With more than 20 million people today trapped in human trafficking, also called modern slavery, it is a crime that happens almost everywhere and affects virtually everyone. Yet many still think of human trafficking as an issue affecting only other people, in other countries. The truth is it affects you; it affects us all. And it exists, throughout the region, including on the islands of Curaçao, Aruba, Sint Maarten, and in the United States.
Victims of human trafficking, whether of sex trafficking or forced labour, come from a variety of backgrounds, and their stories often begin with aspirations for a better life and a lack of options to fulfil them. Traffickers exploit this reality. In particular, people seeking employment opportunities – at home or abroad – face the risk of fraudulent and abusive recruitment that can lead to human trafficking.
The 2016 Trafficking in Persons Report, released by Secretary Kerry on June 30, highlights these risks and the actions governments, businesses, and consumers can take to combat human trafficking. Each of us can make a difference.
Governments – including the U.S. government – must continue to combat human trafficking in all its forms through strong law enforcement efforts and effective victim protection, as well as with policies to prevent trafficking.
For the first time, Sint Maarten has been highlighted as a Tier One country in the Secretary’s Trafficking in Persons report, meaning that the Government of Sint Maarten fully met the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking during the reporting period. In 2015, the government conducted one of the largest human trafficking investigations in Sint Maarten’s history, which led to the arrest of six suspects on charges of human trafficking; the rescue of 14 sex trafficking victims; and, following close cooperation with authorities in the Dominican Republic, identification of 35 additional victims previously employed by the brothel.
The government continued to implement a victim-centred approach for providing services to identified trafficking victims and increased efforts on awareness programmes to prevent human trafficking.
This is an extraordinary moment for the advocates, law enforcement officers, and government employees of Sint Maarten, who are working tirelessly every day to prosecute traffickers, protect victims, and prevent human trafficking. Their work and coordination has made this possible, and we applaud their efforts. But the work is far from over, and there is still much more to be done.
Individuals also have an important role to play in the fight against human trafficking. Report suspicious activity to law enforcement and educate yourselves about the signs of human trafficking. Be a conscientious and informed consumer. For more information on what you can do to help fight human trafficking, please visit the State Department’s website: http://www.state.gov/j/tip/id/help/.
U.S. Consul-General Margaret D. Hawthorne
Dear Editor,
An informed and frustrated citizen wrote last week that we should cancel emancipation day because he/she learnt that we are allowing the Dutch secret police (Gestapo) to operate on the island without reporting to the minister of justice. The report further states that it is unclear who they are targeting in their investigations or from whom they might have obtained legal authority to use electronic wiretapping and eaves dropping to gather information. We cannot lose sight of the fact that we are an island of laws and not men, and anyone operating outside the laws of the land is simply an outlaw, whether they have the blessing of the Dutch master or not.
I have through the years seen cases thrown out because outside justice organizations were operating in the territories without authority. The contention that a minister has signed an agreement to this effect, and only now parliament has gotten air of it means quite simply someone has dropped the ball. To some in parliament, the jury is still out as to whether we are a colony or not. They cling to the old “Lynch” teaching of giving a slave a big name or a ceremonial position and you can rule them forever.
Nothing fits that teaching more than the pride we see in those being called Prime Minister and President of parliament. It is tantamount to the house slave, who was heard to exclaim to his owner when the plantation was set afire “Massa we house on fire”. And if we follow the many meetings we were honoured to witness with PM Rutte, we would see the sitting arrangement and who speaks. But again, we know how proud this makes us, we take special pride in being used to benefit the master.
The Dutch government has made so many derogatory statements about us over the years, but thought it quite normal to ask us to lobby countries in the Caribbean to get them on the Security Council. Their strategy works so well that our “Prime Minister” tried explaining to the press how great that would be for St. Maarten, even though they tried to destroy our investment climate and seriously injure the already slow economy.
All the constitutional experts, who are worth their salt, will tell you that nowhere on earth they know of a country with four Prime Ministers. And the continued belief that we are equal to self-governing politically emancipated countries is a step too far, especially your colonial master.
Our ancestors fought too hard for the freedoms we now enjoy. I am sure they thought that we would have picked up the mantle to remove the shackles from our minds, after all they succeeded in removing those from our arms and legs. I can assure you that emancipation day is more relevant today for our people, and foremost our young people who must know that nothing was given without struggle and bloodshed, and nothing comes without a price.
