This article considers the attention paid to human trafficking in the Caribbean by governments of the region. It first examines how countries in the region have been positioned in the annual US Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report from 2001 to 2016, discussing the shortcomings of hegemonic discourses to trafficking such as problems with definitions, statistics and evidence, the political underpinnings of the TIP report, and contradictions in indices of 'development' in the region. It then turns to examine Caribbean government responses. It is argued that the tension, identified in earlier state responses, between an increase in anti-trafficking policies and a growing refusal to accept the definitions and information produced by the US State Department has intensified, and that the 'collateral damage' of anti-trafficking interventions continuesto affect some of the most marginalized and vulnerable populations in the region. Building from counter hegemonic discourses, the article also suggests ways to address the subject that support human rights.

Sex work Migration Caribbean human rights anti-trafficking

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