamas was one of the strongest advocates of human rights in the western hemisphere and has a "commendable record."

"It's important to note that The Bahamas stood out among Caribbean countries in its support for key human rights resolutions this year," he noted.

"Promoting freedom of democracy and protecting human rights are central to Bahamian foreign policy, just as they are to American foreign policy."

Hardt said the open cooperation of the Bahamian government to assist the U.S. in gathering information for the report was strong evidence of its commitment to protect human rights.

"No country, including our own, has a perfect record in regards to human rights. The country reports seek to identify areas in which issues exist and need to be addressed," he said.

Hardt said a major concern was the lack of confidential legislation to counter the trafficking of human beings.

As it stands, there are no laws that specifically address human trafficking. However, Bahamian law prohibits prostitution and the procurement of persons for purposes of prostitution either in or outside the country by force, threats, intimidation or the administering of drugs.

"We look forward to the commitments made by Immigration Minister (Tommy) Turnquest last year to pass anti-human trafficking legislation," he said.

There were reports that persons were trafficked within, to, or from The Bahamas, but the full nature and extent of the problem was undetermined.

The lack of legal prohibition rendered it difficult to accurately assess the extent of trafficking within the vulnerable illegal migrant communities, especially Haitian communities. According to limited reports, men, women and children may be trafficked for the purpose of labor exploitation. Local sources indicated that labor exploitation of undocumented Haitians could be widespread, and some immigrants may be subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude.

Employers could coerce migrants to work long hours for no pay or below the minimum wage by withholding documents or threatening arrest and deportation. Migrant workers usually do not have access to labor protections under local law.

A 2005 International Organization of Migration report on human trafficking suggested a link between irregular migration and forced labor for domestic servitude, agriculture and construction.

Some commercial sexual exploitation of women and minors has been identified. The maximum penalty for prostitution is five years' imprisonment; procurement for the purpose of prostitution carries a penalty of eight years' imprisonment.

Local observers complained that the law does not protect trafficking victims, who might be fearful of pressing complaints due to local emphasis on immigration enforcement.

Victim protection efforts were extremely limited.

The government had no formal procedure for identifying trafficking victims among vulnerable populations.

Hardt said his government welcomed the Bahamian government's commitment to enhance transparency and openness, especially by the swift passage of a Freedom of Information Act.

"Government openness and transparency are vital to building public confidence in government institutions," he said.

The U.S. passed a similar act in 1966, which allows media to obtain information from the federal government and promotes openness and accountability.

March 13, 2008 | 7:33 PM Comments  0 comments

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