|
|
|
Indigenous and Latina Women & Children's Human
Rights News from the Americas |
|
|
 |
|
LibertadLatina
|
|
Our 4th Anniversary
Statement
|
|
|
Feliz Dia Internacional de la Mujer! -
Marzo 8, 2005
Happy International Women's Day! - March
8, 2005
|
|
We Honor Dr. Laura Bozzo's Pioneering Work for Women & Girls! |
|
|
Download
Microsoft
Word (Zip)
(915kb)
-
PDF File
(447kb) |
|
|
About Us
LibertadLatina.org
is a
non-profit project that works to end the sexual exploitation of all
women and children in the Americas. We focus on building effective
defenses against the many forms of criminal impunity that threaten the
lives of Indigenous & Latina women & children wherever they may be.
Our work aims to
challenge today’s ‘gender hostile living environment’ that especially
impacts the lives of women and children of color. We challenge
sexist male supremacy, racism, anti-immigrant hostility, public apathy
and the ‘compassion fatigue’ that paralyzes our society from taking
effective action to save women and children in Latin America, the
Caribbean, Canada and the U.S. from a fast-growing -yet largely
‘invisible’ crisis of severe sexual harassment, sexual coercion and rape
with impunity.
That ‘gender hostile
living environment’ has set the stage for a new plague, modern sexual
slavery. Human slavery (also called trafficking) is now the third
most profitable criminal activity in the world. Over 100,000 Latin
American women and underage girls are trafficked against their will each
year.
During March of 2005
LibertadLatina.org
is celebrating its fourth year of existence. March 2005 is also
the 11th anniversary of the publication of
LibertadLatina
founder and coordinator Chuck Goolsby's first report on these
issues in 1994. We would like to take this opportunity to
re-emphasize our message of hope and urgency in regard to the women and
children's human rights crises that we advocate for. Exploitation
in the Americas is getting worse.
We
believe our efforts are having a positive impact in the world. We
know that our readers learn-from and use the large base of factual
information that we present. We also know that many of you take
that information into your own circles of advocates, co-workers,
journalists and friends, thus raising the World's awareness of the need
for the human race to rise up and act to end impunity now!
Thanks to all of you for your support. It is greatly appreciated!
LibertadLatina.org
is the largest
source of human rights advocacy information available (with over 500
factual documents) on the Internet in regard to Latina and indigenous
women and children’s exploitation issues. We continue to expand
that important mission day-by-day and year-by-year.
The basic mission of
LibertadLatina.org is
simple: to educate the public and society’s institutions in regard to
these issues; to save lives; and to act to rescue people trapped in
exploitation today!
LibertadLatina.org
Our 4th Anniversary and International
Women’s Day 2005 Report -
Defending ‘Maria from Impunity’
Our Mission - Defending 'Maria' from
Impunity.
Modern Sex Slavery & Latina Women & Girls.
Why Do We Focus on Latina & Indigenous
Issues?.
500 Years of Targeting Indigenous Women.
African Descended Women in the Americas.
Machismo and Hidden Forms of Exploitation.
Defending 'Little Brown Maria' in the
Brothel.
San Diego, California: A Critical Hot-Spot.
Empowering Law Enforcement to Act Against
Traffickers Now!
Community Exploitation in the Americas.
The Cold Facts About Community Exploitation
in Washington, DC.
HIV/AIDS and Machismo.
What Can We Do to End this Tragedy?
LibertadLatina
Salutes the Work of Dr. Laura Bozzo.
LibertadLatina.org Issues Index.
First and foremost, LibertadLatina.org
is pro-children, pro-Latina (pro-women),
pro-Latino (pro-men), pro-Indigenous, pro-Afro-Latina,
pro-Latina of every ethnicity, pro-human race and
pro-equality. We stand up to light a path out of the abyss of
criminal sex trafficking, rape with impunity and severe sexual
harassment that plagues the lives of many millions of women and minor
children around the world.
Latin
America, Latino communities in the United States and also Indigenous
communities across the Americas are among the cultures most severely
impacted
by the aggressive oppression of women and children's
rights to dignity and to the sanctity of their own bodies. We at
LibertadLatina
stand up to respond to this growing crisis of ‘mass gender violence.’
Modern Sex
Slavery & Latina Women & Girls
|
A kidnapped 13
year old Indigenous girl held by FARC guerrillas in Colombia.
From:
You’ll Learn Not to Cry
– A Human Rights Watch Report.
In
Colombia’s current civil war, both leftist guerillas and
rightist forces conscript and exploit young girls. |
Latin America is today the second largest global source of enslaved
women, after Asia. Millions of women and underage girls are
trapped in prostitution. Many of these women have been kidnapped and
sold.
‘Gender hostile living environments’ that view women as being very
literally inferior to men, the resulting under-education of girls,
poverty, unstable national economies and the immense money power of
criminal organizations make Latina women an easy target for enslavement.
This is not just a theory, it is a current fact.
Approximately 27
million persons are enslaved in the world today. At least 2
million women and girls are trafficked in forced prostitution (that
is likely a low estimate).
Annual
numbers of Latina women and children trapped in slavery include:
-
100,000 women and
children are trafficked across Latin America.
-
Up to 2 million
child victims are forced in to prostitution in Brazil.
-
500,000 girls age
16 and under prostituted in northeast Argentina.
-
500,000 minor girls
prostituted in Peru. Many were kidnapped.
-
35,000 Colombian
women are sold (mostly to Holland, Spain and Japan) for annual
criminal profits of $500 million (av. $14,000 each).
-
18,000 to 20,000
enslaved persons trafficked into the United States.
-
4,600 foreign women
are sex slaves in the U.S. (CBS News, 2005). Most women and girl
sex slaves in the U.S. are from Mexico.
Latina women and girls
are openly kidnapped or tricked into slavery. They are then sold
by slave traders to brothels in big cities and farm labor camps across
the Americas and beyond. Destinations include: San Diego; Los
Angeles; New York; Washington, DC; Miami; Amsterdam; Madrid and Tokyo.
Why Do We
Focus on Latina & Indigenous Issues?
LibertadLatina
recognizes that in Latin America, women and girls of all races and
social classes face sexual exploitation at a level that most people in
the 'developed world' can barely comprehend. Within Latin American
societies, poor women and girls, especially those who are of Indigenous
and African ethnicity, often face conditions of sexual exploitation that
are much worse than the abuses faced by their Latina sisters who may be
'mestiza' (mixed race) or of only European ancestry. Such racial
differences also exist in the U.S. and in Canada where violence against
women of color is rampant.
Leading World governments as well as global anti-trafficking and women’s
rights movements have traditionally focused on gender equality issues
within the developed world (especially the sex slavery crisis in Eastern
Europe). LibertadLatina
works to educate the public, World governments and
advocacy organizations about the fact that impunity is destroying women
of color across the Americas.
500 Years of
Targeting Indigenous Women
Indigenous women and girls in the Americas face an
ongoing wave of sexual harassment, assault and entrapment in criminal
sex trafficking that began at least 500 years ago and has never
let-up. Reports of the availability for sale of ‘virgin’
13 year old Mayan girls from Chiapas (state) in Mexico to brothel owners
in Europe for $25,000 each is the tip of the iceberg. Traffickers
and other sexual exploiters know that nobody will search for an
Indigenous victim!
