Sex trafficking in Mexico

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Sex trafficking in Mexico, or human trafficking, is the illegal practice of sexual exploitation of human beings in the United Mexican States. Sex trafficking is considered a form of modern-day slavery because of its attempt to recruit, entice, transport, or coerce someone into non-consensual sexual acts for personal gain. [1] Mexico is an origin, transit, and destination for sex trafficking, a global industry that earns profits of approximately 150 billion a year. [2]

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Sex trafficking victims in the country are from all ethnic groups, including the indigenous peoples of Mexico, and foreigners. [3] [4] Those most at risk of getting exploited are women, unaccompanied minors, natives, individuals with disabilities, those who identify as LGBTQ, and immigrants. [1] Men are sexually exploited as well, but not to the extent of women and children. [2] [3] Victims are deceived and/or abducted and forced into prostitution. They are sex trafficked to different states in Mexico, along with other countries, namely the United States. [4] Perpetrators tend to focus on low-income communities with little to no education and lure victims by promising a better life, more money, romantic relationships, or blackmailing. [5] [4] They are forced to live in poor living conditions, often guarded or locked up in a variety locations such as brothels, bars, hotels, and homes. While being held against their will, victims are drugged, raped, mentally abused, tortured, and or murdered. [6] [7] A majority of sex trafficking survivors experience mental health problems and sexually transmitted diseases. [7] [8] [9] Victims are not the only ones affected by sex trafficking, their families are sometimes threatened or held hostage by perpetrators to ensure compliance. [4] [9]

Sex trafficking and exploitation have permeated all levels of Mexican society, both male and female perpetrators. [8] [7] Due to the transformation of organized crime in Mexico, sex trafficking has been rising over the past years. Human trafficking is said to be the third-largest illegal activity in Mexico, behind gun and drug trade. [5] Mexico’s head of financial intelligence unit (UIF), Santiago Nieto, describes that many of the country’s infamous cartels have branched out into trafficking, particularly those whose main business have been falling apart. [9] [10] To add on, corruption has been an ongoing issue in Mexico. Government officials and police authorities have been caught participating in trafficking crimes such as receiving payments for facilitating the entry and illicit residency of captive traffickers. [9] [11]

The true scale of sex trafficking in Mexico is difficult to measure due to the lack of data from corruption, [1] poor record keeping, [11] the secretive nature of sex trafficking crimes, the fact that only a small minority of cases are reported to the authorities, [12] [13] and other factors. The Mexican government recorded a total of 658 trafficking victims in 2019, 706 victims in 2018, 667 victims in 2016, and 814 victims in 2015. In 2019, amongst the 658 victims, it was reported that roughly 54 percent were women, 18 percent were male, and 28 percent did not identify their gender. [2] [4] [13] Local, state, and federal anti-sex trafficking efforts have been criticized for being insufficient. Authorities have been accused of being apathetic. Anti-sex trafficking organizations, as well as victims’ families, in Mexico have received threats. [9] [10] [13]

Mexican Drug War

Drug cartels and gangs fighting in the Mexican War on Drugs have relied on sex trafficking as an alternative source of profit to finance their organizations, buy weapons, expand their territory, and for other purposes. [2] [8] The cartels and gangs also abduct women to use as their personal sex slaves and force them into unfree labour. [9]

Non-governmental organization

Justicia para Nuestras Hijas (JPNH) supports victims and investigations of sex and labour trafficking in Mexico. It is supported by the United Nations Trust Fund for Victims of Human Trafficking. [14]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex trafficking</span> Trade of sexual slaves

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human trafficking</span> Trade of humans for exploitation

Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation. Human trafficking can occur within a country or trans-nationally. It is distinct from people smuggling, which is characterized by the consent of the person being smuggled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human trafficking in the United States</span> Human trafficking as it relates to the United States

In the United States, human trafficking tends to occur around international travel hubs with large immigrant populations, notably in California, Texas, and Georgia. Those trafficked include young children, teenagers, men, and women; victims can be domestic citizens or foreign nationals.

