Over time, there has been an increase in sex trafficking in Central America. Because of the lack of financials, work opportunities and studies, women and men see sex work as the solution to their problems. In addition, the living conditions, poverty, and gang violence are the reason as to why a lot of people have been coerced into sex trafficking. These countries are working with their government and other countries in order to create laws to fight against sex trafficking.
Most of the people being sex trafficked are women and children. According to the United Nation's report, about 80% of the sex trafficking victims in Central America are women and girls. [1] Women are coerced into sex trafficking because of the lack of food, clothes, shelter and employment. [2] In addition, children are coerced into sex trafficking because of the lack of education, illiteracy, training skills, gang participation, homelessness and physical abuse. [2] Men go into sex trafficking due to homosexuality and being transgender.
Violence has been a problem in the Central American Region for many years. As of 2018, El Salvador has the highest homicide rate amongst Latin America and the Caribbean. In El Salvador, there are about 52 homicides per 100,000 citizens. The violence rate is high due to the gang violence and corrupt government. The kinds of violent acts committed are torture, physical and sexual assault, and murder. [3] The violent acts that the sex trafficked victims come from the police, johns, pimps, gang members, and their traffickers. [3] In addition, there are clients that sexually and physically assault the workers. This can lead to the sex work being murdered. Due to how the sex workers and sex trafficked victims are viewed, the police doesn't consider these violent acts to be a crime and they don't further investigate. Many of these violent acts occur due to the machismo culture. In Central America, it is believed that men are better than women and children and that only their priorities and values should matter. [3] A big factor of the violent acts are the Gangs and gang members in this region. Women are the main target of the sex trafficking gangs. Either they are trying to coerce them into joining sex trafficking or they are murdered. In Guatemala, about two women are murdered daily. [4] In addition, gang members tend to recruit young girls between the ages of nine and fifteen. [5] Gang members force these girls into sex trafficking by threatening to kill them and their family. In relations to sex trafficking, the young girls are coerced into selling drugs for the gang. [5]
Many of the countries in Central America, such as El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, suffer from poverty. The countries share economic, historical, and political characteristics within each other. About 70% of the Central American region lives below the poverty line. In El Salvador and Nicaragua 47% of their population is living in poverty. Secondly, Costa Rica has 23% of its population living in poverty. Guatemala has about 54% of its population living in poverty. Panama has 37%. Lastly, Honduras has 75% of its population living in poverty. [2] This is because there is an unequal distribution of wealth amongst the people. [6] Due to the issue of poverty, many sex trafficking victims are being coerced by getting paid [2] Although, they aren't being paid a lot, they are still being offered more commission than the jobs in their countries.
For many years, there has been migration between the countries in Central America. For instance, about 8% of the Costa Rican population is made up of Nicaraguans. [2] Amongst these countries, there are also migration movements within El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize [2] Costa Rica and Belize tend to receive the women and children who were trafficked due to tourism growing. [7] In addition, many women and children are trafficked within their own country and then they are sold to someone in another country. [7] Not only are they migrating within the region, but there's also migrating to Mexico, Canada, and the United States. The migration to these other regions is illegal, especially when it's done by smuggling. About 34% of the sex trafficking victims are smuggled into the United States without being aware and 29% are given "fake jobs" as a way get them to come to the United States. [8] Over the past years, there has been an increase in female migration. This is due to the search of job opportunities and wanting to reunite with their families. [2] Sex traffickers tend to take advantage of this information. They promise the women a safe and better life away from the gang violence and government corruption. [8] When it comes to smuggling people into the United States, the sex traffickers are quite aware of the immigration policies and practices. Although certain things they do are illegal, the border patrols and police officers are incapable of stopping them because of the lack of personnel, training, information, and corruption. [2]
To fight against sex trafficking, the Central American countries are working together with the United States government. The TVPA(Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000) is a law designed to prevent human trafficking and to protect the victims and survivors of sex trafficking. [9] Although this law is set in place, none of the Central American countries abide by the TVPA. El Salvador, Honduras, and Panama are ranked as Tier 2, meaning that although they don't meet the standards to stop sex trafficking, the countries are making an effort. [10] Secondly, Guatemala and Nicaragua are on Tier 2 Watch list, meaning that they are making an effort to stop sex trafficking, but the country shows that they lack the amount of investigations they are doing. [10] Lastly, Belize is the only country in Central America that is ranked tier 3, meaning that the country doesn't abide by the TVPA and isn't making an effort. In addition, the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) has been working with El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to develop a proposal that will allow them to make laws regarding gangs and sex trafficking. [10]
The organization "The Polaris Project" is an organization that works to stop sex trafficking along with labor trafficking. [11] The Polaris Project works with victims so that the traffickers are held accountable for their actions. In addition, they are working to find ways to better communities and the government to help prevent sex trafficking. [11] One of The Polaris Project focus is to help rebuild the lives of sex trafficking survivors. The Polaris project provides a National Human Trafficking hotline that allows victims and survivors to reach out when in need of help. [11] In addition, they provide blog posts to inform people on the situations that are occurring around them. Lastly, The Polaris Project partners with the law enforcement and government to put things into action that will help combat sex and labor trafficking [11]
Sex trafficking is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation. It has been called a form of modern slavery because of the way victims are forced into sexual acts non-consensually, in a form of sexual slavery. Perpetrators of the crime are called sex traffickers or pimps—people who manipulate victims to engage in various forms of commercial sex with paying customers. Sex traffickers use force, fraud, and coercion as they recruit, transport, and provide their victims as prostitutes. Sometimes victims are brought into a situation of dependency on their trafficker(s), financially or emotionally. Every aspect of sex trafficking is considered a crime, from acquisition to transportation and exploitation of victims. This includes any sexual exploitation of adults or minors, including child sex tourism (CST) and domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST).
