Responses to Information Requests

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada

1. Overview
1.1 General Crime Situation, Including Organized Crime

InSight Crime, a think tank and media organization reporting on organized crime and citizen security in the Americas (InSight Crime n.d.), indicates that in 2022 there were 128 murders in the Bahamas and the country "continues to be a cocaine trafficking hub" (InSight Crime 2023-02-08). A 2022 report by the US Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) indicates that in the first quarter of 2022 the Bahamas "experienced a notable increase in the number of homicides" (US 2022-04-26). The same source notes that "[m]ost of the murders and armed robberies occurred in the Northeastern, Southern, Southwestern, and South-Central portions of New Providence (the island home to Nassau and Paradise Island)" (US 2022-04-26, 1). The Nassau Guardian, a Bahamian national newspaper, citing the Acting Commissioner of Police, reports that the murders that occurred in New Providence in March 2022 "were likely the result of a gang war over drug turf" (2022-03-15). Similarly, the OSAC report indicates that "[r]etaliatory gang violence was the leading motive for most murders" (US 2022-04-26, 1).

According to the OSAC report, there was also "a rise in incidents of rape, attempted rape, manslaughter, attempted murder, and unarmed robberies" and "an overall drop in property crime with decreases in incidents of house break-ins, burglaries, and thefts, but an increase in auto theft" (US 2022-04-26, 1).

According to a 2022 annual report by the Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF), the "[p]reliminary figures for 2022 indicate that major crimes decreased by 2% with 3,979 cases compared to 4,081 in 2021" (Bahamas [2023], 23). The following chart provides RBPF statistics concerning the main categories of crimes that occurred in 2022 in comparison with those that occurred in 2021:

(Bahamas [2023], 25)

In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate, the Director of the Anti-Gang and Firearm Investigation Task Force of the RBPF stated that "almost all" categories of crime have decreased since [2022] (Bahamas 2023-08-22). According to the same source, the "most prevalent" minor crime is theft, including theft of low value objects, theft from vehicles, shoplifting, and minor house break-ins, while the "most prevalent" major crime is armed robbery (Bahamas 2023-08-22). The same source also indicated that New Providence, the most populated island in the Bahamas, is the region most affected by major crimes (Bahamas 2023-08-22).

A 2021 article by the Nassau Guardian notes that "[a] string of events, combined with recent data showing the prevalence of sexual crimes in The Bahamas, prompted a national conversation on the issue of gender-based violence" (2021-12-31). According to the same source, there was also an "alarming" number of killings involving police officers in 2021 with 21 police-involved shootings in the Bahamas in 2021, including 13 fatalities compared to 20 police-involved in 2020, including 11 fatalities (The Nassau Guardian 2021-12-31). The same source further reports that "the figures indicated that the Bahamas has one of the highest per capita police-involved shooting figures in the world, ahead of the United States, but still trailing neighbors in the region like Jamaica and Trinidad" (The Nassau Guardian 2021-12-31).

An April 2022 article by Eyewitness News, a Bahamian news website, citing the Deputy Commissioner of Police at the time indicates that "22 murders were recorded in The Bahamas" in March 2022 making it "the deadliest month on record for the country as the most murders ever recorded in a single month was 21 in May 2012" (2022-04-07). A Nassau Guardian article quotes the Minister of National Security as stating that "some young men who went to prison 'for very small things' eventually became gang leaders or dedicated gang members upon their release" and "'the state of [our] prison itself created criminals'" (2023-03-29).

1.2 Human Trafficking and Smuggling

A 2021 organized crime index published by the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), "an independent civil-society organization, headquartered in Geneva" (GI-TOC n.d.), indicates the following on human trafficking in the Bahamas:

Reportedly, both locals and foreign nationals are forced into exploitation in The Bahamas, while citizens are also victimized abroad. Evidence suggests that migrant workers on the island, predominantly from Haiti, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic are lured to the country with promises of employment through various advertisement channels, but often fall victim to human traffickers upon arrival. Most commonly, victims are exploited in domestic servitude, prostitution and other sectors requiring low-skilled labour. Women appear to be most vulnerable to trafficking, as well as migrant children, irregular migrants and displaced people from the region. Additionally, depending on their parents' nationalities, children born in The Bahamas may not be eligible for Bahamian citizenship or documentation, which increases their risk of becoming victims of trafficking. Notably, state-embedded actors have been reported to be involved in human trafficking.