Approximately 80 million 'First-Nations' ethnic
groups live in Latin America, especially in Bolivia (which is 80%
Indigenous), Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala (60%
Indigenous), El Salvador and Mexico. Women and girls in these
nations face sexual exploitation with impunity as a ‘normal’ part of
daily life. Victims are routinely ignored by the political and
judicial systems that should protect them.
The soldiers… started grabbing the girls and raping us,"
recalls Ana, one of a handful of survivors of the massacre. "…All the
girls were raped." In total, 177 women and children died that day.
The village [of Rio Negro (Black River)]
disappeared. –
About the 1982 government massacre of 107
children and 70 women in Guatemala.
In
Canada, thousands of 'First-Nations' children were raped (and
some were killed) in the mandatory-attendance boarding school system
that ended around 1980. In the aftermath of that horror, rape
prostitution, and gender murders still plague Native women. 90% of
child prostitutes are Indigenous.
In
the United States a similar pattern of abuses existed in boarding
schools. Indigenous women today face a rate of rape that is 3.5
times higher than that for other U.S. women. The U.S. Justice
Dept. reports that white men are the assailants in 80% of such cases,
which occur largely in western states.
Anti-Indigenous racism across the Americas conspires to hide and condone
the rampant sexual abuse of girls and women even while some national
societies begin serious work to end sexual exploitation affecting
non-Indigenous women. This indifference to indigenous women and
girl victims empowers criminals who know that across the Americas, they
can ‘safely’ target this ethnic group for violence.
The fact that the nations of the Americas were founded
by a process of colonization that once ‘gave’ Europeans ‘sexual
privileges of conquest’ does not justify continued exploitation in the
modern era. LibertadLatina
insists that governments act to protect Indigenous
women and
girls
from
impunity.
African
Descended Women in the Americas
Afro-Latina and Afro-Caribbean women and girls are also subjected to
conditions of gender and race based impunity in the Americas.
Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Panama, Venezuela, Cuba, the Dominican
Republic, Puerto Rico, the English speaking West Indies (Jamaica and
Trinidad & Tobago and other islands), as well as French speaking Haiti
and Dominique all have large populations of African-descended women
facing severe sexual exploitation. Sex traffickers actively target
these women and girls.
 |
Doctor Maricel Mena López
- An
Afro-Colombian Theologian Living in Brazil |
La mujer
blanca, de clase media, solo sufre sexismo. Las pobres sufren
clasismo y sexismo. Para la mujer negra enfrenta, además, otro
elemento, que es el racismo.
Middle class white women only suffer sexism. Poor women suffer
class-ism and sexism. Black women face, in addition,
another
element,
which
is racism.
From:
I Am Black and Beautiful (In Spanish).
|
|
Child sex abuse
and prostitution are rising in Latin America and children are
most threatened in Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic,
Venezuela and Cuba, United nations officials said Wednesday...
"Poverty and race ... are decisive. It is mainly poor, black
women who suffer the worst abuse'.'
Reuters, 1997:
Abuse In Latin America Growing. |
LibertadLatina
also stands up to address these racial injustices.
Our collection of Afro-Latina and Afro-Caribbean issues will grow as we
find new materials and network with community activists.
Machismo and
Hidden Forms of Exploitation
Few organizations in the anti-trafficking and
anti-gender violence movements in the developed world understand these
hidden cultural issues, what
Cuban-American
theologian and ethicist
Dr. Miguel de la Torre calls the
"multidimensional aspects of... a paradigm called machismo, which
[explains]
intra-Hispanic oppression." “[Machismo
involves] sexism, heterosexism,
racism… and classism.” Spain’s machismo, imported to Latin
America, has justified 5 centuries of the exploitation of women of
color.
LibertadLatina
focuses
special attention on the ways in which 'negative machismo’ creates a
social environment where traffickers and other sexual exploiters can
engage in ‘mass gender violence’ while entire societies do
nothing at all to stop their impunity. Machismo 'normalizes'
gender oppression. It justifies, in the modern era, the
mass-kidnapping, rape and enslavement of Latina women and girls.
Defending
'Little Brown Maria' in the Brothel
|
|
A
Paraguayan Indigenous Girl Rescued by Argentine Police
from Sexual Slavery in a Brothel.
Sexually
enslaving young Native girls has been a ‘tradition’ for
decades in Paraguay. |
|
'Little brown girls'
from Mexico and other countries in the Americas are literally kidnapped,
raped and trafficked by the thousands. They are then taken to
cities such as San Diego, New York, Washington, DC, Madrid and Tokyo,
where they are sold into sexual slavery exactly because they are 'little
brown girls' with no representation in the legal and social institutions
of the nations that are responsible for their safety. That is
unacceptable!
Stated clearly, Latina, African-descended and Indigenous women and girls
across the Americas are not defended from exploitation by criminal
gangs. Impunity dominates, often motivated by sexism, classism
and
racism.
One example of this reality becomes painfully clear when we examine the
fact that in Mexico an estimated 120,000 children were kidnapped during
a recent 3 year period, never to be seen again. Thirteen 13 year
old ‘virgin’ Mayan girls are kidnapped or bought in fake marriages, and
are then sold to brothels in Spain. Tens of thousands of other Mexican
children are sold to sexual slavery and illegal adoption rings who often
take their victims to the U.S. Nobody is looking for
those children except for their parents. 'Little brown Maria'
becomes just another faceless victim. Her future includes forcible
rape every day of her life, and then death from HIV/AIDS and torture.
These realities exist in Latin America and also in the U.S.
San Diego,
California: A Critical Hot-Spot
If
the well known and unfortunate White American child kidnap and murder
victims such as Polly Klass, Megan Kanca and Carlie Brucia (may they
rest in peace) had been known to have been trapped in a child rape camp
in San Diego, California, or in a residential brothel in Queens, New
York run by sex traffickers, helicopters and hundreds of police and
volunteers would have quickly rescued them. Yet in San Diego
County, California, 12 year old kidnapped 'little brown Maria' is
trapped in a brothel. It is known to activists and others that
she will not be rescued by law enforcement. Why?
The San Diego rape camps have been known to federal and local law
enforcement for over ten years. Ten years after
learning about the camps, federal, state and local law enforcement
conducted a raid of the worst open-air child rape camps. The raid
resulted in no convictions of the 40 men apprehended. The 47
enslaved underage girl victims remained silent because they had been
threatened with harm to themselves, to their families and to their
children, who are sometimes held hostage by traffickers. U.S. federal,
state and local law enforcement today know exactly where the traffickers
are pimping underage girls who have been kidnapped from Mexico.
Yet we see no visible efforts to rescue victims.
Therefore, We the People must stand and act in their defense.
Only We the People can pressure our governments to shut down the
child rape camps of San Diego County and across the Americas and the
World. LibertadLatina
would like to see the public join together to hold
governments accountable for these child rape camps. We look
forward to seeing real results from the $2 million in federal grants
sent in 2004 to San Diego based advocacy agencies and law enforcement.
