WASHINGTON, WILLEMSTAD - Curaçao is down a level on the US human trafficking barometer. Curaçao now received a 'Tier 3' rating in the annual Trafficking in Persons report. According to the report tier 3 are countries whose governments do not fully meet the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so.
The island makes too little effort to tackle human trafficking. The government has done something to assist victims, but not enough. Curaçao has too little insight into who is guilty of human trafficking and who the victims are.
The report states that despite the lack of significant efforts, the government took some steps to address trafficking, including providing pre-trial support to three victims participating in legal proceedings against traffickers, awarding restitution to two sex trafficking victims, and extending the use of the national action plan (NAP) that expired in December 2021. However, the government did not convict any traffickers, it did not identify any victims, and it continued to condition foreign victims’ assistance, including residency, on cooperation with law enforcement in cases against traffickers. Lack of funding remained a primary obstacle to robust anti-trafficking efforts. Officials conflated human trafficking with migrant smuggling, hindering the effectiveness of prosecution, prevention, and protection efforts. The judiciary’s limited familiarity with trafficking contributed to frequent acquittals in trafficking cases.
With 'Tier 3' Curaçao is at the level of countries such as North Korea, Iran and Eritrea in terms of human trafficking. Even countries like Haiti and Iraq are doing better than Curaçao.
The full report from the US Department of Foreign Affairs can be read here.