In an interview with The Bahama Journal at the Cabinet Office in downtown Nassau, Mr. Turnquest, who is also the Minister of National Security and Immigration, said he was aware of the recent United States 2007 Trafficking in Persons Report, which called for The Bahamas to address the problem.
When asked if the government proposes to bring such a bill, Mr. Turnquest responded, "As we move forward, absolutely."
The report said, "The Bahamas remains a special case for a second consecutive year because the presence of large numbers of undocumented migrants in the country continues to raise concerns that there may be a significant number of trafficking victims in need of assistance."
It added, "To be more proactive, the government should consider enacting laws to prohibit all forms of trafficking in persons, particularly forced labour of adults, and expand training for officials to identify and investigate potential trafficking situations. Providing greater assistance and legal protections for trafficking victims is an additional goal."
Mr. Turnquest said, "There is no question that we have signed some international conventions that we don’t have corresponding legislation for and in those cases we need to move in that regard."
In an opinion piece published recently, US Charge d’Affaires Brent Hardt noted that countries in the Caribbean region, including Jamaica and Guyana, have recently passed anti-human trafficking legislation.
He said, "Such legislation would provide specific protections for trafficking victims. These are essential because only with those protections will victims feel comfortable coming forward to identify employers who may have victimized them and to assist in prosecution of traffickers."
Dr. Hardt also noted that the report concluded that many other problems in the country are created as a result of human trafficking, adding that the report said that many migrants may become subject to work as domestic servants, gardeners or in construction and may become subject to labour exploitation.
Mr. Turnquest said, "We have legislation currently on our books with respect to employment and no one ought to be subjected to those conditions whether they are Bahamian or non-Bahamian. So we do not condone that in any way, and when it comes to our attention we believe that the law should take its course."
The report further raised concerns about migrant workers working long hours for no pay or below minimum wage with employers threatening arrest, deportation and withholding documents.
It continued that with legislation, this would encourage more victims to come forward and identify employers who may have victimized them.
Minister Turnquest said this problem is a big concern for the Bahamas government.
"It’s a big concern for us from an immigration point of view where many times it is felt that persons want to hire or get work permits for immigrant labour in order to pay them less," he said.
"So we are very concerned that less than minimum wages are paid and we try and deal with that aspect of it by ensuring that National Insurance payments are paid, and that is our safety net to also have a further check to make sure persons are paid at the right levels."
- Austin DWI - New York DWI