• Approve and disburse specialized funding for anti-trafficking efforts, including for government departments carrying out anti-trafficking activities.
• Train judges at all levels of the judiciary on human trafficking, trauma-informed and victim-centered approaches, and the trafficking law, including sentences.
• Using the SOPs for victim identification and referral to care, proactively identify trafficking victims by screening for trafficking indicators among at-risk groups, including Haitian, Indian, and Vietnamese migrants, including those seeking to illegally migrate to the United States.
• Protect victims’ identities during trials.
• Seek input from survivors and NGOs on the annual revision of the NAP.
• Continue efforts to investigate online trafficking methods and strengthen cooperation between the Trafficking in Persons Unit (TIP Unit) and the Cybercrime Unit.
• Continue efforts to investigate and prosecute traffickers – including officials complicit in trafficking crimes – under the trafficking law and seek adequate penalties for traffickers.
• Consistently seek restitution for victims and consider maintaining a victim compensation fund.
• Develop and execute a robust monitoring and evaluation framework, publish the results, and report on the hotline’s effectiveness.

The government maintained prosecution efforts.

Article 334 of the criminal code criminalized sex trafficking and labor trafficking and prescribed penalties of up to nine years’ imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 Surinamese dollars (SRD) ($2,842) for offenses involving a victim 16 years of age or older, and up to 12 years’ imprisonment and a fine of 100,000 SRD ($2,842) for those involving a victim younger than the age of 16. These penalties were sufficiently stringent and, with respect to sex trafficking, commensurate with those prescribed for other grave crimes, such as rape.

Police initiated 25 investigations involving Chinese national, Cuban, and Surinamese suspects – including seven for sex trafficking, one for forced labor, and 17 for unspecified exploitation – compared with 15 investigations in 2023. The government prosecuted eight suspected sex traffickers, compared with prosecuting 15 suspected traffickers in 2023. Courts convicted eight sex traffickers, including seven under the trafficking law, compared with one conviction in 2023. Authorities acquitted two suspected traffickers for insufficient evidence.

The police’s TIP Unit, which was responsible for investigating human trafficking and migrant smuggling crimes, had 15 officers and cooperated on trafficking investigations with the Military Police’s immigration office, the Alien Affairs Office, the Ministry of Labor, and the Police Youth Affairs Department. The TIP Unit referred trafficking investigations to the Trafficking in Persons Desk (TIP Desk) at the Prosecutors’ Office, whose three members specialized in, but were not solely dedicated to, handling trafficking cases. Observers noted the TIP Unit and TIP Desk collaborated well; the TIP Desk advocated for any extra resources to be given to the TIP Unit despite its own needs. Existing agency budgets paid for ongoing anti-trafficking efforts – including for the TIP Unit, which also received funding from a foreign government – without a specific or additional allocation. The TIP Unit and TIP Desk lacked sufficient funding and resources, and some officers required further training on investigative techniques and victim identification. Although the TIP Unit was responsible for country-wide anti-trafficking efforts, it lacked sufficient staffing and resources to operate throughout the country and relied on local police units in the interior of the country; this at times limited its efficacy, although observers noted recent improvements in collaboration in those regions. The Court of Justice ruled on trafficking cases brought by the Prosecutors’ Office, but its members did not have a specialization in trafficking. The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government employees complicit in human trafficking crimes. Observers noted there were no complaints or indications of corruption in the TIP Unit, despite some reports of low-level corruption in other police units. The Prosecutors’ Office noted that in practice, one judge handled all trafficking cases and inconsistently convicted traffickers according to the definition of trafficking under the law. In conjunction with the Prosecutors’ Office and the Alien Police, the TIP Unit conducted inspections of mining areas in the interior, nightclubs, and places where vulnerable illegal migrants lived. The TIP Unit reported difficulties inspecting private homes where commercial sex reportedly took place, along with commercial sex advertised through social media.

