SEX tourism remains a troubling reality in Tobago, the Counter Trafficking Unit (CTU) of the Ministry of Homeland Security has said.According to the CTU, the island continues to record cases linked to the illicit trade.CTU’s deputy director, Dane-Marie Marshall, revealed yesterday that statistics indicate between 2% and 3% of the country’s reported human trafficking cases originate in Tobago. She said the unit is intensifying efforts to combat the problem, particularly during peak tourism periods when the risk of exploitation is heightened.Marshall’s comments came while speaking during the unveiling of a billboard titled “Don’t Buy Sex, It Could Cost You Everything”, along the Claude Noel Highway, Shirvan, Tobago.She stressed that law enforcement and stakeholder collaboration will be key to identifying and preventing cases of trafficking and sexual exploitation, while raising public awareness about the signs of human trafficking and the importance of reporting suspicious activity.“Two, 3% cases in Tobago but then we are recognising that girls who face exploitation in Trinidad are being brought to Tobago and this is some activity that we don’t want to encourage. The Counter Trafficking Unit is not going to encourage that kind of behaviour and we will come to Tobago, we will go to any parts of Trinidad and we will find you and we will deal with you,” Marshall said.She said migrant girls are being lured to Tobago. “It is because of these particular trends we are seeing where migrant girls are being led via some deceptive means to Tobago and they are sexually exploited here.”Marshall said intelligence has shown that periods of major events and increased visitor arrivals in Tobago often coincide with a rise in the movement of vulnerable women to the island, raising concerns about sexual exploitation and human trafficking.She disclosed that, over the weekend during Operation Iceberg, CTU officers conducted a targeted operations in Tobago, resulting in the rescue of several women who were allegedly victims of sex trafficking, and the arrests of others.The operation was carried out in the Signal Hill, Bon Accord areas in Tobago, and in Trinidad, as part of an intensified crackdown on human trafficking and the exploitation of vulnerable persons.“It is no secret that there is a significant bed stock here in Tobago that will obviously offer an environment for sex tourism, so the Counter Trafficking Unit is saying no, we are not going to encourage that and we will be dealing with it as it comes.”Marshall said the support of local, regional and international agencies remains crucial. “We continue to get the support of the US Embassy and the US Government. Trinidad and Tobago still sits at Tier Two and we are really trying to move to Tier One. Tier Two says that we are at a good place in terms of how we are treating with trafficking in persons but Tier One is the ultimate goal and together as a team that is our plan, that is our goal.”The billboard unveiling comes on the heels of the CTU executing three preventative detention orders (PDOs) during last Saturday’s first major Tobago human trafficking operation in Tobago.The coordinated, multi-agency exercise resulted in the execution of the PDOs under the Emergency Powers Regulations, 2026. Reports to the CTU can be lodged via its hotline 800-4CTU or 800-4288, or via WhatsApp at 702-0467.