Amendment to Immigration Act introduced

 

Government has taken steps to discourage the smuggling of persons into this country.
 
Attorney General and Minister of Home Affairs, Adriel Brathwaite said while this practice is not prevalent in Barbados, the new provision will ensure stiff penalties are placed on those caught smuggling persons through or into Barbados. He made the comments while leading off the debate on the Immigration (Amendment) Bill, to make provision for an offence of smuggling of persons in accordance with the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organised Crime and related matters.
 
“There are significant penalties attached to such an individual who is caught and convicted under our laws. Consistent with that we are also introducing the element of aggravation where the circumstances are as such, that the individual who is being smuggled would have been subjected to either violence or inhumane conditions and therefore again we are attaching significant penalties to anyone caught not only smuggling, but where there are aggravated circumstances involved,” he said.
 
He made the point while indicating that worldwide it is estimated that between 600,000 to 800,000 persons are being smuggled annually and he noted it has become even more of an issue with the ongoing situation in Europe with the refugees. The Attorney General’s comments came as he said that the relevant authorities are currently finalising the National Plan of Action for the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons, and he said steps are being taken to sensitise Barbadians on the issues of trafficking and smuggling of persons.
 
“As I speak to you Sir we are trying to arrange a training session very early next month for certain parts of the hotel sector, we are going to look at taxi drivers etc. We are going to look at individuals who we believe might unwillingly or unwittingly be part of a process, so that they can be able to identify where individuals who may be subjected to either trafficking or smuggling,” he said.
 
The AG said they are also hoping to use film to help sensitise Barbadians. He said that a short film to be produced will be used as a training tool.
 
“As I said at the beginning I do not believe that smuggling is a significant issue in Barbados, or is an issue in Barbados. We have not seen any cases of individuals either being identified or being prosecuted. My information does not suggest that we have identified any issues where we suspected that individuals may have been victims of smuggling,” he said.
 
Brathwaite added, “But that notwithstanding, we need to send the correct signals not only to the international communities, but certainly to everyone here in Barbados that we will treat to the smuggling of persons with the seriousness that it deserves.”
 
His comments came as he indicated that the amendment also speaks to the forfeiture of assets of anyone found guilty of smuggling. (JRT)

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