Modern-day slavery in the Bahamas

Lately, a large number of Haitian nationals have been emigrating, seeking better living
conditions in the Bahamas. Despite promises of a better economic situation, the majority of
immigrants do not see their conditions improve. Many of them get stuck in human trafficking,
a kind of modern-day slavery in which people are forced to work or are sexually exploited.

The Bahamas, officially known as Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a Caribbean Island

nation with a population of about 400000. Of those, two thirds live on the island New
Providence where the capital Nassau is located. The solitary official language is English,
although some creole languages are also spoken. The Spanish were the first Europeans to
reach the islands, but the majority of colonisation was done by the British, which is why
English is the official language today.

The colonisation was far from peaceful. Almost the entirety of the native population was
killed or forcefully moved to Haiti. The majority of Bahamians today descend from the West
African slaves captured in the transatlantic slave trade. Slavery continued on the islands until
it was abolished in 1834.

Even though traditional slavery ended 200 years ago, the Bahamas is still plagued by forced
and unpaid labour. Fleeing a poor economic situation, many Haitian refugees have settled in
the Bahamas. But upon arrival, they are unable to get employed and instead find themselves
trapped in human trafficking. The only way of surviving often becomes forced agricultural
work or as is the case for many women, prostitution.

One of the main roots of the problem is the lack of opportunity Haitians receive when
immigrating. The Haitians often suffer from lack of education and employers are unlikely to
hire them rather than well-educated Bahamians. The children of immigrants often have a right
to neither a Bahamian citizenship, nor a Haitian one, which often leads to them not being able
to get a formal education. This makes it very difficult for the immigrants to create better
conditions for the upcoming generation, meaning the Haitians are unable to escape their
situation.

The issue can also be viewed as an ethnic conflict between Haitians and Bahamians. Many
Bahamians believe their culture to be threatened by the mass influx of outside influence. Not
being able to go to schools or take part in a healthy workplace, Haitian nationals have
difficulties integrating with the rest of Bahamian society. Thus leading to further difficulties
to find traditional employment.
To conclude, many Haitians seek their way to the Bahamas in hopes of improving their living
condition. Although some succeed, many are left unemployed and are forced into human
trafficking. There are multiple reasons for this, including lack of Bahamian citizenship and an
ongoing ethnic conflict between the native Bahamians and the Haitian immigrants.

 SOURCES

https://www.bahamascrisiscentre.com/index.php/get-informed/human-trafficking/

https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/228085042.pdf

http://www.tribune242.com/news/2018/oct/15/haiti-must-deal-with-children-of-migrants-not/

https://school.eb.co.uk/levels/advanced/article/The-Bahamas/117400

https://www.ui.se/landguiden/lander-och-omraden/nordamerika/bahamas/

Svante Nelander