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Antigua and Barbuda Stays on Tier 2 Amid Ongoing Gaps in Trafficking Prosecutions
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Antigua and Barbuda has remained on Tier 2 in the U.S. government’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report, reflecting progress in prevention and training but persistent failures in prosecution and victim protection.
The 2025 report said the country “does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so.”
The government adopted a new National Action Plan, trained first responders, and referred potential victims to services. Officials also advanced measures to safeguard foreign workers vulnerable to exploitation.
But the report stressed that Antigua and Barbuda has never secured a conviction under the 2010 Trafficking in Persons (Prevention) Act, despite penalties of up to 25 years’ imprisonment.
In 2024, authorities investigated 13 suspects in nine cases, down from 26 suspects in 25 cases the previous year. No prosecutions were initiated, and no traffickers were convicted.
Observers cited weak investigative capacity, corruption in the legal system, and limited witness protection as barriers to bringing cases to court. The report said these factors fostered an “environment of impunity.”
The country also continued to struggle with victim identification.
Thirteen potential victims were screened last year, but none were formally confirmed. The government has not identified a trafficking victim since 2019.
Despite increased spending on awareness campaigns and outreach in English, Spanish, French and Mandarin, the government reduced overall funding compared with the previous year.
Authorities also began reviewing contracts of Cuban government-affiliated workers to ensure wages were fully paid to the employees rather than the regime, but oversight of Chinese-linked labor projects remained limited.
Under Tier 2, countries are recognized for making efforts but still fall short of international minimum standards.
The designation keeps Antigua and Barbuda out of the lowest ranking but underscores continued scrutiny of its anti-trafficking record.
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The Caribbean has one of the softest and corrupt judicial system in the world, so I’m not surprised by this report.
For years sex crimes were turned a blind eye to..they can only jail a few retarded people who rape the young girls, but the powerful men go free and get away with blatant under age sex crimes..it’s been going on for years now.
The likes of the Jeffery Epstein of the world have been rampant in the Caribbean for years..
Underage pregnancy is one of the many curses that have crippled the poor in the Caribbean, where social help is lacking in many ways, and young females who doesn’t have any support are left to fend for themselves.
I know this because I have sisters that I had to defend from some of these pedo’s back in the day. One of my sisters had to jump out of a car of one of those same men who pretended to give her a ride from school..she was 11 years old.
So this report is on point..because for all the sex trafficking in the Caribbean, no one ever go to jail for it. The many young girls they used to bring from the DR to work in the brothels in Antigua, st marten, St Thomas and many other islands, was just sickening..
We need to do better, and people needs to be brought to justice for these crimes, not just poor retarded young man around the corner who raped, go after the main ones who do the trafficking.
Antigua have a trafficker in prison right now that should be identified as one, and they should also force her to give up her sources.
US is not taking it’s eye off small Caribbean islands because of our close ties with China…..They will over turn any stone to find faults with us…..
And the stupid, incompetent, desperate-for-power Opposition will collude with them all for the sake of political gain.