Trill’s Organization For Responsible Tourism Responds To Belize Tourism

June 23, 2010 --
Responding to an article posted on www.ctv3.belizenews, Trill expressed regret that BTB questioned her organization’s existence and that the Belize-government-funded body felt the need to use the word, “fictitious” in describing her international tourist activist group.

“Characterizing the ORT as a fictitious group is a mistake on the BTB’s part,” said Trill. “And underestimating our capacity to bring continued international attention to human trafficking issues in Belize, through tourism boycott, is further proof of deficient BTB judgment.”

The BTB’s seeming inability or reluctance to acknowledge that the boycott Belize tourism campaign is gaining traction worldwide, makes the ORT and others wonder what is propelling this Belize tourism marketing organization. While BTB’s website claims to have a commitment to responsible tourism, this topic was not on the agenda of its annual Beltex tourism expo, nor is there any sign that they have committed any funding to its implementation. In fact, the BTB has not issued a news release on any subject since 2008.

The Belize government, which claims tourism revenue of $200 million annually, flows a substantial percentage to BTB. It is not clear what the BTB accomplishes given its low profile and slender output.

“In fact, a few years ago I sought out the BTB’s offices, located behind the tourist village in Belize City,” Trill said. “Despite several attempts during business hours to visit the offices, there was no staff and no sign of life. Lamentably, the office was decorated in a constellation of abandoned plastic patio furniture and draped bed sheets for curtains. These BTB offices looked fictitious.”

Quoting Belize tourism’s website motto, “Mother Nature’s Best Kept Secret,” Trill suggested the country’s true best kept and dirty little secret is its status as Central America’s most efficient human trafficking corridor, a fact not known to many past visitors and potential tourist. That is rapidly changing given the massive Internet and social media attention the Belize tourism boycott has garnered, primarily as a result of ORT efforts.

In a parallel effort, ORT recently delivered to Belize Prime Minister Dean Barrow a detailed, cost-effective plan and appeal to address human trafficking, with specifics on border tightening and improved oversight of bars that profit from human trafficking victims forced into prostitution. News of the report going to the Prime Minister has flashed globally via Internet and social networks. A quote that typifies blog comment: “everyone talks about the problem of human trafficking; Vivian is asking for change with solid suggestions.”

Also fueling ORT’s capacity to persuade Belize to review its human trafficking policies and practices is Trill’s knowledge of the history and inside information on mechanisms of human trafficking within Belize’s borders.
As an example, Trill has stated in one of her blogs, “Under the Musa government the country of Belize was taken. Musa, to move from Tier 3 status under the Trafficking in Persons Prohibition Act, made commitments to the US in 2008. His bargain with the Americans led to Belize’s upgrade to Tier 2 Watch List status.

Musa did nothing of substance to live up to his end of the bargain, leaving human trafficking to follow the Belize status quo. And, it left an honorable man, Dean Barrow, to clean up the mess. I have every regard for Prime Minister Barrow and know he has been left with the heavy burden of addressing human trafficking in Belize. We are trusting him to do the right thing.”

The ORT executive is a technically astute group made up of women of advanced middle age who have specialized and unusual I and IT technical skills. These core members have traveled the world and have wintered in Central America for a number of years.

Five years ago, Trill met a young man who is involved in tracking down and recovering women human trafficking victims. For these past years, she has been gaining information from him, learning for example, how exactly Belize remains a funnel for most young women human trafficking victims who wind up in other Central American countries and Mexico.

“We did not pick Belize as a starting point for our anti-trafficking in humans effort by throwing a dart on the world map,” said Trill. “Belize is a human trafficking corridor and the worst human trafficking violator in Central America. We know it. They know it, too.”

Trill emphasized that she respects other world organizations working to create awareness for the cause to stop human trafficking. Information dissemination about the problem is important, but ORT is taking another route.

“Our project is hard-hitting, technologically sophisticated and we are very, very real,” she said. “The victims of human trafficking have been left to suffer for too long while organizations like the BTB remain “unfazed.”

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