The victims are waiting!
San Diego is part of a growing ‘zone of impunity’ that is emerging in
the U.S.-Mexican border region. Centuries of anti-Indigenous and
anti-Latina sexual exploitation is now enabling ruthless
traffickers.
Empowering Law
Enforcement to Act Against Traffickers Now!
|
…Each year an estimated 800,000 to 900,000 human
beings are bought, sold or forced across the world's borders.
Among them are hundreds of thousands of teenage girls, and
others as young as 5, who fall victim to the sex trade. This
commerce in human life generates billions of dollars each year,
much of which is used to finance organized crime.
…Those who
create these victims and profit from their suffering must be
severely punished. Those who patronize this industry debase
themselves and deepen the misery of others. And governments that
tolerate this trade are tolerating a form of slavery.
-
U.S President George W. Bush – Speech
to the United Nations General Assembly – September 23, 2003 |
Police and other
judicial forces must be 'authorized' to act by civil government
authorities to effectively stop these criminal exploiters. Governments
at the national, state/province and local levels in Canada, the United
States, the Caribbean and across Latin America must not only be
authorized and funded to act, they must be given explicit 'permission'
to do so. We have yet to see that 'permission' be given.
Within the United States, anti-immigrant hostility,
Spanish/English language barriers, machismo, official indifference and a
lack of political will appear to be 'binding the hands' of those
concerned law enforcement officials who would like to shut down the rape
camps and sex slavery brothels that now exist across the United States.
Even in instances where officials know where sex slavery exists, the
'rules of engagement' and the politics of police work sometimes cause
police not to act to rescue victims. Activist organizations such
as
Polaris Project are starting to
educate local police departments about best practices in how to respond
effectively to human slavery cases. The U.S. Department of Justice
is now funding regional anti-trafficking task forces across the United
States. Non-profit agencies are being well funded to assist
victims. The United States, the United Nations and the
Organization of American States are now funding initiatives to fight
trafficking in Latin America.
Yet San Diego's child rape camps continue to exist.
Under-staffed local law enforcement is fighting a loosing battle with
Tijuana, Mexico based traffickers. Gangs continue to kidnap and
enslave young girls with impunity because they know that U.S. law
enforcement won't or can’t act to shut down the child rape camps and
save lives! Across Latin America institutional sexism (and
classism and racism), official corruption and the huge profits available
from sex trafficking allow these criminals to operate in safety.
Leadership from the grassroots will be critical to change
these realities. Governments will not act unless they are pushed
to do so. We the People must unite and demand effective
action now!
Being Trafficked is a Death Sentence
|
A reasonable
statistical projection is that 15% of the sexually exploited
population, or 30,000 women and children, die every year.
Over a ten year span, it is more than those killed by the atomic
bombs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This is why it is the
most compelling human rights problem of our time. Yet,
this tragic situation is causing few concerns among most
governments of the world." |
A
young Colombian Girl Enslaved in a Brothel –
From
El Tiempo– Bogotá |
|
From:
Cherif Bassiouni,
President of the International Human Rights Law Institute,
College of Law at DePaul University, principal author of: A
Study of the Trafficking of Women and Children for Sexual
Exploitation in the Americas. |
Little is said in most public discussions by anti-trafficking groups and
others about the fact that sexual exploitation with impunity in our
societies is exposing innocent victims to the risk of an early death.
LibertadLatina
seeks to make these connections not just in regard to
trafficking victims but also in the context of the risk to life (from
HIV/AIDS) faced by Latina and Indigenous women from coercion and rape in
their communities, schools and low-wage workplaces, where exploitation
happens every day.
Community
Exploitation in the Americas
Indigenous and Latina women in Canada and Latin
America face sexual exploitation with impunity in their own communities.
LibertadLatina
discusses in detail how that oppression occurs in daily
life.
|
"Society’s
silence is the main accomplice in allowing widespread impunity.
Latin America and the Caribbean face enormous challenges in the
prelude to the twenty-first century. The region will have to
bring out into the open this increasingly disturbing reality;
and it will have to struggle against the high degree to which
society tolerates or practices inconceivable forms of aggression
against the most vulnerable individuals in society. In
commemorating International Women’s Day, Executive Director of
UNICEF Carol Bellamy said that "it is everywhere, among rich and
poor -- at home, in school, in the workplace and in the
community. Yet on the eve of the 21st century, the vast scale of
this outrage is still not widely acknowledged, nor even truly
understood".
From:
-
UNICEF Executive Director
Carol Bellamy
– International Women’s Day Speech – 1999. |
The severe, high levels of sexual harassment and assault faced by adult
women and minor girls within the immigrant communities of the United
States deserve special attention. The convergence of the impunity
of sexist ‘negative machismo’ (that hides behind a language barrier)
with the widespread apathy (lack of knowledge, indifference, and/or
anti-immigrant hostility) among many in official positions allow
violence with impunity against immigrant women and children to continue
virtually uncontested by the framework of U.S. laws that have been
designed (in theory) to fight sexual abuse.
The work of LibertadLatina
grew out of advocacy to defend Latina immigrant workers
from workplace sexual exploitation in Montgomery County, Maryland
starting in 1986. Responding to disinterest and even hostility
from corporate, government and press representatives, our first report
was written in February/March of 1994:
The Exploitation of Immigrant Women in Montgomery County, Maryland.
That report's pioneering analysis of the dynamics of the workplace
exploitation of immigrant women remains accurate today. March 2005
marks the 11th anniversary of the release of our 1994 report.
The Cold Facts
About Community Exploitation in Washington, DC
|
Exploitation and Impunity in Washington, DC
Excerpt:
"Over the past two years, I have been observing a systemic
pattern of violence committed against girls and young women
in our community. This violence involves the sexual
abuse/assault against girls as young as 10 years old...
...There
have been incidents of date rape, gang rape, abductions,
drugging, threats with firearms, etc. The incidents
are just as you described in your
[Mr. Goolsby's (below) NCMEC]
letter and have been met with the
same level of indifference and dismissal of legal (never
mind moral) responsibility on the part of civil institutions
-- the police department, public schools…"
...While some do say this is culturally accepted behavior,
the reality is that many families -- mothers and fathers
alike -- are enraged and wanting to pursue prosecution of
the perpetrators, but they find themselves without recourse
when the police won't respond to them, when they fear
risking their personal safety, and/or when their legal
status (undocumented) prevents them from believing they have
rights or legal protection in this country. Many girls and
young women's families are threatened and harassed by the
perpetrators when it becomes apparent that the family is
willing to press charges for statutory rape/child sexual
abuse.
...The use of intimidation and violence to control girls and
their families results in the following: 1)
parents/guardians back off from pressing charges, 2)
relatives do not inform the police or others of sightings of
girls and young women who have been officially reported as
"missing juveniles," and 3) the victims of sexual violence
refuse to participate as "willing witnesses" in the
prosecution/trial process.
From a 1999
letter by a Latina social worker
and girl's community center
director working with young Latina girls and other girls of
color in Washington, DC's largest Latino neighborhood.
