Barbados has been placed on the Tier 2 Watch List in the 2025 United States Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report — a development that risks damaging the island’s international reputation in the fight against human trafficking.
According to the US State Department, the downgrade stems from Barbados’ failure to identify or assist any trafficking victims for three consecutive years, the lack of prosecutions, and the absence of a new national action plan since the previous one expired in 2023.
The implications of this downgrade should not be trivialised. The annual TIP Report is widely regarded as a global measure of a country’s commitment to combatting human trafficking. A Tier 2 Watch List designation, while not the lowest, sends a negative signal to the international community about Barbados’ standing on this critical issue.
Before we accept the US government’s assessment as final judgement, we must ask: Does the report offer a full and fair picture of Barbados’ efforts? Are the standards used to measure us appropriate to the realities of a small, developing country? And most crucially, what must we now do to protect vulnerable people, while also defending our national reputation? The crime of human trafficking is serious. It preys on vulnerable individuals — women, children, migrants, and the impoverished — often subjecting them to forced labour or sexual exploitation. Every nation, including Barbados, must fulfil its moral and legal duty to investigate, prosecute, and prevent such crimes, while protecting survivors.
That being said, the credibility and fairness of the TIP Report’s methodology cannot go unchallenged.
In a statement released Thursday, Attorney General Dale Marshall highlighted that the downgrade is not based on any global or multilateral standard, but rather on the United States’ own domestic legislation — the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
This is an important distinction. While the US is entitled to apply its own laws in evaluating others, it raises a serious question: Should countries like Barbados be judged solely by another country’s legal framework?
The report acknowledged that Barbados has made “significant efforts” to address trafficking. Yet it penalises the country for not demonstrating “overall increasing efforts” compared to the previous year. This vague and somewhat contradictory phrasing demands clarification. If our efforts are significant, then what exactly failed the test? And are these tests realistic for a country of our size and capacity?
AG Marshall further revealed that a new action plan for 2025/26 is already being developed, and that work has already begun to address the concerns raised in the report. He emphasised that human trafficking is not a widespread problem in Barbados, based on available data, and that the country’s response has been commensurate with both the level of risk and available resources.
While the absence of identified victims over three years is highlighted, this may reflect either a genuine lack of trafficking incidents, or deficiencies in detection. This distinction is important, and it underscores the need for improved data collection and victim screening, rather than an automatic assumption of state failure.
That said, we must not be complacent. The report has highlighted real areas for improvement. There remains an urgent need for an updated national action plan, as well as a review of outdated provisions in the Trafficking in Persons Prevention Act that allow fines instead of mandatory imprisonment for sex trafficking — a glaring inconsistency given recent legislative amendments imposing stricter penalties for lesser offences.
The AG has rejected the feasibility of dedicated services for victims and specialised courts, arguing instead for support systems that can be activated when cases arise. While this may seem pragmatic, Barbados must be careful not to appear reactive rather than proactive.
This moment calls for measured but firm action. We must step up where our system is lacking. We must ensure more comprehensive training for frontline personnel and a stronger national framework. But at the same time, we must also demand transparency and fairness from international bodies, especially when the consequences of such rankings include reputational damage, possible aid implications, and diplomatic fallout.
Barbados must act swiftly to implement its new action plan and close any legitimate gaps in its anti-trafficking regime. But we must also insist on being judged fairly, with respect for our context, constraints, and good-faith efforts.