Long-standing human smuggling routes transiting through the Bahamas are used by regional migrants as well as those coming from other parts of the world. … The well-established northward passage and other maritime routes in the southern Bahamas are commonly used for human smuggling. … The Bahamas, as a result, has become a clear transit country for human smuggling. Bahamian transporters have been accused of smuggling nationals from China, Haiti and some African nations into the US. Both foreign and domestic actors are involved in human smuggling, often working with Jamaicans and other island nationals to improve their chances of evading authorities. (GI-TOC [2021], 3)

The 2023 US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report states the following:

[A]s reported over the past five years, traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in The Bahamas, and traffickers exploit victims from The Bahamas abroad. Traffickers recruit migrant workers, especially those from Haiti, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, People's Republic of China, Costa Rica, Cuba, Colombia, Venezuela, the Philippines, and the United States through false offers of employment, through advertisements in foreign newspapers and social media. Upon arrival, traffickers exploit victims in sex trafficking and forced labor, including in domestic service and in sectors with low-skilled labor. NGOs reported sex trafficking victims were more likely to come from Jamaica or Latin America, whereas labor trafficking victims were more likely to be Haitian in situations of debt bondage. The government reported female migrants were particularly at risk during the reporting period; observers noted some recent female foreign victims seeking employment opportunities were well-educated yet unaware of trafficking risks. Certain individuals born in The Bahamas to a foreign father, to a female citizen, or to foreign born parents, do not automatically receive Bahamian citizenship or documentation and are at heightened risk of trafficking. Unaccompanied migrant children, individuals lured for employment, those involved in commercial sex and exotic dancing, undocumented migrants, stateless persons, LGBTQI+ individuals (particularly from outlying areas), and migrants displaced by Hurricane Dorian have been trafficking victims or are particularly vulnerable to trafficking. (US 2023-06-15)

1.3 Weapons and Drug Trafficking

The 2021 GI-TOC report notes the following regarding weapons and trafficking in the Bahamas:

Reports suggest that arms and ammunition trafficking in The Bahamas is moderate. The country is predominantly a destination market, with the United States playing a central role in the illegal trans-shipment of weapons. Although there is little indication to suggest arms trafficking is increasing, the illegal market influences other forms of criminality in that guns are a significant factor driving violence in The Bahamas. ([2021], 3)

Concerning drug trafficking in the Bahamas, the same source reports the following:

Seizures of heroin are rare in The Bahamas and local consumption is low. Nevertheless, the local heroin market is fairly large compared to other eastern Caribbean states. … The Bahamas has had a long history of cocaine transiting its territories, with cocaine shipments continuing to move through as the eastern Caribbean route has re-emerged in recent years. … Although attractive to cartels from Colombia and Venezuela that control the cocaine market, The Bahamas is neither a significant cocaine-producing country, nor a considerable consumer market. Some drugs destined for North America remain in The Bahamas as payment to collaborators for facilitation of the illicit drug trade. To an extent, this has contributed to an increase in local use and a subsequent surge in cocaine and crack cocaine abuse.

Cannabis is grown in the wild in The Bahamas to satisfy mainly domestic demand. Cannabis is arguably the most prevalent illicit drug in the country, with individuals as well as loose networks running the market and selling cannabis to local, at-risk communities. Conversely, the synthetic drug trade is limited and relatively small. However, local demand, generated mostly by tourists, exists and is on the rise. Currently, synthetic drugs are trafficked mainly in mail, making the market manageable, although traffickers may shift their modus operandi to reduce seizures of the goods they smuggle. (GI-TOC [2021], 3-4)

Regarding drug-related crimes, the 2022 OSAC report notes that "The Bahamas has a long history of being a route for smugglers of narcotics, illegal immigrants, and weapons. Drugs, including marijuana, are illegal" and "[d]rug trafficking continues to be the major concern in the northern islands" (US 2022-04-26, 1,3).