Our letter
to The
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)
about child abuse and exploitation
in Gaithersburg, MD, and past official inaction in response.
(The above social worker's letter responds to this letter).
Excerpt:
In 1997
I reported the ongoing, daily sexual harassment of an 11
year old Latin immigrant girl from El Salvador by an adult
man, to the Gaithersburg City Police Department.
…[Officers]… didn't care at all and took no action…
{Officers] told me in a matter of fact way that they could
not respond to what the county Police Academy had taught
them (in cultural sensitivity classes there) was just a part
of Latino culture.
The next
year, 1998, I again approached the Gaithersburg City Police
Force to report that the same adult man was now sexually
involved with this now 12 year old girl. The officer
whom I spoke with at the city's police station stated to me
that "We can't just pick him up, he might sue the city."
I demanded to know from this officer whether there were laws
against pedophilia and statutory rape in Maryland or were
there not? I had to assert myself in the face of this
apathy and disinterest, to the apparent approval of the
female clerk working at the city's police station.
“Workers who seek only to earn a living end up in the
shadows of American life -- fearful, often abused and
exploited. When they are victimized by crime, they are
afraid to call the police, or seek recourse in the legal
system."
President
George W. Bush –
Immigration Reform Speech - 01-07-2004 |
HIV/AIDS and
Machismo
LibertadLatina
seeks to
address the serious threat that the HIV/AIDS epidemic poses to all
people, and the increased threat that sexual exploitation poses for all
Latina and Indigenous women and children in the Americas. Young
Latina women and girls are the fastest growing group of new HIV
infections in the U.S. according to AIDS health professionals. Within
Latin America, the HIV/AIDS epidemic may reach a near Africa level
epidemic in certain areas.
Sexual exploitation in daily community life plays a large part in the
threat to Latina and Indigenous women and girls of all ages from
HIV/AIDS. Our peoples need to recognize this fact and react to this
reality by moving beyond the traditional 'code of silence' about sexual
abuse and the negative aspects of a machismo that encourages risky
behavior. We must begin to develop effective methods of talking about
these issues with young people, women and other vulnerable populations.
Lives are at risk.
What Can We Do
to End this Tragedy?
In
recognition of the brutal reality of the enslavement and lifetime
sentence of forced rape given to millions of women and children each
year, LibertadLatina
offers this web site to all people of moral consciousness. All who read
this information are encouraged to take action today to end slavery. The
first step towards taking action is to acknowledge that this wound to
the human soul really does exist.
LibertadLatina
seeks to begin a dialog on these critical issues by involving people of
all ethnicities, including: Latino, Indigenous, African and Asian
communities throughout the Americas; young people; elders; advocates;
women's groups; social service and medical professionals; law
enforcement professionals; legislators; international and national
governmental organizations; labor groups and academics. By developing a
compassionate approach together we can light a path for our peoples out
of this crisis. Responding to this emergency will require cross-cultural
cooperation, empathy, and a respect for the sacredness of all
voluntary human relationships.
LibertadLatina’s
perspectives on the realities of sexual exploitation within Latin
America, Latin American immigrant communities in the U.S. and Indigenous
communities come from 27 years of direct work in Latin-American and
Indigenous victim advocacy for women and children.
LibertadLatina
contributes this web site to the battle to end exploitation now.
We encourage you to learn about these issues and then act on that
information. Each of us can make a difference.
Please help us in this work by contacting us, by passing the word, and
by finding ways to take positive action in your own communities.
The victims await our effective efforts to rescue and restore them.
The future potential victims deserve our best efforts to defend them.
Grass-roots activism around the world does make all the difference.
'Find your voice' on this issue. When you do, educate and organize
your friends, families, co-workers, neighbors & religious circles.
'Maria' prays that
somehow, some day,
we will rescue her.
Can you hear her
cries now?
Can we agree to unite and help her?
The Answer must be
yes!
End impunity now!
LibertadLatina.org
|
|
|
|
|
Street children from
Brazil - From: Jubilee Action, UK
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
LibertadLatina
News /
Noticias
|
|
Updated: Sep. 05, 2011
|
Mandanos
un... |
Email |
|
Send us
an... |
LibertadLatina
Site
Map
Últimas Noticias
Latest
News
Mexico
|
 |
|
Convicted child pornographer and sex trafficker
Jean Succar Kuri |
|
 |
|
Edith Encalada presunta víctima del
pederasta Jean Succar Kuri
Edith
Encalada, a presumed victim of pedophile Jean Succar Kuri |
|
 |
|
Jean Succar Kuri photographed with one of his child
victims during earlier times |
Dan 112 años de prisión a Succar Kuri
Sentencia “histórica” contra el pederasta: abogado
México, DF.- Tras siete años de litigio, un magistrado federal aumentó la condena del empresario Jean Succar Kuri, acusado de pornografía infantil y corrupción de menores, a 112 años seis meses de prisión y apagar más de 527 mil pesos.
Este 30 de agosto el magistrado del Tribunal Unitario del Vigésimo Séptimo Circuito modificó la resolución que le fue impuesta al empresario de origen libanés en marzo de este año, acusado de manejar una red de pornografía infantil en México.
La Procuraduría General de la República y el Consejo de la Judicatura Federal ayer informaron de la nueva sentencia contra Succar Kuri, cuyos delitos quedaron al descubierto hace más de diez años en el trabajo de la periodista Lydia Cacho.
En libro “Los Demonios del Edén”, publicado por la periodista en 2005, se da cuenta la red de pornografía infantil que Succar Kuri mantenía en Cancún, Quintana Roo, lo que le valió a Lydia Cacho ser perseguida y acusada de difamación.
Sin embargo, el fallo del magistrado federal, José Ángel Mattar Oliva, acreditó responsabilidad penal del pederasta.
Cárcel
de por vida
En entrevista con esta agencia, el abogado Xavier Olea Peláez, quien defendió a tres de las víctimas, explicó que el nuevo fallo surgió luego de que los representantes legales de las víctimas, la PGR y el propio Succar Kuri apelaran la primera resolución.
La primera pena de 13 años impuesta por Juez Segundo de Distrito, Alfonso Gabriel García Lanz, se hizo en un proceso global, mientras que el magistrado Mattar Oliva consideró siete años por cada víctima, lo que sumó los 112 años de prisión.
Sin embargo, el abogado señaló que de acuerdo con las leyes nacionales una persona no puede pasar más de 60 años en la cárcel, por lo que consideró que el acusado pasará el resto de su vida en prisión, aunque aun cabe la posibilidad de que interponga un amparo.
En caso de que Succar Kuri, quien fue relacionado con funcionarios públicos y empresarios como Kamel Nacif, Miguel Ángel Yunes Linares y el ex gobernador de Puebla Mario Marín, interpusiera un amparo, el falló podría modificarse, revocarse o confirmarse.
Sentencia histórica
Tras siete años de litigio y después de los testimonios y videos presentados por los abogados de las víctimas, Succar Kuri sigue sosteniendo que no es responsable y que no hay pruebas en su contra, asegura Olea Peláez.