Crime and violence affect the lives of millions of people in Latin America. Some consider social inequality to be a major contributing factor to levels of violence in Latin America, where the state fails to prevent crime and organized crime takes over State control in areas where the State is unable to assist the society such as in impoverished communities. In the years following the transitions from authoritarianism to democracy, crime and violence have become major problems in Latin America. The region experienced more than 2.5 million murders between 2000 and 2017. Several studies indicated the existence of an epidemic in the region; the Pan American Health Organization called violence in Latin America "the social pandemic of the 20th century." Apart from the direct human cost, the rise in crime and violence has imposed significant social costs and has made much more difficult the processes of economic and social development, democratic consolidation and regional integration in the Americas.
Prostitution in El Salvador is not prohibited by national law, but may be prohibited by local municipal ordinances. Municipal ordinances may also prohibit the purchase of sexual services. Related activities such as facilitating, promoting or giving incentives to a person to work as a prostitute (pimping) are illegal. The prostitution of children is also illegal. Brothel ownership, however, is legal. There are no specific laws against human trafficking, but any criminal offence that includes ‘commerce in women or children’ requires sentencing to be increased by 30%.
Prostitution in Honduras is currently legal, as there is no law prohibiting prostitution. Although similar institutions such as brothel ownership and pimping are illegal in Honduras, prostitution has remained largely unchecked by the government. UNAIDS estimate there to be 22,771 prostitutes in the country.
Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation.
In 2008, Honduras was principally a source and transit country for women, girls, and boys trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. Honduran children were typically trafficked from rural areas to urban and tourist centers such as San Pedro Sula, the North Caribbean coast, and the Bay Islands. Honduran women and children are trafficked to Guatemala, El Salvador, Mexico, and the United States for sexual exploitation. Most foreign victims of commercial sexual exploitation in Honduras were from neighboring countries; some were economic migrants en route to the United States who are victimized by traffickers. Internal child labor and forced child labor for violent criminal gangs were serious concerns.
Rates of crime in Guatemala are very high. An average of 101 murders per week were reported in 2018. The countries with the highest crime and violence rates in Central America are El Salvador and Honduras. In the 1990s Guatemala had four cities feature in Latin America's top ten cities by murder rate: Escuintla, Izabal (127), Santa Rosa Cuilapa (111) and Guatemala City (101). According to New Yorker magazine, in 2009, "fewer civilians were reported killed in the war zone of Iraq than were shot, stabbed, or beaten to death in Guatemala," and 97% of homicides "remain unsolved." Much of the violent nature of Guatemalan society stems back to a 36-year-long civil war However, not only has violence maintained its presence in the post-war context of the country following the Guatemalan Civil War, but it has extended to broader social and economic forms of violence.
Human trafficking in Nepal is a growing criminal industry affecting multiple other countries beyond Nepal, primarily across Asia and the Middle East. Nepal is mainly a source country for men, women and children subjected to the forced labor and sex trafficking. U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons placed the country in "Tier 2" in 2017.
Nicaragua ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol in October 2004.
Human trafficking is an act of recruiting, transporting, and harboring people against their will; usually by using force. People who are trafficked are mostly used for sexual purposes or illegal work. These acts include: forced marriages, trafficking for human organs, and gaining members for organized crimes. Every country in the world deals with this crime, and are usually classified as transit countries, target countries, or source countries. Guatemala is a part of North America, which is a target country; this means they contain human trafficking victims.