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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human trafficking in Texas</span> Overview of the situation of human trafficking in the U.S. state of Texas

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human trafficking in California</span> Overview of the situation of human trafficking in the U.S. state of California

Human trafficking in California is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, and forced labor as it occurs in the state of California. Human trafficking, widely recognized as a modern-day form of slavery, includes

"the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power, or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labor services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex trafficking in the United States</span>

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+ and transgender 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 China is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the People's Republic of China. China, the world's second-most populous country, has the second highest number of human trafficking victims in the world. It is a country of origin, destination, and transit for sexually trafficked persons.

Sex trafficking in Myanmar is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. Myanmar is primarily a source and transit country for sexually trafficked persons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex trafficking in Vietnam</span>

Sex trafficking in Vietnam is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. Vietnam is a source and, to a lesser extent, destination country for sexually trafficked persons.

Sex trafficking in Laos is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Laos is primarily an origin country for sexually trafficked persons.

Women in the Mexican drug war have been civilians and participants. Since the beginning of the Mexican Drug War in 2006, female civilians, both Mexican citizens and foreigners, have been victims of extortion, rape, torture, and murder, as well as forced disappearance, by belligerents on all sides. Citizens and foreign women and girls have been sex trafficked in Mexico by the cartels and gangs. The criminal organizations, in turn, use the profits to buy weapons and expand. They have harmed and carried out sexual assault of migrants from Latin America to the United States. The violence against women in the drug war has spread beyond Mexico to bordering and nearby countries in Central America and North America. The number of women killed in the conflict is unknown because of the lack of data. Women officials, judges, lawyers, paralegals, reporters, business owners, social media influencers, teachers, and non-governmental organizations directors have also been involved in the conflict in different capacities. There have been female combatants in the military, police, cartels, and gangs. Women have lost loved ones in the conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex trafficking in Cambodia</span>

Sex trafficking in Cambodia is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the Kingdom of Cambodia. Cambodia is a country of origin, destination and transit for sex trafficked persons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex trafficking in Mongolia</span>

Sex trafficking in Mongolia is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the country. Mongolia is a source, transit and destination country for sexually trafficked persons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cybersex trafficking</span> Online sexual exploitation

Cybersex trafficking, live streaming sexual abuse, webcam sex tourism/abuse or ICTs -facilitated sexual exploitation is a cybercrime involving sex trafficking and the live streaming of coerced sexual acts and/or rape on webcam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex trafficking in Guatemala</span>

Sex trafficking in Guatemala is human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the Republic of Guatemala.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex trafficking in El Salvador</span>

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.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "What is Modern Slavery? - United States Department of State". U.S. Department of State. the Office of Inspector General. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Trafficking in Women and Girls and the Fight to End it". Latin American Bureau. November 26, 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Tenancingo: the small town at the dark heart of Mexico's sex-slave trade". The Guardian. April 4, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Murray, Christine (22 January 2020). "Mexico human trafficking cases rise by a third but many states found lagging". Reuters. Reuters. Retrieved 15 March 2021.
  5. 1 2 "DOJ: Mexican Sex Trafficking Organization Uses Southern Border to Smuggle Victims". People's Pundit Daily. January 7, 2019.
  6. ↑ "Human trafficking survivors find hope in Mexico City". Deseret News. July 17, 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 "Hiding in plain sight, a hair salon reaches Mexican trafficking victims". The Christian Science Monitor. April 12, 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 "Mexican Police Arrest Suspect in Trafficking Along US Border". VOA. October 13, 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Grillo, Ioan (July 31, 2013). "The Mexican Drug Cartels' Other Business: Sex Trafficking". Time.
  10. 1 2 "FORCED PROSTITUTION AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN MEXICO". El Universal. September 22, 2019.
  11. 1 2 "How a Mexican family became sex traffickers". Thomson Reuters Foundation. November 30, 2017.
  12. ↑ "Human trafficking survivor: I was raped 43,200 times". CNN. September 20, 2017.
  13. 1 2 3 "Mexico - United States Department of State". U.S. Department of State. the Office of Inspector General. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  14. ↑ "Our Funded Projects Around the World". United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.


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