Afirmó que esta sentencia, que calificó de “histórica” también implica que el pederasta cumpla con la reparación del daño, que consiste en el pago de la atención médica y psicológica de las víctimas.
Al respecto el abogado alertó que Succar Kuri podrá declarase insolvente para pagar la indemnización, lo cual tendría que probar, y que fácilmente puede hacer si trasladó sus bienes a su esposa o a sus hijos.
Finalmente aclaró que aún hay cuatro procesos abiertos en el fuero común por los delitos de violación equiparada, sin embargo aclaró que esta sentencia sirve para que en los próximos procesos se haga un análisis individual de cada víctima.
Por último dijo que es probable que Succar Kuri no salga de la cárcel aun cuando en los las otros procesos se dicten penas más bajas o lo absuelvan. Además aclaró que el Despacho que representa no continuará con los procesos en el fuero común.
Child pornographer
and sex trafficker Jean Succar Kuri receives 112 year prison
sentence
Decision against Kuri
is "historic" - lawyer
Mexico City -
After seven years of seeing the case of [millionaire] businessman Jean
Succar Kuri - accused of child pornography and corruption of minors
-
wind its way through the courts, a federal judge has increased his prison
sentence from 13 to 112 and 1/2 years. The new ruling includes a fine
of 527,000 pesos.
On August 30, 2011
the judge of the Unitary Court of the Twenty Seventh Circuit
modified the resolution that was imposed on the Lebanese-born
businessman in March of 2011. Succar Kuri is accused of having run
a child pornography ring.
The Attorney
General's Office and the Federal Judiciary Council announced the new sentence against Succar Kuri, whose
crimes were
uncovered more than ten years ago through the investigative work of
anti-trafficking activist and journalist Lydia Cacho.
In her book "The
Demons of Eden," published by Cacho in 2005, she exposes the child
pornography network of Succar Kuri in [the resort city of] Cancun,
in Quintana Roo state [where both Cacho and Succar Kuri resided]. In response, Cacho was accused of defamation
[then a criminal offense in Mexico] and was prosecuted [by corrupt
officials in Puebla state].
Despite that
history, federal Judge Jose Angel Mattar Oliva held Succar Kuri
responsible for his actions and sentenced him to life in prison.
In an interview
with our news agency, Xavier Olea Pelaez, the lawyer for three of
Succar Kuri’s victims, said that the new ruling came after the legal
representatives of the victims, the federal Attorney General’s
Office and even Succar Kuri himself had appealed the first sentence
handed down in the case.
That 13 year
sentence, imposed by Second District Judge Alfonso Gabriel García
Lanz, was applied based on ''a global process,’ whereas Judge
Mattar Oliva gave Succar Kuri a seven year sentence for each of his
victims. Those consecutive sentences ad up to a 112 year term in prison.
However, one lawyer
noted that in accordance with national law, a person cannot spend
more than 60 years in prison. Regardless, the defendant will spend
the rest of his life behind bars, although the possibility of an
appeal will always exist.
Should Succar Kuri,
who was linked with such public officials and businessmen as Kamel
Nacif, Miguel Ángel Yunes Linares and former
Puebla
state governor Mario Marín, file an appeal, the
recent ruling may be either confirmed,
modified or revoked.
Historic Judgment
After seven years
of prosecution, and after the presentation of testimony and videos by lawyers
for the victims, Succar Kuri continues to assert that he is not
responsible for the crimes, and that there is no evidence against him,
says attorney Pelaez.
Pelaez noted that
Succar Kuri could declare himself to be financially insolvent and
incapable of paying the court imposed fine. It would be easy for him
to do that if he transfers his property to his wife and/or children.
Four court cases
remain open against Succar Kuri in regard to criminal charges of
statutory rape. Succar Kuri’s conviction on child pornography and
corruption of minors charges will facilitate the ordering of an
analysis of each of the individual cases that remain outstanding, added Pelaez.
Pelaez concluded by
stating that it is likely that Succar Kuri will [ultimately] be freed, although
the statutory rape cases may bring light sentences. He stated that
his law firm will not be representing any of the victims in those cases.
Anayeli García Martínez
CIMAC Women's News Agency
Sep. 01, 2011
See also:
Mexico
Mexican judge increases sentence for businessman convicted of child pornography
Mexico City - A Mexican judge has increased the sentence of a prominent Mexican businessman convicted of child pornography after a prosecutors’ appeal. He extended the prison term to 60 years from 13 years.
Federal magistrate Jose Angel Mattar says Jean Succar Kuri deserves a harsher sentence for luring poor girls to his home in the resort of Cancun so that he and his friends could have sex with them.
Both prosecutors and Succar had appealed the previous sentence given in March. The magistrate actually set the new sentence at 112 years, but a statement Wednesday says Mexican law allows only a 60-year term.
Succar is a legal U.S. resident who was arrested in Arizona.
The Associated Press
Aug. 31, 2011
See
also:
LibertadLatina Special Section:
Journalist / activist Lydia Cacho is railroaded by
the legal process for exposing child sex trafficking networks in
Mexico
Mexico
Two women journalists are murdered in Mexico
City
|
 |
|
Ana María Marcela Yarce Viveros |
|
 |
|
Rocío Trapaga González |
Added: Sep. 5, 2011
LibertadLatina
Note
The below is a statement from the staff of
Contralínea Magazine in regard to the Sep. 1st murders of two of their
colleagues by unknown cowardly assailants. We at
LibertadLatina
share our condolences and our commitment to continue to speak truth to power.
End impunity now!
- Chuck Goolsby
LibertadLatina
Sep. 05, 2011
Mexico
Contralínea de luto
Estamos de luto en Contralínea. Marcela Yarce y Rocío González Trápaga, dos mujeres, dos periodistas, una de ellas madre, queridas amigas y compañeras de trabajo, perdieron la vida la madrugada del 1 de septiembre –día del informe presidencial–, a manos de cobardes asesinos. En la redacción de la revista hay dolor, indignación, frustración, ira, impotencia. De un escritorio a otro se respira el miedo, con justa razón. Las desgracias no han cesado, una a otra nos persiguen en los escasos 10 años de vida de nuestra publicación. Todo por neciar en mantener una línea editorial independiente y crítica hacia los hombres y mujeres del poder político y económico en México, quienes se niegan a entender que el periodismo es dé y para la sociedad.
Contralínea in mourning
The staff of Contralínea Magazine is in mourning. Marcela Yarce and Rocío González Trápaga, two women, two journalists, one of them a mother, beloved friends and coworkers, lost their lives in the early morning of September 1st - the day on which the president's annual report is released - at
the hands of cowardly
assassins. Within the press room of this magazine you can find pain, indignation, frustration, anger and impotence. From one desk to the next you can hear the sighs of fear, and with good reason. These disgraceful events have not stopped. One or another of us have been stalked during our few ten years in operation. All because we insist upon maintaining our independent and critical editorial point of view focused on the political and economic powers in Mexico,
people who refuse to acknowledge that journalism is by and for society.