Human trafficking is the trade of humans, most commonly for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. Mexico is a large source, transit, and destination country for victims of human trafficking.
In 2009 El Salvador was a source, transit, and destination country for women and children who were subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced prostitution and forced labor. Most victims were Salvadoran women and girls from rural areas who were forced into commercial sexual exploitation in urban areas, though some adults and children were subjected to forced labor as agricultural workers and domestic workers. The majority of foreign victims were women and children from neighboring countries, such as Honduras, Nicaragua, and the Dominican Republic, who migrated to El Salvador in response to job offers, but were subsequently forced into prostitution or domestic servitude. Trafficking offenders used fraudulent documentation to facilitate the movement of foreign victims. Salvadorans have been subjected to forced prostitution in Guatemala, Mexico, Belize, the United States, Spain, and Italy.
Crime in El Salvador has been historically extremely high due to the presence of various gangs. As of 2011, there were an estimated 25000 gang members at large in El Salvador; with another 43500 in prison. The best-known gangs, called maras in colloquial Salvadoran Spanish, are Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and their rivals 18th Street; maras are hunted by death squads, including Sombra Negra. Newer rivals include the rising mara, The Rebels 13. El Salvador is one of the three countries of the Northern Triangle of Central America, along with neighboring Guatemala and Honduras, which are all afflicted with high levels of violence.
Human trafficking in Texas is the illegal trade of human beings as it occurs in the state of Texas. It is a modern-day form of slavery and usually involves commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor, both domestic and agricultural.
Sex trafficking in the United States is a form of human trafficking which involves reproductive slavery or commercial sexual exploitation as it occurs in the United States. Sex trafficking includes the transportation of persons by means of coercion, deception and/or force into exploitative and slavery-like conditions. It is commonly associated with organized crime.
Human Trafficking or "trafficking in persons" is the recruiting, harboring, transporting, providing, or obtaining a person for mainly the purposes of forced labor or prostitution. Other reasons for human trafficking are the removal of organs, forced marriage, and other exploitations. South America is one of the biggest source and destination locations in the world and has struggled with the issue for many years. The ILO estimates that of the 20.9 million victims of human trafficking in 2012, 1.8 million were from Latin America. There are many factors that cause human trafficking, like a high demand for domestic servants, sex laborers, and factory workers, the existence of already established trafficking networks that often take advantage of young women and children, corruption in the governments and local law enforcement agencies, a governmental disinterest in the issue and a lack of opportunity for women in South American regions where trafficking occurs. People exploited in human trafficking are often impoverished, members of indigenous peoples, unemployed, victims of abuse, illiterate, substance users, homeless, or involved in gang activity. Research by the United States Department of State has also found that LGBTQ+ people are vulnerable to human trafficking. By far, sex trafficking is the leading type of human trafficking, making up 79 percent of all human trafficking. This is then followed by forced labor at 18 percent. About 20 percent of trafficking victims are children. Primary destinations for trafficking and illegal immigration are the United States, Spain, Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Canada. Globalization, capitalism and societal attitudes facilitate and reduce the barriers to human trafficking.
Sex trafficking in the Philippines is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the Republic of the Philippines. The Philippines is a country of origin and, to a lesser extent, a destination and transit for sexually trafficked persons.
Sex trafficking in Guatemala is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the Republic of Guatemala.
Sex trafficking in El Salvador is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the Republic of El Salvador. It is a country of origin, transit, and destination for sexually trafficked persons.
Trafficking of Korean women in the United States has been practiced for over a few decades and is known to be a transnational social problem. These women have either been kidnapped, groomed, recruited and usually transported to domestic and or foreign land by use of; threats, coercion, fraud or physical and verbal abuse. Korean women have been sexually exploited, forced to commit strenuous labor, and or transport illegal product, such as drugs, that are smuggled by use of their bodies in some cases. Trafficking of Korean women has been practiced since the late 1930s in Asia. Victims can range from pre-teen years of age to their thirties or later. Korean women are often stigmatized in the United States, as being women who are here in the states as sex workers. Over time, U.S. contributions toward combatting human trafficking amongst Korean women have been issued. Law enforcement agencies and several departments of U.S. government have provided these women a way out of the trafficking culture, whether they identify as voluntary or involuntary sex workers. As Korean women, their identity plays a unique role in how different forms of systematic oppression affects them.
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