PROTECTION JAMAICA: Tier 2 Watch List JAMAICA The government improved protection efforts. With government funding, NGOs assisted 810 victims of sexual and labor exploitation Jamaica is a source and destination country for adults and children in 2014, a large increase from the 447 victims assisted in subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Sex trafficking of 2013, though well below the 2,018 victims assisted in 2012. Jamaican women and children reportedly occurs on streets and Approximately one quarter (203) received official trafficking in night clubs, bars, massage parlors, and private homes, including victim status. The vast majority of victims (595) were females in resort towns. Jamaican citizens have been subjected to sex subjected to sexual exploitation, of whom 24 were girls; 215 trafficking and forced labor abroad, including in other Caribbean were victims of labor exploitation. The government granted 381 countries, Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. foreign trafficking victims temporary residence permits in 2013, Communities vulnerable to sex trafficking and forced labor include but it did not provide the number of permits granted in 2014. residents of Jamaica’s poverty-stricken areas ruled by criminal Victims were not required to cooperate with law enforcement “dons,” who remain effectively outside of the government’s control, to obtain a residence permit, but experts reported victims and workers in the informal sector, particularly on family farms were often expected to give information to law enforcement. and in markets and shops. A high number of children are reported Eighty-two victims collaborated in the prosecution of traffickers, missing in Jamaica; some of these children are likely subjected to though experts have noted witness protection is rarely available forced labor or sex trafficking. Foreign nationals are subjected to to trafficking victims. forced labor in Jamaica and aboard foreign-flagged fishing vessels operating in Jamaican waters. NGOs and other local observers The government allotted 8 million euro ($9.86 million) to trafficking report child sex tourism is a problem in Jamaica’s resort areas. victim assistance programs implemented by NGOs in 2014, a Jamaican police officers may be complicit in prostitution rings, 60 percent increase from its 2013 allocation. Victim assistance some of which are alleged to recruit children and coerce adults programs also received approximately 2.7 million euro ($3.27 into the sex trade. million) from local and regional administrations and the EU. NGOs reported insufficient funding to meet victim assistance The Government of Jamaica does not fully comply with the needs. Victim services lasted three to six months; shelter and minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is reintegration assistance was available for an additional 12 months. making significant efforts to do so. In 2014, the government made Male victims were accommodated in separate shelters run by substantive efforts to raise public awareness of human trafficking. NGOs, though space was limited. Child trafficking victims received The government also named a national trafficking in persons an automatic residence permit until they reached 18 and were rapporteur, the first such appointment in the region, who will accommodated in generalized children’s centers; specialized report directly to Parliament. The director of public prosecution services and shelters for child trafficking victims did not exist. successfully concluded a trafficking case at the Supreme Court. Experts criticized disparate levels of assistance across the country. Despite these measures, the government did not demonstrate Referral processes varied from region to region and were based evidence of overall increasing anti-trafficking efforts compared to on memoranda of understanding signed between local police the previous reporting period; therefore, Jamaica is placed on Tier and NGOs. According to NGOs, trafficking victims amongst 2 Watch List. For the sixth consecutive year, the government did irregular migrants, asylum seekers, and unaccompanied children not convict any traffickers, including officials complicit in human went unidentified due to inconsistent application of identification trafficking. While the government identified more Jamaican adult criteria by officials. Under Italian law, victims were not punished trafficking victims than in the previous reporting period, it only if they were forced to commit a criminal offense as a result of identified one child victim compared with the high number of being subjected to trafficking; however, there were reports some children vulnerable to both sex trafficking and forced labor. victims were charged with immigration-related crimes. PREVENTION JAMAICA TIER RANKING BY YEAR 1 The government sustained limited trafficking prevention efforts. The government did not finalize its first national anti-trafficking 2 action plan, despite a March 2014 legislative decree requiring 2WL it to do so. It also did not implement any nationwide public 3 2008 2009 2010 2 011 2012 2013 2014 2015 awareness campaigns. The government lacked a national anti- trafficking coordinator, and there was no national rapporteur to conduct independent evaluations of anti-trafficking efforts. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR JAMAICA: The government’s hotline for victims of trafficking received over 4,000 calls for information in 2014, of which 769 were directly Vigorously prosecute, convict, and punish traffickers, including any related to trafficking. Local authorities and NGOs continued officials complicit in sex or labor trafficking; identify and assist more to distribute brochures, posters, bumper stickers, and media victims of forced labor and sex trafficking, including prostituted advertisements providing information on victim assistance. The Jamaican children; develop a new, comprehensive national action government coordinated an interagency working group to generate plan with adequate funding dedicated to implement the plan; fully guidelines for victim identification and referral as part of the implement government-wide standard operating procedures to creation of the national plan. The government made efforts to guide police, labor inspectors, child welfare officials, and health reduce the demand for commercial sex acts and forced labor. The workers in the proactive identification of local and foreign victims government provided anti-trafficking training to Italian troops prior of forced labor and sex trafficking, including children under age 18 to their deployment abroad as part of international peacekeeping in prostitution in night clubs, bars, and massage parlors; develop missions. The government provided anti-trafficking training for its and implement standards for shelter and trafficking victim care diplomatic personnel. designed to move victims toward self-sufficiency; provide the 197 necessary authority and support to the newly appointed national all confirmed and suspected victims, few victims were identified rapporteur on trafficking in persons to carry out the mandate to relative to the size of the vulnerable population. investigate reports of human trafficking, report on violations of the rights of victims, and provide an annual report to the government; All 20 confirmed and suspected victims were referred to and continue efforts to raise awareness about human trafficking government and NGO care facilities and received medical services, of Jamaican citizens and foreign nationals. psychological services, and financial assistance for basic necessities. JAPAN The foreign national victims from Colombia, Guyana, and Suriname were later voluntarily repatriated to their home countries. The PROSECUTION government’s trafficking shelter, which could house 12 people, The government did not secure any trafficking convictions; continued to assist only one person—a domestic servitude however, it successfully concluded a trafficking trial at the Supreme victim who recently turned 18 and has lived in the shelter for Court, which resulted in a hung jury, and continued to pursue 13 two years. The victim did not attend school, but was provided trafficking cases in the court system. The government prohibits guided instruction through a web-based curriculum commonly all forms of trafficking through its comprehensive Trafficking in used in Jamaican schools; she left the shelter infrequently and Persons (Prevention, Suppression, and Punishment) Act. Maximum reportedly with a chaperone for her safety. Other government- sentences for trafficking crimes range from 20 years’ imprisonment supported shelters did not allow victims to leave at will or for trafficking in persons and conspiracy to commit trafficking to without a chaperone. Authorities provided 3,400,000 Jamaican 30 years’ imprisonment for aggravated trafficking in persons. In dollars ($29,500) in funding for the government shelter in 2014. April 2014, officials enacted the Criminal Justice Act, which may In accordance with Jamaica’s anti-trafficking law, the government be used to prosecute traffickers who are members of a “criminal provided official guidance for immigration authorities not to organization” with penalties of five to 15 years’ imprisonment. deport foreign victims. Authorities did not provide immigration These penalties are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with relief to any foreign victims, all of whom chose to be repatriated, penalties prescribed for other serious crimes. compared with one foreign victim