Miguel Badillo
Revista Contralínea
Sep. 05, 2011
See also:
ONU-DH repudia nuevos asesinatos de periodistas en México
La Oficina en México del Alto Comisionado de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos (ONU-DH) repudia los asesinatos de Ana María Marcela Yarce Viveros, miembro del equipo de la revista
Contralínea, y Rocío González, periodista independiente, cuyos cuerpos sin vida fueron identificados el día de ayer en la Ciudad de México. Estos crímenes se suman al ocurrido la semana pasada que segó la vida del comunicador social Humberto Millán en Culiacán, Sinaloa.
“Estos asesinatos, amén del dolor que causan a las familias y personas cercanas para las cuales van nuestros sentimientos de solidaridad, agravian profundamente al gremio periodístico mexicano, cuyo reclamo de eficacia a las varias instancias oficiales destinadas a brindarles protección y seguridad, tienen vigencia y legitimidad indiscutibles”, sostuvo Javier Hernández Valencia, Representante en México de la Alta Comisionada de las Naciones Unidas para los Derechos Humanos.
En lo que va del año 2011 las y los comunicadores sociales muertos violentamente suman ocho, trágico panorama que se presenta reiteradamente desde el año 2000 para dar una cifra acumulada que eleva a 74 los homicidios contra periodistas, según fuentes oficiales.
Independientemente de sus múltiples móviles posibles, la violencia en contra de las y los periodistas ha devenido en un tema de acuciante preocupación y así lo plasmaron el Sr. Frank La Rue, Relator Especial de la ONU sobre la Libertad de Opinión y Expresión, y la Sra. Catalina Botero, Relatora Especial para la Libertad de Expresión de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos, en sus respectivos informes de misión y recomendaciones a México luego de su visita conjunta al país exactamente hace un año.
La ONU-DH insta a las autoridades competentes a agotar todas las líneas de investigación que se deriven de estos crímenes con una adecuada perspectiva de género, incluyendo particularmente aquellas que se relacionen con su actividad periodística, con el objetivo de capturar, procesar, juzgar y sancionar a los responsables. Al mismo tiempo, invita a la ciudadanía a unirse activamente en el rechazo de todo acto de agresión en contra de las y los comunicadores sociales, cuya victimización constituye además un gravísimo atentado contra la libertad de expresión.
UN HCHR repudiates
the latest murders of journalists in Mexico
The Mexican Office
of the High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations has
condemned the murders of Ana Maria Marcela Yarce Viveros, a member a
cofounder and reporter for
Contralínea ['Counterline'] Magazine, and
Rocío González, a freelance journalist. Their bodies were found and
identified yesterday in Mexico City. Their deaths come soon after
the murder of social commentator Humberto Millan in the city of
Culiacan in Sinaloa state.
"These murders,
aside from the pain that they cause for the families and people who
are close to them – for which express our feelings of solidarity
–
deeply aggravate the concerns of all Mexican journalists, whose
demand for effective protection from these dangers have
unquestionable legitimacy," said Javier Hernández Valencia,
representative in Mexico of the UN High Commissioner for Human
Rights.
during 2011 eight
journalists have met violent deaths in Mexico, continuing a tragic
scenario that has claimed 74 victims since the year 2000.
Regardless of its
many possible mobile, violence against the journalists has become a
topic of pressing concern for Frank La Rue, the UN’s Special
Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, and Catalina Botero,
Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter American
Human Rights Commission. Their viewpoints were expressed in their
respective mission reports and recommendations to Mexico after
conducting joint visits exactly one year ago.
The UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights urges Mexico’s authorities to exhaust
all leads in regard to these crimes, especially with respect to
their journalistic activities, while including a proper gender
perspective. The goal should be to arrest, prosecute and punish
those responsible. At the same time they invite the public to
actively join in the rejection of any act of aggression against
journalists, whose victimization is also a serious attack on freedom
of expression.
Contralinea
Sep. 02, 2011
See also:
Mexico
Murders of reporters heighten despair and shock
Mexico City, - "And how do you escape this anxiety, this sensation that nothing we do does any good?" a Mexican journalist wrote on her Facebook page after the murder of two of her colleagues in Mexico City.
The brutal murders of Marcela Yarce, 48, and Rocío González, 48, rocked Mexico when their bodies were found Thursday.
Yarce was one of the founders of
Contralínea, a political news magazine that regularly reports on government corruption, which has suffered constant harassment in recent years.
The two women were the first female journalists killed in the capital since the government of conservative President Felipe Calderón declared "war" on the drug trade and put the army on the streets shortly after taking office in December 2006.
"Mexican journalists are in mourning, not only because of these killings, but because of all of the murders committed against us," the "Los Queremos Vivos" (We Want Them Alive) collective that organises protests against attacks on journalists, wrote in an open letter to Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard.
The United Nations considers Mexico the third-most dangerous nation in the world for reporters.
The murders of Yarce and González also drew howls of outrage from other groups of reporters and women's organisations, as well as politicians of all stripes. But, unlike in 2010, when indignation over the kidnapping of four reporters prompted the largest protest demonstration by journalists ever held in Mexico, what has prevailed this time is a sense of shock.
"Every day, something happens that is more appalling than what happened the day before," one radio journalist wrote on Facebook. "We look at this with a sick stomach, thinking of our loved ones, of our country. Grief and rage. What do we do with this sad combination?"
By flinging the armed forces into the crackdown on drug trafficking cartels, Calderón has only worsened the spiral of violence. In the past four years, more than 40,000 people have been killed in increasingly grisly drug-related murders, 10,000 have been "disappeared", 700,000 have been forced to flee their homes, and growing numbers of people have been injured, mutilated, widowed or orphaned.
In the last few weeks, however, the violence has spread to areas that until now had been relatively untouched by the horror.
On Aug. 20, a firefight outside a stadium in the northern state of Coahuila during the live broadcast of a football game led to a suspension of the match. On Aug. 25, 61 people were killed when the Casino Royale in the northeast city of Monterrey was set on fire by unidentified armed men. And now, two women reporters were killed in Mexico City.
Neither of the two was actually involved in reporting work at the time of their deaths. Yarce was head of public relations in Contralínea, and González, a former reporter for Televisa, Mexico's largest television broadcaster, had a currency exchange business.
Their naked, bound and gagged bodies were found in a park in the poor
neighborhood of Iztapalapa, on the southwest side of the city, hours after their families had reported them missing. The two women had been beaten and strangled.
Clemencia Correa, a professor at the Autonomous University of Mexico City who
specializes in the issue of fear management, said a "policy of terror" is being used to terrify society.
"It is very complex to talk about Mexico today. What we see is that a policy of terror is being implemented, at different levels, and that unlike in the past, when there were state policies against human rights defenders or social movements, now these things are happening to the population in general, in the context of structural impunity," he said.
The consequences of the violence can be devastating for communities, because fear and despair cause a breakdown of the social fabric, said Verónica Martínez, who works at the Institute for Legal Research of the National Autonomous University of Mexico and is also a member of the board at the International
Organization for Victim Assistance (IOVA).
"The logic of fear is a very powerful form of domination and social control, because it aggravates the loss of individual and social identity and causes paralysis, isolation and segregation," she told IPS.