The government cooperated with two foreign embassies, which provided translation services in support of TIP Unit investigations. The government had cooperation agreements with counterparts in Sint Maartin, Curaçao, and Aruba on cross-border crime, human trafficking, and judicial cooperation. The government had bilateral and regional law enforcement agreements with France (French Guiana), Brazil, and Guyana that included joint efforts to combat trafficking. The government trained police inspectors on trafficking investigations and victim identification.

The government maintained protection efforts.

In 2024, the government identified 25 victims, including 14 Chinese nationals, eight Cuban nationals, and two Surinamese minors, and one of unspecified nationality exploited in sex trafficking; this compared with the same number of potential victims identified in 2023. The government reported police and immigration officials screened at-risk populations, including migrants and individuals in commercial sex, for trafficking prior to detention or arrest. The TIP Unit, the Prosecutors’ Office, the Directorate of National Security, and the Military Police, which was in charge of immigration services, also coordinated to screen for trafficking indicators among at-risk populations arriving at the international airport. The Prosecutors’ Office utilized an intake form to aid officials to quickly make initial assessments of potential victims identified among larger groups before referring them for additional screening. The constituent agencies of the Trafficking In Persons Working Group (TIP Working Group) continued to implement the First Response to the Victim of Trafficking in Persons Protocol. The Protocol, for police and other first responders, outlined procedures for interacting with potential trafficking victims, the process from identification to providing essential services, and the rights of victims. Police and other first responders received trainings on victim identification as part of their basic training curricula.

Officials offered services to potential victims upon first encounter with them. According to authorities, police identified and referred one sex trafficking victim to services. The government provided shelter and other services to 25 sex trafficking victims (26 during the previous reporting period), including 23 women and two girls. The TIP Unit was responsible for providing almost all shelter and other services for victims, given the absence of trafficking-focused NGOs in the country. Foreign and Surinamese victims and those with disabilities had equal access to services. Government agencies did not have victim assistance funds specifically allocated but made resources available as needed from their general budgets. The TIP Unit’s emergency shelter, funded through the police’s budget, had space for up to six people in its office building, a former residence. The emergency shelter provided services to male and female victims for up to three months during the initial stages of investigations against alleged traffickers. Authorities also allowed domestic and foreign victims who chose not to stay in the shelter to designate people they knew as guardians, who they would be permitted to stay with. Authorities screened designated guardians for suitability and victims opting for the guardianship program could access authorities for additional support at any time. Guardians were responsible for providing housing and safety to victims, and for victims’ whereabouts at all times. The government previously reported victims could leave the emergency shelter at will; however, in 2023, a group of victims, who were later permitted to leave the shelter, filed a complaint with an international organization regarding their inability to leave the shelter at will, inability to use phones, and overcrowding in the shelter.

The TIP Unit continued to operate a long-term shelter that opened in March 2024 for up to six adult male or female victims. The TIP Unit employed a social worker to oversee services at both locations. There were no specialized shelter services for child trafficking victims; children who did not want to return to their homes could enter a childcare facility or stay with a foster family. Alternatively, child victims could be placed in an adult long-term shelter at times when no adult victims were receiving services at the shelter. Special counseling and medical care were available for child victims along with their families. The Youth Police could provide reintegration guidance to child trafficking victims. Authorities did not require victim cooperation with investigations or prosecutions in order to receive services, including the ability to apply for temporary or permanent residency. The government did not report the status of applications previously submitted for 10 foreign victims to obtain residency status; however, the government continued to provide the victims with temporary protection from deportation.

The government did not offer a special visa category for victims. Victim-witnesses could move freely in the country or travel abroad. Police provided services to victim-witnesses, and a judge granted a prosecutor’s request to hear a victim’s testimony in private to protect their identity. The government automatically assigned victims with legal representation through the Ministry of Justice and Police’s Legal Assistance Office. Courts could obtain written or oral testimony from victims in the early stages of investigations in case victims were not available during the trial process, including for foreign victims who returned to their countries of origin before completion of the trial, although this could weaken testimony in cases where authorities did not provide victims time for recovery and reflection before giving testimony. Courts allowed virtual testimony, and one foreign victim who returned to their country of origin provided a video testimony in the trial against her alleged traffickers. Victims could speak directly to a counselor or a member of the Prosecutors’ Office instead of the police if they preferred. In the case of foreign victims, prosecutors usually used a victim’s initial report as a formal criminal complaint and testimony in the case, as victims often returned to their countries of origin before completion of the trial; in almost all cases courts lost contact once the victim departed the country. Victims had the right to testify after providing an initial statement and/or after receiving counseling. Victims had the right to seek compensation through a civil process, though no such case has ever been filed.