2. Organized Crime Groups and Gangs Active in the Bahamas

The GI-TOC notes that "[a]vailable information suggests criminal networks engage in both arms and drug trafficking" ([2021], 3). The same source also states the following about criminal actors in the Bahamas:

The influence of foreign criminal actors in The Bahamas, mainly cocaine traffickers, has been a significant, recurrent theme for the last forty years. There are Colombian crime syndicates operating within the island's territories, including Los Urabeños, Oficina de Envigado, Los Pachenca and the Clan del Oriente. Meanwhile Mexican mafias and the Italian 'Ndrangheta are thought to be the leading organizations using The Bahamas as a trans-shipment point for cocaine trafficking. There is moderate interaction between local and foreign criminal actors. Notably, foreign actors use fishing vessels as a central element in the trafficking of drugs between South America, The Bahamas and North America. Evidently, foreign actors control the heroin trade and human trafficking as well as the cocaine business in the country. Local gangs, are an integral part of the criminal landscape in The Bahamas. These entities predominantly attract young people, as youth unemployment is high in the country. The influence of these gangs is rather limited as they are involved in the distribution of cannabis and cocaine to tourists and locals. Nevertheless, ties between gangs and foreign actors are well established. An escalation in violence and even homicide has been seen as local rivalries for turf emerge. (GI-TOC [2021], 4)

According to the same source, the Bahamas' "vulnerability to criminal flows is largely due to its proximity to the US, where cocaine is in high demand" (GI-TOC [2021], 5).

An April 2023 article by the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, a national newspaper from Trinidad and Tobago, quotes the Bahamian Commissioner of Police as stating that "Bahamas has five active gangs" (2023-04-23). An April 2022 Eyewitness News article citing the Deputy Commissioner of Police reports that "eight to 10 gangs are operating on New Providence" (2022-04-08). The Director of the Anti-Gang Task Force stated that the three main criminal groups in the Bahamas are the One Order gang [Top Side Kemp Road One Order Gang], Fire and Theft (also known as Mad Ass), and Bufh Life (Bahamas 2023-08-22). According to the same source, the One Order gang is "currently the most powerful gang" in the Bahamas; both the One Order gang and Fire and Theft have multiple factions operating independently from the two parent gangs (Bahamas 2023-08-22).

2.1 The One Order Gang

Without providing details or a timeframe, a 2015 article by the Freeport News cites the Minister of State for National Security as stating that the One Order is the "most violent gang" in the Bahamas and was responsible for more than 200 murders (2015-10-28).

In its February 2021 article, the Tribune reports that the One Order is one of the gangs still active in the Bahamas along with the Zoe Pound gang (2021-02-15).

The information in the following four paragraphs was provided by the Director of the Anti-Gang Task Force:

The One Order gang members are "mostly" involved in drug trafficking, firearms trafficking, extorsion of communities they control and other minor crimes including different types of theft.

The gang is "mainly" established in New Providence Island, particularly in Nassau. The One Order gang members are also present on other islands or can relocate to other locations for "specific duties". However, while the One Order has "certain control over some communities," including being able to extort specific groups, such as merchants or religious communities, or being able to control "a portion of a street" for criminal activities, they "do not exercise total control over the areas in which they are established"; people are "relatively free" in territories where the gang is established.

The One Order gang has no alliances with other criminal organizations, but some of their own factions collaborate occasionally depending on their interests in joint operations. There are also rivalries between factions of the One Order if they have conflicting interest, such as fighting over control of a coveted territory for local trafficking.

The main rival of the One Order gang is the Fire and Theft gang.

The One Order gang is "able" to track individuals; they have the "means to trace, locate and find anyone they target" (Bahamas 2023-08-22).

Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2.1.1 The One Order Gang Factions

The information in the following paragraph was provided by the Director of the Anti-Gang Task Force:

The One Order gang has several factions. Many of those factions remain small and relatively unknown. The main groups are located "mostly" in Nassau but can also be found in other areas of New Providence. The factions include the Grove Hot Boyz (Grove Hot Boyz Niggas; Grove Hot Niggas; Grove gang), the Young Boyzine Niggas, the Tiger Nation, the Crack Nation, the Fox Hill Outlawz and the Dirty South (Bahamas 2023-08-22).

Sources indicate that the Nike Boys [Nike Crew Boyz] and Grand Bahama D-Block [D-Block; Puma Nation] are two factions of the One Order gang based in Freeport, Grand Bahamas Island (Bahamas 2023-08-22; The Tribune 2020-10-20).

Eyewitness News indicates that the One Order gang has a faction called Tiger Nation whose leader continued giving orders from prison where he is serving a more than 30-year sentence for murder and attempted murder (2022-03-24).

