Mexico Sex Trafficking Soars

From Al Jazeera:

Mexico has become the top provider of sex slaves to the Americas, according to the United Nations.

In an effort to tackle the problem, the Mexican government has now signed onto the UN's Blue Heart campaign, but so far it has had little success in prosecuting and convicting human traffickers.

One reason, according to some analysts, is confusion over which government agencies have jurisdiction over human trafficking cases.

In addition the Mexican government has yet to conduct any comprehensive surveys detailing the true extent of the problem.

Al Jazeera's Mariana Sanchez reports.

Mexico takes lead in launching national campaign against human trafficking

"It is an honor for us Mexicans to be the first country in the world to launch this important prevention campaign against trafficking."

- Felipe Calderon, President of Mexico

Music Video: Blood Into Gold - Peter Buffett featuring Akon

Press Release:

Blood Into Gold is the compelling new song from Peter Buffett featuring Akon, pinpointing the issue of human trafficking and slavery. The poignant video, produced by UNICEF, is a powerful visual representation of the songs message, utilizing moving images and video from around the world that depict the severity of this issue. As a complementary advocacy tool to the song, the hope of the video is to call attention to the issue and inspire others to help bring an end to the atrocities associated with human trafficking.

Visit istheresomethingicando.com for more info.

Buy the song in the iTunes store here

Documentary: Dying to Leave

From PBS:

This two-hour WIDE ANGLE special explores the current worldwide boom in illicit migration. Every year, an estimated two to four million people are shipped in containers, shepherded through sewage pipes, secreted in car chassis, and ferried across frigid waters. Others travel on legitimate carriers but with forged documents. An alarming number of these migrants end up in bondage, forced to work as prostitutes, thieves, or as laborers in sweatshops. By listening to the voices of those who pulled up their roots, who risked all, the film will put a human face on what might otherwise be seen as statistical, overwhelming and remote. Focusing on five major stories whose journeys traverse 16 countries from Colombia to China, from Mexico to Moldova this documentary will look into the circumstances that drove these migrants from their homes, describe the difficulties involved in their epic journeys and reveal what awaits them in their new world.

Watch full episode

Slavery and Freedom in the Caribbean and Latin America

The Legacy of Slavery: Unequal Exchange conference resulted from the passage of Senate Bills 2199 and 1737 in 2000 and was meant to address a number of issues related to the economic and political legacy of slavery, the roles of governments and businesses in this enterprise, and the question of reparations for the descendants of slaves.

Sex Slaves in Argentina

Black Men & Sex Tourism in Brazil

From NPR:

Ed Gordon interviews William Jelani Cobb, professor of history at Atlanta's Spelman College, about a growing number of African-American men who are traveling to Brazil and seeking out prostitutes. Cobb wrote an article in the September issue of Essence magazine titled "Blame it on Rio" on this subject.

Read Professor Cobb's article Blame it on Rio

Prostitution Inc.: Brazil

Part I:



Part II:



Part III:



Learn more

Mexican National Pleads Guilty to Trafficking

By Missy Diaz

From the Sun Sentinel:

FLORIDA, United States- A Mexican national has pleaded guilty to conspiring to smuggle Mexican women and girls into the United States and force them into prostitution, the United States Attorney's Office said Thursday.

Juan Luis Cadena-Sosa, 43, is one of 16 defendants charged in 1998 with smuggling the women and girls from Mexico to Florida and South Carolina. Cadena-Sosa remained a fugitive until November 2007, when he was extradited from Mexico to the United States. Nine of the defendants, including Cadena-Sosa, have now been convicted in federal court; one was convicted in state court and another was convicted on related charges in Mexico. A third defendant died while a fugitive. Three remain at large.

According to federal court documents, Cadena-Sosa, his brothers and a nephew operated a number of brothels, some with girls younger than 18, throughout South Florida. The women and girls were smuggled into the country primarily from Veracruz, Mexico, by Cadena-Sosa and his associates.

Once in the United States, the women and girls were informed that they owed a debt to the Cadena organization for bringing them here and that they would be required to repay the debt by working as prostitutes. Those that tried to escape were tracked down. The men used physical violence and threats to intimidate the women and girls, according to court records.

Cadena-Sosa, who pleaded guilty on Wednesday, will be sentenced on Aug. 20. He faces 15 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.

Prosecutions of human trafficking cases have increased seven-fold over the past seven fiscal years, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Slavery in Peru

By Lily Céspedes

From the Latin America Press:

“It’s a global situation that affects almost all countries. It has become an international problem and in order to fight it the work has to be coordinated between the authorities and governments of the world,” warned Rosa Dominga Trapasso, US missionary who came to Peru over 50 years ago and who defends female victims of trafficking in the nongovernmental organization Movimiento El Pozo, in Lima.