The government worked with foreign embassies to secure repatriation support for victims. The government cooperated with foreign governments on victim assistance as part of its standard protocol when it identified foreign victims. Outside observers previously reported the process for collaboration between the TIP Unit and embassies on victim support was cumbersome and bureaucratic, impacting the response time of embassies to provide essential support to their citizens.

The government increased prevention efforts.

The government had a 2024-2025 NAP; the government updated NAPs annually. The TIP Working Group met regularly both in-person and by phone, effectively coordinated government efforts, and was chaired by the Director of Operations of the Ministry of Justice and Police. The government did not seek or incorporate input from survivors, NGOs, or international organizations in drafting the annual NAP. The government allocated 1 million SRD ($28,415) specifically for anti-trafficking efforts in the 2025 budget for the Ministry of Justice and Police, which represented the first time the government allocated funding specifically for anti-trafficking efforts; however, the National Assembly had not approved the budget by the end of the reporting period. Lack of sufficient funding due to generally low funds and budget crises impacted the ability of the TIP Working Group to implement some activities included in the NAP; however, observers noted officials successfully obtained supplemental funding from foreign donors and international organizations.

The government continued to operate a 24-hour anti-trafficking hotline, which was available in Dutch, English, and Sranan Tongo. The TIP Unit provided training to hotline staff. The TIP Unit also had two separate telephone numbers that could be used to report trafficking cases. Calls to the TIP Unit telephone numbers resulted in the identification of an unspecified number of victims. The government did not identify any victims as a result of calls to the hotline. The government raised awareness of the anti-trafficking hotline through brochures and flyers posted throughout the country. The TIP Unit’s website provided information on and the differences between trafficking and migrant smuggling, gave visitors the ability to report suspect situations, and detailed updated information on the TIP Unit’s activities. The TIP Unit took part in ongoing public awareness sessions in various neighborhoods during which the police taught residents, including children, about the roles of the various police units. The TIP Unit presented on trafficking indicators as part of these sessions. The TIP Unit partnered with a foreign-funded NGO to conduct awareness campaigns in areas neighboring gold mining sites to educate local populations on human trafficking and distribute relating informational material. In addition, the TIP Unit launched the first of a series of awareness videos on local television aimed at raising awareness on human trafficking and its indicators. The government did not conduct formal research on trafficking or publicly post an assessment of its anti-trafficking efforts.

Labor laws prohibited employers, recruiters, and labor agents from charging workers recruitment fees, confiscating workers’ passports or travel documents, switching contracts without workers’ consent, or withholding wages as a means of keeping workers in a state of compelled service. Labor laws required all employment agencies to be licensed before recruiting either Surinamese or foreign employees, and they had to receive permission from the Ministry of Labor before entering into work mediation with employees. Documented migrant workers could change employers without prior notification or special permission; the employer maintained the burden of reporting their employment. The Labor Inspectorate regularly checked the paperwork of foreign workers vulnerable to labor trafficking at job sites and fined employers for violations; labor inspectors also screened for trafficking indicators. The TIP Unit collaborated with the Labor Inspectorate on joint checks of businesses; while they did not identify any cases of human trafficking, the Labor Inspectorate issued fines for businesses who employed foreign workers without the proper documentation. Most labor inspections were unannounced, but the law did not allow labor inspectors to inspect private homes or farms. The government warned businesses against hiring foreign workers without proper documentation and provided information on employment scams and fraudulent job offerings to businesses and workers. The Maritime Authority, the military, the maritime police, and the Coast Guard continued inspections of vessels entering Suriname’s waters to identify suspicious activities, including trafficking, and the TIP Unit continued regular patrols with the Maritime Police.