If you are truly convinced that things are definitely not the way it should be, your targets should be those fifteen freeloaders in parliament and the seven legislators of varying ilk they support. Our duty and obligation now is not to withdraw our drive to honour our ancestors, but to correct the many colonial spins of history. This is our country and we should not relinquish any authority that is rightfully ours to a foreign power five thousand miles across the Atlantic. It high time we stand our ground and not surrender a single grain of sand that belongs to us. Who knows, history might one day also celebrate our brave actions.
Elton Jones
Dear Editor,
Much is written by Dutch politicians about the state of politics in the islands. We seldom see our press dealing with similar problems in The Netherlands. I just came across a column in the Magazine of the Association of Dutch municipalities, which I translated for our readers in the islands to compare. The column is from January 23, 2015, and is written by André Krouwel, political scientist at Free University and scientific director of Kieskompas.
Dear Editor,
I would appreciate it if you can place this letter in your newspaper, as I believe unreasonable and possibly incorrect behaviour of immigration officers occurred, which are ultimately paid by the people of St. Maarten, and should realize that with responsibility there also comes accountability towards the same community they are serving.
In short this is my recent experience:
My daughter who just graduated from a flight attendant school in Bogota, invited one of her friends to stay with us in St. Maarten for a 1 month holiday. My daughter gave her female friend, a single girl who just celebrated her 21st birthday and has never been outside of her native Colombia, our address in St. Maarten and made sure she had a valid credit card in her possession. Much to our surprise, when she arrived at the St. Maarten airport, the immigration officer would not let her in.
We knew this, as the girlfriend communicated to us directly in the arrival hall via her phone.
We then asked the security guards and the lady at the information booth to help us by contacting the immigration by phone. The security and information desk workers were always very polite and helpful contrary to the immigration officer who I eventually got on the phone: “we cannot give you any information Sir, you will have to check with the airline.”
Needless to say that the airline officials that I visited directly after, told me that there is absolutely nothing they can do in this matter. When contacting the immigration by phone again they now explained to me that the girlfriend did not have “sufficient funds” for legally entering St. Maarten. Obviously her credit card was not regarded as sufficient means of funds. Even when I informed her that I was in the Arrival hall, she was staying with me, I would be responsible for her and could sign any document for that order, she just simply said I needed to get a Guarantee letter in Philipsburg knowing that the offices were already closed.
After another hour of waiting and wasting more time the girlfriend then informed us via my daughters’ phone that they would accept a signed Guarantee letter. I prepared it fast as I live close to the airport, printed it and me and my wife signed it and my wife handed it over to the immigration officer who then said: Oh but it does not have an immigration stamp! This at Thursday evening around 7:00pm when all immigration offices are closed since 4:00pm and the next day being a holiday.
End of story, they sent my daughters girlfriend of 21 years, alone, back to Curaçao, a country unknown to her, without any flight possibility to leave back to Colombia earlier than Saturday! Well done immigration officer, you sure have earned your place as an example of friendliness in St. Maarten.
Paul Ideler
Dear Editor,
I am an avid reader of your esteemed newspaper and would like to request a small space in it to correct a misreported story, and to thank all the good Samaritans of our friendly island.
My name is Navin Malkani; I am a long-time resident of St. Maarten and own a jewellery store on Front Street.
My regular clients and friends, who travel often to St. Maarten, were shopping with me until late Monday evening, and so I offered to drop them to their hotel. On my way to Simpson Bay near the Cole Bay roundabout, whilst I was driving a speeding car came into my lane and hit me at the back of the car, after which my vehicle turned over and I along with the tourists were trapped.
It should be noted that the driver of the speeding car did not flee the scene, and was in fact a senior citizen of St. Maarten. Soon the bystanders and other drivers on the road came to rescue us and within no time we were all out of danger. One of the victims complained of neck pain and she was transported quickly to the St. Maarten Medical Center.
We would like to thank each and every person, including the residents involved in helping us during the times of our distress, and emphasis that the spirit of the Friendly Island does indeed exist, including the spontaneous and professional service from the mobile medical unit, police, fire brigade and the hospital.
Navin Malkani