"This favors authoritarianism and legitimates the violation of human rights in the name of security," she adds...
Daniela Pastrana
Inter Press Service (IPS
Sept. 02, 2011
See also:
Mexico
|
 |
|
Mexico City Attorney General Miguel Angel Mancera Espinosa speaks to
reporters about the murders of
Marcela Yarce and Rocío González |
Mancera se compromete a esclarecer crimen de periodistas
Mancera se compromete a esclarecer crimen de periodistas
El titular de la PGJDF habló con familiares de las informadoras y con el director de la revista Contralínea a quien aseguró que el caso no quedará impune...
Mexico City's attorney general commits himself to solving the murders of two journalists in Mexico City
Mexico City Attorney General Miguel Angel Mancera Espinosa has spoken to the families of the victims, and to the director of Contralínea Magazine. Mancera assured that the crimes against the journalists would not remain in impunity...
El Universal
Sep. 01, 2011
See also:
Added: Aug. 04, 2011
The anti-trafficking context: Death threats continue against
one of Mexico's leading anti-trafficking activists - journalist Lydia Cacho
Mexico
|
 |
|
Mexican Anti-trafficking activist and journalist Lydia Cacho is
shown leaving a court session during one of her several past human
rights related legal battles. Her blouse says, "No Pedophiles, No
Corruption, No Impunity." |
Lydia Cacho: La fama es una herramienta para salvar la vida
" Nuestra visibilidad ha logrado subir el coste político de nuestra desaparición",
ha afirmado hoy la autora de "Esclavas del poder", un libro sobre la trata de
mujeres y niñas que da nombres de criminales y funcionarios públicos implicados
en estas redes en su país.
Lydia Cacho ha relatado, en la Universidad Internacional Menéndez Pelayo, su
experiencia como parte de "una hermandad global", la formada por "los
sobrevivientes de una guerra que no tiene cuartel y que quiere liquidar por
todas las vías posibles la libertad de expresión". Una hermandad, ha dicho, que
no existiría "sin las redes humanas que eligen protegerles".
La periodista y escritora mexicana lleva seis años preguntando qué hacer con ese
doble papel de narrador y personaje a otros colegas amenazados, con los que ha
emprendido lo que ellos llaman el "tour de la fama heroica", esos viajes al
extranjero para recoger premios o pronunciar conferencias sobre derechos humanos.
Roberto Saviano, Salman Rusdhie o la fallecida Ana Politkovskaya son integrantes
de esa hermandad que tuvo que "abdicar" de su personalidad para convertirse en "símbolo"
y también para recordar que "el periodismo es una misión y no solo un trabajo
mal pagado".
Para Lydia Cacho, convertirse en noticia es "un arma de doble filo" que hiere,
debilita y aleja de colegas y amigos y que antepone "la tragedia de las amenazas
a la importancia del trabajo que llevó a ellas".
Pero aún no conoce, ha subrayado, a un colega que haya sido perseguido o
torturado y que considere "que defender la libertad individual o colectiva es un
acto de heroicidad".
Quienes sufren esas amenazas deben mantenerse en guardia para seguir a salvo y
saltan "ante cualquier sonido que se parezca a un disparo" pero tienen que
seguir "denunciado a los cuatro vientos hasta el hartazgo el nombre del
empresario, el político o el policía que ha puesto precio a su cabeza", ha
defendido.
Lydia Cacho ha recordado que 64 periodistas han perdido la vida en México y "ni
uno de esos homicidios ha sido esclarecido" en un país donde "estar amenazado de
muerte no es noticia, como tampoco lo es morir".
Y le preocupa que a quienes se la juegan como ella se les vea como mártires. "No
lo somos, esto no tiene que ver con el sacrificio aunque tenga unos costes
altísimos", unos costes que asume porque sabe que su trabajo es "vital", al
menos para las 200 niñas que ya no están en la red de trata que denunció. "La
valentía es la de ellas, que se atrevieron a contarme sus historias", ha
apostillado.
Cree que en su país cada vez hay más periodistas que "se someten al yugo de la
autocensura" y que quienes se atreven a hablar se convierten en "el enemigo de
una patria que busca disfrazarse de democracia".
Pero están las organizaciones civiles, fundadas por mujeres en un 90 por ciento,
que trabajan por la regeneración aunque movilizarse también tenga un coste y una
generación joven que se está concienciando.
"Se puede sorprender el mundo muy pronto con lo que puede hacer la sociedad de
México", ha avisado.
Lydia
Cacho: Being famous can be a lifesaving tool
“Our
visibility is raising the political costs of eliminating us” declared author and
anti-trafficking activist Lydia Cacho during a recent presentation at Menéndez
Pelayo International University. Cacho’s latest work, The Slaves of Power, is a
book about the sex trafficking of women and girls that directly names and
implicates criminals and public officials in the operation of criminal networks
in Mexico.
Cacho related
her experiences as being part of a global sister-and-brotherhood that consists
of “the survivors of a war that has no ‘army’ – but which works to eliminate by
any means necessary freedom of expression.” That sister-and-brotherhood could
not exist “without the networks [of global pro human rights activists and
supporters] who have chosen to protect us.”
The Mexican
journalist and author has spent six years wondering what to do with her double
role as narrator and threatened character in this story. Together with
colleagues who live in the same situation, she has undertaken what they call the
"heroic tour of fame" - trips abroad where they receive awards and give lectures
on human rights.
Roberto
Saviano, Salman Rusdhie and the late Anna Politkovskaya are members of this
group. They each had to set aside their individuality to become “symbols, while
remembering that journalism was a mission, not just a poorly paid job.”
For Cacho,
being the news is becoming a "double-edged sword" that hurts you, weakens you,
distances you from colleagues and friends, and places the "tragedy of the
threats into the middle of your working relationships.”
Cacho has yet
to meet a colleague who has been persecuted or tortured and who considers "the
defense of individual and collective freedom to be an act of heroism."
Those who
suffer such threats are constantly on the lookout for their own safety. [We]
jump at "any sound resembling a gunshot." Nonetheless, we must continue to
“denounce to the four winds [until people are sick of hearing about it] - the
name of the [corrupt] businessman, politician or police officer who may have put
a price on your head," Cacho argued.
Lydia Cacho
recalled that 64 journalists have been killed in Mexico and "not one of those
murders has been solved." This in a country where "being threatened with death
is not news, nor is death itself."
Cacho worries
that those who find themselves in this position may be seen as martyrs. "We are
not. This has nothing to do with sacrifices, despite the fact that we do pay a
very high price.” We take on these costs because we know that our work is vital.
[In my case], my efforts have been vital for the 200 [underage] girls [in
Cancun] who are no longer [enslaved] in the sex trafficking network that I
denounced [starting in 2005]. Those girls, who dared to tell me their stories,
were the courageous ones, says Cacho.
Cacho believes
that more and more journalists are "submitting themselves to the yoke of
self-censorship." She added that those who continue to dare to speak up have
become the “enemies of a nation that seeks to cloak itself with the label of
democracy.”