Observers noted gaps in government policies and regulations as well as in the implementation of rules and procedures that enabled traffickers to exploit victims. The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts. Authorities monitored social media to identify fraudulent employment recruitment efforts to mitigate sex trafficking crimes, including in private residences. The government did not make efforts to reduce participation in international and domestic extraterritorial child sexual commercial exploitation.

Trafficking affects all communities. This section summarizes government and civil society reporting on the nature and scope of trafficking over the past five years. Human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Suriname, and traffickers exploit victims from Suriname abroad. Reported cases of trafficking in Suriname’s sparsely populated and remote jungle interior, which constitutes approximately 80 percent of the country, have increased in recent years; limited government presence in the interior renders the scope of the problem unknown. Weak immigration policies, difficulty in controlling Suriname’s borders, and the draw of the gold and timber trade have led to an influx of migrants from different countries entering Suriname legally and remaining in country after their legal stay expires. These persons become particularly vulnerable to sex and labor trafficking. Traffickers target the increasing influx of asylum-seekers and migrants, including those with a lack legal status in the country and those who seek to illegally migrate to the United States, particularly those from Haiti and Venezuela, as well as those from Brazil, China, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, India, Vietnam, and some African countries. Asylum-seekers and migrant women and girls are especially at risk for sex trafficking in Suriname, including in brothels, massage parlors, hair salons, and illegal gold mining camps in Suriname’s interior. Individuals involved in commercial sex advertised in newspapers and social media are also at risk for trafficking; traffickers also utilize chat applications to exploit sex trafficking victims. Adult and child migrant workers in agriculture, retail shops, construction, and on fishing boats off Suriname’s coast are at risk of trafficking, as are children working in agriculture, small construction, gold mines, and informal urban sectors. Observers reported traffickers potentially exploited Vietnamese nationals transiting Suriname in forced labor in agricultural jobs as well as Indian nationals in forced labor in the construction and hospitality sectors. Undocumented asylum-seekers and migrant groups in the country without legal status may avoid seeking assistance from the authorities for fear of criminalization or deportation, making them vulnerable to traffickers. In March 2020, authorities signed an agreement with the Cuban regime to allow 120 Cuban regime-affiliated medical workers to help combat the pandemic; approximately 100 Cuban medical workers were in the country in 2021. Following their departure, in June 2022, a group of 22 Cuban regime-affiliated medical workers arrived in the country. According to authorities, the agreement between Suriname and Cuba expired in 2022, and as of early 2025, Suriname had not signed a new agreement with Cuba. Regime-affiliated Cuban medical professionals who worked in Suriname may have been forced to work by the Cuban regime. Chinese national-run associations, and allegedly some Hong Kong traffickers, recruit and exploit Chinese immigrants in sex and labor trafficking in the mining, service, and construction sectors. Surinamese women in neighboring countries are at risk of sex trafficking. Traffickers may transport victims through routes in Suriname’s interior that bypass official checkpoints. There are reports of corruption and local official complicity in trafficking crimes that may impede anti-trafficking efforts. While traffickers are predominantly men, authorities have also prosecuted and convicted women traffickers. Individuals engaged in commercial sex online, in private homes, or in poorly protected clubs in the interior remained following the lifting of pandemic restrictions in March 2022, increasing their vulnerability. Organizations representing the HIV positive and those who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual, also reported these groups became particularly at risk as they faced vulnerability and increased poverty because of the pandemic. The pandemic increased the trafficking risk for lower-skilled individuals unable to find work and deteriorating economic conditions following the pandemic have driven more adults into commercial sex to earn additional income and have likely increased the number of child trafficking victims, including familial trafficking. In January 2023, the government reported that 5,000 children, mostly in the interior of Suriname, did not return to school in order to help their parents following the end of pandemic restrictions; these children are vulnerable to trafficking. Although there were no reports of extraterritorial child sexual commercial exploitation, either by or of Suriname nationals, it may have occurred.