St. Maarten aims to achieve tier-2 watchlist status for human trafficking in two years

GREAT BAY--St. Maarten has set a clear target, to move from Tier 3 to the U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report Tier 2 Watch List within two years through a barrier-model approach centered on prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnership. “St. Maarten stands firmly committed to eliminating human trafficking and smuggling from our society. These crimes demand a coordinated response from every corner of our community,” said National Coordinator Erling Hoeve.

Minister of Justice Nathalie Tackling noted that Sint Maarten’s geographic and economic links create both opportunities and responsibilities. “Trafficking does not respect borders. Our connection to the wider Kingdom and the EU makes cooperation not just strategic, but essential,” said Minister Tackling. “Each partner within the Kingdom carries a shared duty to detect, prevent, and dismantle trafficking networks while ensuring protection and justice for survivors.”

At the national level, the National Reporting Center is the official point for victims and witnesses of human trafficking and human smuggling. The NRC advises, coordinates protection, and ensures that signals of exploitation reach the proper authorities. Working with public and private partners, the NRC is making Sint Maarten a harder place for traffickers and smugglers to operate.

Though the Ministry was not specific on how it plans on moving forward to achieve tier2, there is existing methods that other territories have executed, focused programs built around measurable steps:

• Governance and coordination: constitute a permanent anti-trafficking task force.

• Victim identification and referral: adopt standard operating procedures for identification, screening, referral, and case management. Train first responders and inspectors in ports, hospitality, construction, domestic work, adult entertainment, and transport. Introduce a simple screening tool for frontline use.

• Survivor services: secure safe accommodation through government or partner providers, set emergency funding protocols for food, transport, medical care, and legal aid. Establish pathways for psychosocial support and language interpretation. Define options for temporary residency or alternatives to removal when safety is at risk.

• Investigations and prosecutions: assign dedicated investigators, create a joint operations calendar, and use financial-crime tools to follow money flows. Set targets for case initiation, evidence-based prosecutions, and court outcomes, while protecting due process and victim safety.

• Labor and market controls: increase inspections in higher-risk sectors, require proof of lawful recruitment and contracts, audit recruitment fees, and sanction abuses. Use licensing and permit processes to compel compliance and deter exploitation.

• Data and transparency: build a secure registry that tracks tips, screenings, referrals, services, investigations, and outcomes. Publish quarterly snapshots that protect identities but show progress, for example number of screenings, victims assisted, investigations opened, and cases filed.

• Partnerships and cross-border work: formalize cooperation with regional counterparts for joint training, victim transfers when appropriate, and information exchange. Coordinate with airlines, ports, and hotels on staff training and reporting protocols.

Earlier this year the Ministry, with the NRC, launched “See Something, Say Something” to help residents and frontline workers recognize and report concerns. The campaign will expand to airports, seaports, bus routes, and high-traffic workplaces, with short scripts for managers to brief staff at the start of shifts. The NRC will continue to provide a safe, confidential channel for reports, help bring perpetrators to justice, and expand the safety net for those in need.

As reported by The Peoples's Tribune on September 20, 2025, The United States has once again ranked Sint Maarten at Tier 3 in its annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, the lowest possible category, noting that the government has failed to demonstrate progress since first being placed there in 2024. According to the report, the Government of Sint Maarten does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so.

While authorities held informal interagency meetings, allocated limited funding, and hired a consultant to design a public awareness strategy, these steps were deemed insufficient. For the fifth consecutive year, the government did not prosecute or convict a single trafficker, nor did it identify a single victim of trafficking. It also lacked shelters, formal referral mechanisms, and a victim protection system.

The absence of a national action plan and the continued conflation of human trafficking with migrant smuggling further undermined efforts to combat the crime. The report stresses that St. Maarten has now gone seven years without providing any meaningful services to trafficking victims. The US State department said that local officials failed to establish a dedicated task force or adopt protocols for victim identification, and no temporary residency protections were granted to potential victims. The government’s victim support agency operated with limited resources, and the National Reporting Center on Human Trafficking (NRC) remained underfunded and without full legal status.

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