Missing Dominican girl found

Jemmott had gone missing on February 17. She’d left home to attend classes at the Isaiah Thomas Secondary School but never showed up. (Photo: Facebook)

ROSEAU, Dominica, Wednesday March 30, 2011 – The 15-year-old girl who went missing for 40 days has been found alive and a man held in connection with her disappearance.

Shanice Jemmott was found underneath a tarpaulin in the community of Hillsborough, in the western parish of St Joseph, wearing the same school skirt she was dressed in when she went missing, Police Commissioner Cyril Carette disclosed. She was taken to hospital to be examined.

Barbados and Dominica among top 10 ethical destinations

Ethical Traveler conducts an annual study of developing nations from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe to identify the best ethical tourism destinations.

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, – Two islands in the Caribbean have been named in the top 10 ethical tourism destinations among developing countries across the world.

In a recent release, the California-based nonprofit organization Ethical Traveler announced that Barbados and Dominica had joined Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Latvia, Lithuania, Palau, Poland and Uruguay on its list in its 2011 report on The World's Best Ethical Destinations.

The release explained Ethical Traveler conducts an annual study of developing nations from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe to identify the best ethical tourism destinations. The group focuses on three general categories: environmental protection, social welfare, and human rights.

In citing environmental protection reasons for Barbados and Dominica’s placement on the 2011 list, Ethical Traveler stated:

“Dominica was the recipient of a Green Globe for sustainable ecotourism. We also applaud Barbados for organizing the Caribbean Green Economic Conference for 2011, to discuss opportunities and challenges to developing a green economy in the region.”

In terms of social welfare, Ethical Traveler highlighted that they consulted the 2009 Human Development Report, compiled by the UN Development Program (UNDP), for input into that criteria and Barbados was the highest ranked Ethical Destination country on that UNDP index this year.

However, Ethical Traveler did acknowledge that the two CARICOM countries, like the others on the list, were not “perfect”.

“In Barbados and Dominica, homosexuality remains criminalized. Normally this is a deal-breaker for us, but the laws do not appear to be zealously enforced. We sincerely hope that our vote of confidence will persuade these country's leaders to repeal these backward laws.”

The organization also called on Barbados to step up its efforts even further to halt sex trafficking.

CARICOM to launch multi-state travel document

The CARIPASS will allow CARICOM citizens and legal residents of Participating States over the age of 16 years to access a safe and secure automated self-processing gate within selected airports.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, – The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) will soon launch one of the world’s first automated multi-state travel documents (CARIPASS) for use within 10 member states that will not only make regional travel easier, but help crack down on identity theft and illegal migration.

Participating countries will include Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago.

Installation of the CARIPASS System began last month and specific launch dates in each participating country is now dependent on the passing of relevant legislation.

The CARIPASS will allow CARICOM citizens and legal residents of Participating States over the age of 16 years to access a safe and secure automated self-processing gate within selected airports. Cardholders will benefit from the ease of expedited processing through immigration checkpoints when using the CARIPASS, which is the size of a credit card.

“The CARIPASS will also assist the region in the global fight against identity theft and illegal migration, given that the document is matched to the cardholder using both biometric and biographic data captured upon enrolment,” a statement from the CARICOM Secretariat said.

Under the coordination of the Implementation Agency for Crime and Security, the CARIPASS is another step in the movement towards standardized border control facilities within CARICOM, including training, entry and exit procedures and travel documents.