A March 2022 article by Eyewitness News, citing a leaked recording of a RBPF briefing by an assistant superintendent, indicates that there is a "'major problem'" in the Grove and Ridgeland areas with gang violence from the Tiger Nation and the Grove Hot Boyz (2022-03-24). The same source cites the Assistant Superintendent as stating that the Grove Hot Boyz "must be monitored closely as its membership was increasing and its structure was becoming more organized" (Eyewitness News 2022-03-24).

The Director of the Anti-Gang Task Force stated that these factions are "generally" not able to track people unless they receive help from the One Order gang, which happens "on a regular basis depending on mutual interest" (Bahamas 2023-08-22). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2.2 The Fire and Theft Gang

According to the Bahamian Minister of National Security, Fire and Theft is one of the criminal gangs that draws membership from Bahamian high school students; he describes the organization as one of the gangs which had, in 2015, become "more organized" (Bahamas 2015-08-26, 9).

The information in the following four paragraphs was provided by the Director of the Anti-Gang Task Force:

The activities of the Fire and Theft gang include drug trafficking, arms trafficking, extortion, and theft.

Their area of operation is "pretty the same" to that of the One Order gang as they are also located in Nassau, New Providence; however, they have their own portions of street that they or one of their factions control, which are different from those controlled by the One Order gang and their factions.

Fire and Theft does not have real ties or known alliances with any other criminal groups outside its circle, but its own offshoots have alliances depending on their interests. Rivalries "rarely" happen between the offshoots. The "strongest and the deadliest" rivalries are those between Fire and Theft and the One Order gang and their offshoots.

Fire and Theft has sufficient means to locate individuals targeted by the gang (Bahamas 2023-08-22).

Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

The website of Our News, a Bahamian media company, indicates that in December 2022, a 26-year-old man charged with murder stated to a magistrate that they feared for their life because they killed the leader of the Fire and Theft gang (Our News 2022-12-02). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2.2.1 The Fire and Theft Gang Factions

According to the Director of the Anti-Gang Task Force, there are "many" factions of the Fire and Theft gang, but they have fewer than the One Order factions (Bahamas 2023-08-22). The same source notes that the main factions are all based in New Providence, including the Pat Boyz, the Mad Fire, and the Foolish Way (Bahamas 2023-08-22).

The Director of the Anti-Gang Task Force indicated that while "in general" these factions do not have the ability to track people across the Bahamas, they have "a lot of patience" with finding their targets and can also get help from their parent gang (Bahamas 2023-08-22). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2.3 Bufh Life

The information in the following paragraphs was provided by the Director of the Anti-Gang Task Force:

According to the Director of the Anti-Gang Task Force, Bufh Life can be considered the third gang after the One Order and Mad Ass. Their activities "mostly" include drug trafficking, armed robbery and extorsion. Their area of operation is Nassau, New Providence. However, Bufh Life has a fairly "limited" ability to track people in comparison with both the One Order gang and Fire and Theft (Bahamas 2023-08-22).

Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2.4 Border Boyz

The information in the following paragraphs was provided by the Director of the Anti-Gang Task Force:

There is also the Border Boyz, which could be considered the fourth gang; however, it is a "school gang" or a "hybrid" between a gang and a small criminal group, since "most" of its members are students recruited from colleges and schools. Its main activities are "mostly" local drug trafficking, as well as extorsion with other students as the main target. The gang does not have any ability to track individuals outside of New Providence Island (Bahamas 2023-08-22).

Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

2.5 The Raider Gang [Rebellion Raiders]

According to a report written for the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) on crime and violence in the Bahamas,

[g]angs began to develop in [t]he Bahamas in the late 1970s as territorial groups of youths joined together for protection and a sense of group identity. The first violent youth gang in Nassau was named the "Syndicate" and grew out of the East Street area. One of the largest and most well-known gangs, the "Rebellion," developed as a splinter group, but eventually outgrew the Syndicate in membership and territory. (Sutton 2016-06, 43)

In a book published in 2013 on gangs in the Caribbean, Sheridon Hill, an attorney at law and specialist on Caribbean relations (Seepersad & Bissessar 2013, 288), described the Rebellions gang as one of the "[m]ajor gangs" in the Bahamas (Hill 2013, 45).

