Politics
Sint Maarten stays on Tier 3 in U.S. 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report
The U.S. State Department's 2026 Trafficking in Persons Report keeps Sint Maarten on Tier 3, its lowest ranking, citing no prosecutions, convictions or identified victims for a sixth year.
By SXM Daily ·
Sint Maarten has again been placed on Tier 3, the lowest ranking, in the U.S. State Department's 2026 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report. The report says the government "did not prosecute or convict any traffickers or identify any trafficking victims for the sixth consecutive year."
Photo: Richie Diesterheft / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
The Tier 3 rating is Sint Maarten's own. The report gives it a separate section, headed "Sint Maarten (Tier 3)", apart from the Netherlands, Curaçao and Aruba. Its conclusion is that the government "does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; therefore, Sint Maarten remained on Tier 3."
How the report rates a country within the Kingdom
A note in the report explains that Sint Maarten is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Its section "reflects how Sint Maarten would be assessed if it were a separate, independent country." The report also calls the Kingdom "an important contributor" to Sint Maarten's anti-trafficking efforts.
What the 2026 report found
According to the report:
- Labor and immigration officials referred three cases with signs of labor trafficking to prosecutors, who declined to open a criminal investigation in any of them.
- A draft national action plan for 2025–2027 was reviewed but "neither formally adopted nor implemented." The previous plan expired in 2018.
- The government had no standard procedures for identifying or referring victims and relied on informal coordination between ministries.
- Officials "conflated human trafficking and migrant smuggling," which the report says weakened the government's efforts.
The report also credits some steps. The national anti-trafficking coordinator held meetings every two months with officials from across government. The government launched a digital public awareness campaign and expanded outreach to migrant communities. The report rates prevention efforts as having increased.
The law
Article 2:239 of Sint Maarten's penal code makes sex trafficking and labor trafficking crimes. According to the report, the penalties are up to nine years in prison or a fine when the victim is 16 or older, and up to 12 years or a fine when the victim is younger than 16.
What it means for residents
The ranking does not change any law or service on the island. The report notes that the government publicised its 24-hour crime reporting hotline in its anti-trafficking materials. Suspected trafficking can be reported to the police.
What happens next
According to the report, the government is still reviewing its draft 2025–2027 national action plan. The State Department publishes the TIP report every year, and the next edition will show whether Sint Maarten's ranking changes.
Sources
- https://www.state.gov/reports/2026-trafficking-in-persons-report/sint-maarten/
Source: https://www.state.gov/reports/2026-trafficking-in-persons-report/sint-maarten/