P.M. Barrow: “I Don’t Accept” U.S. Claim of Gov’t Complicity in Human Trafficking

Dean Barrow

News Five was able to pigeon-hole Prime Minister Dean Barrow for a quick interview following the sitting. We asked first about the U.S. State Department’s Trafficking in Persons report. This year, we have been named as the worst trafficking offender in Central America, and comparable only to Haiti and Suriname in the Caribbean. The report stated that, (quote) “The Government of Belize does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so.” (Unquote) Worse, there are five references to, “Trafficking-related complicity by government officials, including those at high levels.” This leads the U.S. to conclude that government is not doing anything about the problem. But the Prime Minister told us that he isn’t buying it.

Prime Minister Dean Barrow

“I wasn’t aware of the report, and I have no doubt that what you are saying is accurate. I certainly reject that. I don’t know that the report offers any evidence to substantiate that claim, but that is not something that I would accept.”

Belize is presently on tier three according to the report, but four years ago, Belize ranked among the Tier Two nations.