According to a 2014 article by the Nassau Guardian, the Rebellion Raiders gang is a "defunct street gang" (2014-03-10). The Director of the Anti-Gang Task Force similarly indicated that the Raider gang no longer exists and has not existed since the 1990s (Bahamas 2023-08-22). A February 2021 article from the Tribune indicates the following: "Back in the day there were high school gangs like the 'Syndicate' and the 'Raiders'. Now there is the Haitian movement Zoe Pound and One Order to name a few" (2021-02-15).

2.6 The Zoe Pound Gang

Information on the activities of the Zoe Pound gang in the Bahamas was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to sources, the Zoe Pound gang was founded in Miami by Haitian immigrants (US [2011], 21; The History Channel 2008-12-04) in 1990 (The History Channel 2008-12-04). Sources indicate that the Zoe Pound gang is one of the most feared gangs in Florida (Le Journal de Montréal 2012-08-30) or in Miami (Local 10 News 2014-05-19).

The Tribune indicates in its February 2021 article that the gang is of Haitian origin and is among those that are still active in the Bahamas (2021-02-15).

In contrast, the Director of the Anti-Gang Task Force stated that the existence of the Zoe Pound gang in the Bahamas as an active criminal organization has not been proven so far by the task force, as the group has never been identified operating on the territory of the Bahamas as a gang; however, many of its former or current members are established in the Bahamas due to the country's geographic proximity to Haiti and Miami (Bahamas 2023-08-22).

2.7 Other Criminal Groups or Gangs

The Eyewitness News article indicates that Crack Nation and the Dirty South Gang are gangs known to be operating and that they are rival gangs (2022-03-24). Further and corroborating information on these two gangs could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

3. State Protection
3.1 Police and State Response

The GI-TOC states the following about the Bahamas's criminal justice and security system in its 2021 organized crime index:

Besides the Special Prosecutorial Unit on Trafficking in Persons, there are no judicial units tasked with tackling organized crime specifically. Nevertheless, the Bahamian justice sector makes use of support from the US in the development of better mechanisms that would allow authorities to effectively investigate and prosecute criminal groups. … The Royal Bahamas Police comprise a vast number of divisions and special branches throughout the archipelago, including a drug enforcement unit and a trafficking in persons unit. Legislation was passed in 2019, to establish the national crime intelligence agency, but it is not yet operational. Locally, law enforcement authorities are generally distrusted. There are allegations of corruption and abuse of authority against the police force that are under investigation, but the overall weaknesses of the system, such as corruption, are not as glaring nor problematic as those found in other regional forces. The complex geography of the Bahamas – an archipelago of 700 islands and islets – impedes comprehensive monitoring, and creates a significant challenge for those tackling drug trafficking and irregular migration. Border control is extremely difficult and staffing levels are nowhere near adequate. ([2021], 4-5)

The 2022 OSAC report for the Bahamas notes that "[t]he police continue to practice assertive policing methods, which include high-visibility checkpoints, focused raids, and the implementation of shot spotter technology in high-crime areas" (US 2022-04-26, 2). The same source indicates the following:

There have been complaints that police are slow to respond to emergency calls in residential areas. In general, the RBPF responds to reports of crime and takes crimes against tourists seriously. The current police command structure is proactive about deterring crime. However, a lack of resources or physical constraints, such as geography, infrastructure, and traffic can hinder police response. Unmarked streets and houses can impede first responders from locating affected residences or victims quickly. (US 2022-04-26, 4)

According to the 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report,

[t]he government maintained law enforcement efforts. The Trafficking in Persons (Prevention and Suppression) Act 2008 (TIP Act) criminalized sex trafficking and labor trafficking and prescribed penalties ranging from three years to life imprisonment. These penalties were sufficiently stringent, and with regard to sex trafficking, commensurate with penalties prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape. The government did not report data on investigations, compared with initiating one sex trafficking investigation involving two suspects in 2021, 13 cases (11 for sex trafficking and two for labor trafficking) in 2020, and 16 investigations in 2019. The government did not initiate any new prosecutions for the second year, compared with two prosecutions initiated in 2020 and 2019. The government continued prosecution of five alleged sex traffickers in three cases from previous reporting periods, compared with continued prosecution of one alleged sex trafficker in 2021. The government reported two cases were awaiting trial in the Supreme Court and one case was awaiting trial in the Magistrate Court, compared with seven suspected traffickers awaiting the start of their trials in 2021. The government convicted one Bahamian male sex trafficker under the TIP Act and other laws in a 2021 case, the same number as the past two years. The Chief Magistrate sentenced the trafficker to penalties consistent with a plea agreement, including 12 months' imprisonment, three years' probation, restitution in the amount of 10,000 Bahamian dollars ([US]$10,000) each for two victims, and counseling. Courts dismissed a case from 2020 against a Jamaican female defendant after the three Jamaican victims refused to testify, reportedly out of fear of the suspected trafficker. The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government officials complicit in trafficking crimes. (US 2023-06-15)