According to the report on the trafficking of women for sex trade in Peru, produced in 2005 by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) along with Movimiento El Pozo, eight of every 10 cases identified in Peru are related to domestic trafficking.

“There is a custom of turning over or receiving children or youths whose parents can’t take care of them, who fall, unfortunately, into the hands of human traffickers,” said Tammy Quintanilla Zapata, director of Movimiento El Pozo.

However, Peru is considered the country of origin, transit and destination of human trafficking. According to the ILO, Peruvian women and girls are the principal victims of this crime and are sent to other countries in South America (Argentina and Bolivia), Western Europe (Italy and Spain), Japan and the United States for sexual exploitation.

After a four-year struggle, nongovernmental organizations defending women teamed up with government bodies and private companies in Peru to create a multi-sector commission that promoted Congress’ approval of Law 28950 on Jan. 17, 2007, punishing human trafficking with prison time.

For congresswoman and lawyer Rosario Sassieta, first president of the Women Legislators Table of Peru, this law represents a significant advance since it implies a modification in the Peruvian criminal code, which did not previously recognize human trafficking as a crime, making it difficult to punish those who practiced it.

The new law establishes prison sentences between eight and 15 years for those who promote human trafficking, including the individuals who favor, finance, receive, transport, transfer, kidnap or trick for the purpose of sexual exploitation or receive the victim inside or outside Peruvian territory. When the victims are minors and the person involved in trafficking is a public employee, the sentence is 12 to 20 years. In the case that the victim is murdered or seriously injured, the punishment is no less than 25 years in prison.

In order to help prevent trafficking, the National Plan of Action against Human Trafficking 2007-2013 has also been established in Peru, which promotes the new law’s implementation and offers victim assistance through a telephone help line. Between March 2006 and 2007, over 8,500 calls have been registered, resulting in 60 reports to the police and Attorney General’s Office for investigation.

However, little information is available on how trafficking networks operate and even less information on people who have been condemned for this crime.

Read the full article

Call from Mexican Human Rights Ombudsman

A translation of an article from La Jornada:

The National Human Rights Commission demands a vigorous response from the State against human trafficking

The growing phenomenon of human trafficking requires the most vigorous response from the Mexican state because it is an attempt against the dignity, freedom, and the right to free development of individuals, stated the President of the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), Jose Luis Soberanes.

He asserted that this crime involves the unacceptable transformation of a human being into merchandise since it reduces him to a source of profit, deprives him of freedom and person, and he is dehumanized without the least consideration of his rights and dignity.

In a communication, he reported that the CNDH signed a convention of collaboration with the Program of Support to Victims of Human Trafficking (Protection) with the purpose of combating these activities.

The agreement includes the administrative obligation of the authorities for Mexico to fulfill its commitment to protect the rights of people who are on its territory.

The National Ombudsman reported that through collaborative work and with the participation of other institutions and organizations, Protection and the Program Against Human Trafficking of the CNDH "will promote the homogenization of the national judicial framework and will generate means through which social awareness with respect to this scourge, a modern version of slavery.

He added that in the global context, especially in Central and North America, many migrants run the risk of becoming trapped by traffickers, which adds to the many adversities that confront this sector. He stated his concern for young girls, boys, adolescents, and female migrants, who are captured by force or through deception to become the victims of sexual and labor exploitation.

"The Mexican state is obligated to provide them with protection and give them every guarantee to safeguard their integrity, dignity and freedom," he emphasized. He said that the governmental response will be more effective if they unite efforts and capacities in order to prevent trafficking and alter the conditions that make it favorable, as well to rescue victims and reintegrate them into society and prevent other people from falling into these networks.

The program of the CNDH and Protection includes the joint production of a short film on the topic of their various methods, the co-authorship of the national judicial framework on the matter of trafficking, the creation of an Internet page for disseminating information on the crime, and the design and facilitation of training courses for public servants, members of civil organizations and society in general for appropriate prevention.

Links to more about human trafficking and Mexico:

The Organization of American States

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

PBS Documentary on Illegal Trade

Last week a PBS documentary aired about illicit trade and the organized crime syndicates behind it. Very well done with footage from Panama, Colombia, China, Italy, New York and California- The Dark Trade sheds light on the worldwide network of illegal trade that transports everything from fake medicine, counterfeit purses and people around the world generating profits of approximately $650 billion a year.

The Trailer


Hopefully they will be re-airing it in the near future. In the meantime read about it here.

For more information on counterfeiting visit thetruecosts.org.

An interview with Dr Moises Naim, the author of Illicit, the book on which the PBS documentary is based.


More info on Dr Naim's book here.