A Nassau Guardian article reports that the Anti-Gang and Firearms Investigation Task Force was officially launched by the RBPF on 1 February 2023, and this multiple agency task force is composed of officers from other governmental agencies beside the RBPF, including the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, Bahamas Customs, Department of Immigration, Department of Inland Revenue, and the US Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms Bureau (ATF) (2023-02-02). The Director of the Task Force also listed the US Department of Homeland Security, ATF, as well as four Bahamian institutions among agencies that work with or are part of this unit (Bahamas 2023-08-22). The same source also explained that the Task Force is made up of the following two components: the first focuses on trafficking and firearms while the second focuses on the investigation and identification of all criminal gangs operating in the Bahamas, as well as their activities inside and around the country (Bahamas 2023-08-22). The Nassau Guardian citing the Commissioner of Police indicates that this task force is supposed to "'tackle illegal weapons and gang violence'" in the Bahamas and is "'geared towards tracing and identifying gun smugglers and firearms trafficking with special attention to our ports and borders'" (2023-02-02). According to the Director of the Task Force, it is "too early" to assess the effectiveness of the Task Force, but improvements had begun since its establishment (Bahamas 2023-08-22).

The Director of the Anti-Gang Task Force indicated that the Bahamas government made efforts to limit gang recruitment through education and sensitization of the communities directly affected by gang and drug trafficking through the Anti-Gang Task Force unit and the Drug Enforcement unit (Bahamas 2023-08-22).

A May 2022 article by Samantha S.S. Chaitram, an author of a book on American foreign policy in the Caribbean and a Fulbright scholar, indicates that in 2009 the US government launched the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), a project with thirteen partner states in the Caribbean including the Bahamas with the aim of "partner[ing] with Caribbean nations to reduce illicit trafficking, improv[ing] public safety and security, and promot[ing] social justice" (Chaitram 2022-05-31). The Director of the Anti-Gang Task Force noted that the results of the CBSI remain mixed given the initial ambitions when it was launched, but the initiative has at least made it possible to understand certain circuits of illicit trafficking to and from the Bahamas (Bahamas 2023-08-22).

The Director of the Anti-Gang Task Force indicated that the government also works closely with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on different projects concerning drug abuse, crime prevention and criminal justice, as well as with UNICEF on an initiative aimed at preventing children and teenagers from joining gangs and criminal groups (Bahamas 2023-08-22).

3.2 State protection for Witnesses and Victims of Crime

The GI-TOC indicates the following about the victim protection program:

Authorities maintain serious and sustained victim protection efforts and are fully compliant with minimum requirements for the elimination of modern slavery. Alongside victim support and witness protection programmes, the government has partnered with civil society to implement multifaceted substance abuse intervention aimed at adults and at-risk juveniles, providing drug treatment in a therapeutic environment. Prevention efforts also exist – a national action plan on prevention of trafficking is in place, along with a formal victim-centred protocol, which serves to assist first-line responders in identifying victims of human trafficking. In practice, however, agencies and organizations that work with communities, victims and perpetrators do not seem to collaborate effectively. Therefore, overall crime prevention efforts boast little success. NGOs operate in the country, some of them engaging in human trafficking prevention and victim support. ([2021], 5)

The US 2023 Trafficking in Persons Report indicates the following:

The government maintained efforts to protect victims. The government identified six potential victims, of which three were confirmed victims, including a Colombian woman and a Jamaican woman exploited in sex trafficking and a Guyanese woman exploited for labor trafficking; this compared with one Colombian woman identified as a sex trafficking victim in 2021, two victims in 2020, and five victims in 2019. A foreign embassy identified one potential sex trafficking victim who returned to her country of origin of her own accord prior to involvement of Bahamian authorities. The government repatriated two of the victims it identified. The government reported it also cooperated with Jamaican authorities to repatriate three Jamaican victims identified in previous reporting periods who subsequently declined to participate in the prosecution of traffickers. The Department of Social Services (DSS) provided access to medical care and financial support for three confirmed victims and housing for two victims, along with monthly stipends for one adult victim and counseling and vocational services for two child victims. The DSS could also provide housing; food; clothing; transportation; assistance with shopping; legal assistance; resume preparation; job placement assistance; security monitoring, including home visits, especially in cases involving children; furniture; school placement; and the wiring of money abroad. The government provided legal aid to victims only for each victim's trafficking case and not for other legal matters. The government's spending on trafficking victims' care was 33,467 Bahamian dollars ([US]$33,467), compared with 48,462 Bahamian dollars ([US]$48,462) in the previous reporting period. The government also provided 26,930 Bahamian dollars ([US]$26,930) to victims in the previous reporting period for rent and food assistance and needs resulting specifically from the pandemic. (US 2023-06-15, 3)

According to the Director of the Anti-Gang Task Force, the witness protection program remains effective for protected individuals who comply with all guidelines of the program and forget their former life (Bahamas 2023-08-22).

However, sources report a court case in which a man who had been placed under the witness protection program was killed before his testimony against a gang member after being lured by a woman whose conviction for said murder conspiracy was upheld on appeal (Bahamas Court News 2023-08-07; Our News 2023-07-25).

The 2022 OSAC report notes that "[t]o ensure a faster response, victims may need to go to the local police station," but "[r]eporting crime can be a cumbersome and time-consuming process" (US 2022-04-26, 4).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

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Bahamas. [2023]. Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF). 2022 Annual Report. [Accessed 2023-08-01]

Bahamas. 2015-08-26. Minister of National Security, Ministry of National Security. "Televised National Address on Crime." [Accessed 2016-11-04]

Bahamas Court News. 2023-08-07. Lisa Brown. "Conviction Upheld for Set Up Murder of Witness." [Accessed 2023-08-14]

Chaitram, Samantha S.S. 2022-05-31. "Homicides, Gun Trafficking, and Gangs: Prioritizing U.S. Security Assistance to the English-Speaking Caribbean." Global Americans. [Accessed 2023-08-14]

Eyewitness News. 2022-04-08. Royston Jones Jr. "'We Take Crime Seriously': PM & COP Outline Plans to Tackle Gang Warfare." [Accessed 2023-08-08]

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Freeport News. 2015-10-28. "State Minister for National Security Throws His Support Behand Rehabilitation of Offenders (Amendment) Bill." [Accessed 2016-07-07]

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC). [2021]. "Bahamas." Global Organized Crime Index. [Accessed 2023-08-02]

Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC). N.d. "Our Story." [Accessed 2023-08-02]

Hill, Sheridon. 2013. "The Rise of Gang Violence in the Caribbean." In Gangs in the Caribbean. Edited by Randy Seepersad and Ann Marie Bissessar. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

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Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Ali McIntosh Children's Charity; Bahamas – Bahamas National Drug Council, Department of Correctional Services, Department of Social Services, Financial Intelligence Unit, High Commission in Ottawa, Office of the Attorney General & Ministry of Legal Affairs; Civil Society Bahamas; The Fox Foundation; Great Commission Ministries; Humanity First; Human Rights Bahamas; The Indaba Project; Kiwanis Clubs of The Bahamas; Kiwanis Club of Nassau; Lend a Hand Bahamas; The Nassau Guardian; The National LEAD Institute; Organization for Responsible Governance; Restore Hope Foundation; Sandilands Rehabilitation Center; The Street Legends Organization; Stop The Violence – Each One, Reach One; Trudeau Foundation; Zonta Club of Nassau; Zonta Club of New Providence.

Internet sites, including: Agence France-Presse; Agencia EFE; Al Jazeera; Amnesty International; Associated Press; Austrian Red Cross – ecoi.net; The Bahama Journal; Bahamas Local; BBC; CNN; Deutsche Welle; France 24; Freedom House; The Globe and Mail; The Guardian; Human Rights Watch; International Crisis Group; Transparency International; UN – Office on Drugs and Crime, Refworld; Reuters; US – CIA, Library of Congress; Washington Office on Latin America; The Washington Post.