Cacho says
that civil society organizations, some 90% of which have been founded by women,
are working to reform Mexican society, despite the fact that acting to mobilize
also has a price. We also see that a young generation is becoming aware, she
said.
"It may
surprise the world very soon to see what Mexican society can do," concluded
Cacho.
EFE
July 22, 2011
See also:
Mexico
Muckraking Mexican journalist receives death threats
Mexico City – Mexican journalist and author Lydia Cacho told authorities she has
received death threats for revealing the names of sex traffickers and urged them
to take action to identify the perpetrators.
"Last week, as I was returning from an event in (the northern state of)
Chihuahua, I received very specific death threats," Cacho said in a statement
released Wednesday, adding that after investigating the source of the threats
she decided to report them to authorities.
"We have clear signs of who these people claiming to be hit men are. There's
also evidence of the origin of the calls and e-mails. Authorities have the
responsibility to act," the investigative reporter and women's rights activist,
who has exposed prostitution and child-pornography rings, said.
She recalled that several journalists have been killed "after receiving very
similar threats," although they were disregarded at the time by the authorities
and the recipients themselves.
The idea was that "those who threaten don't kill, but that's changed," Cacho
said.
She said experts who analyzed the threats she received last week and the format
in which they were sent urged her to "take them very seriously and take all
appropriate precautions."
The journalist and author said she is not asking for any special treatment but
only wants authorities to do their duty to investigate "those who are promising
to torture me and end my life out of revenge for revealing the names of
traffickers of girls and women."
"I don't have the slightest intention of ceasing to practice journalism and work
in defense of human rights, but I also don't want to die or risk my life without
(taking) necessary precautions," Cacho said.
The journalist has been the target of threats since 2005, when she published a
book, "Los demonios del Eden" (The Demons of Eden), that exposed pedophile rings
operating under the protection of politicians and business leaders. For
publishing the crimes of Lebanese-born Mexican businessman Jean Succar Kuri and
others, Cacho was the victim of kidnapping, torture and police abuses, which she
revealed in another book titled "Memorias de una infamia" (Memoirs of an
Infamy).
In it, she detailed her arrest in late 2005 in Cancun on charges of defamation -
a criminal offense in Mexico - filed by Kamel Nacif, one of Mexico's richest
men, whom she had identified as a friend and protector of Succar Kuri.
She told of being taken to Puebla, a city more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles)
away, and of being psychologically tortured and threatened with death.
In early 2006, Mexican newspapers published transcripts of wiretapped
conversations between Nacif and the then-governor of the central state of
Puebla, Mario Marin, in which the two men discussed a plot to have Cacho jailed
and then sexually assaulted behind bars.
On the tapes, Nacif, known as the "denim king" for his dominance of the
blue-jeans business, is heard telling Marin that he had arranged for "the
crazies and the tortilleras (Mexican slang for lesbians)" to sexually assault
Cacho in the women's prison in Puebla city.
The transcripts indicate that Nacif engineered the journalist's arrest by
bribing court personnel not to send her the summonses for the defamation case.
The reporter's lawyers managed to get her out of jail before any harm could come
to her and the defamation case against her was later dismissed.
In her weekly newspaper column and other published works, Cacho also has
revealed precise information about people trafficking, organized crime, drug
trafficking, gender-related violence and official corruption.
The author's most recent book, "Esclavas del poder, un viaje al corazon de la
trata de mujeres y niñas en el mundo" (Slaves of Power: A Journey to the Heart
of the World Sex Trafficking of Women and Girls), exposes global sex-trafficking
rings and reveals the names of public officials who protect them.
EFE
June 30, 2011
See
also:
LibertadLatina Special Section:
Journalist / activist Lydia Cacho is railroaded by
the legal process for exposing child sex trafficking networks in
Mexico |
Mexico
Sentencían a familia acusada de trata de personas
Según los hechos, dos hermanos circulaban por zonas marginales de algunos estados donde seducían a menores de edad, a quienes convertían en sus parejas para después convencerlas de irse a Estados Unidos, país donde eran explotadas sexualmente.
Dictaron sentencia contra tres delincuentes acusados de trata de personas y se ofrece una recompensa por información que conduzca a la aprehensión del hijo de los sentenciados, informó la Procuraduría General de la República (PGR).
Un Juez Federal en la Ciudad de México sentenció a Emiliano Romero Ramírez, María Juana Rugerio Saucedo (o Cristina Ruberio) y a Cristina Hernández Suárez (alias "Alondra" o "La Güera"), por el delito de trata de personas.
La PGR, a través del trabajo de investigación y jurídico del Fiscal de la Unidad Especializada en Investigación de Tráfico de Menores, Indocumentados y Órganos de la Subprocuraduría de Investigación Especializada en Delincuencia Organizada, obtuvo sentencias por 37 años y seis meses de prisión y una sanción de 231 mil 608 pesos contra Romero Ramírez y Rugerio Saucedo. Para Cristina Hernández pugnará una pena de 28 años y seis meses de prisión además de 145 mil 639 pesos de multa.
Asimismo, se ordenó el decomiso del bien inmueble el cual, según se determinó, fue construido con dinero producto de la trata de cuatro de las víctimas del delito. Está valuado en 10 millones 446 mil pesos, por lo que será entregado al Servicio y Administración y Enajenación de Bienes (SAE).
A través de un comunicado de prensa, la PGR informó que de igual manera se le sentenció a la reparación del daño moral "por la exposición al riesgo de la transmisión de enfermedades venéreas, así como la reputación, la honra, los sentimiento y los trastornos conductuales de las víctimas, que producen un resultado material que se puede percibir a través de la forma en que las víctimas son materia de hostigamiento, burla y señalamientos por parte de los miembros de la sociedad en que tengan convivencia."
Cabe recordar que los hechos en los que participaron las tres personas iniciaron el 21 de abril de 2009, luego de que la agencia estadounidense ICE informó a la SIEDO sobre el rescate de tres mujeres que eran explotadas sexualmente en la ciudad de Atlanta, Georgia.
En su declaración, las féminas rescatadas refirieron haber sido seducidas y engañadas en Tlaxcala por los hermanos Miguel Ángel y Saúl Romero Rugerio para viajar a la Unión Americana.
Tras investigaciones, se conoció que dos jóvenes mujeres más, quienes al escapar de sus tratantes, regresaron a México. Ambas fueron localizadas por la Agencia Federal de Investigación en Tabasco y Veracruz, con lo cual se logró conocer a detalle el modo en que operaban los hermanos Romero Rugerio, quienes adquirían autos lujosos para impresionar a las jovencitas, seducirlas y después enviarlas a Estados Unidos.
Dos de las mujeres, menores de edad, fueron enganchadas en una escuela de Tabasco, donde las enamoraron y convencieron de vivir con ellos, en un lapso máximo de una semana. Una vez en el domicilio, en Tanancingo, Tlaxcala, donde convivían con ellas y, tras un corto periodo, las convencían de la ventaja de irse a vivir a Estados Unidos.
Cruzaban de indocumentados y, una vez en aquel país, eran trasladadas a departamentos que el mismo grupo tenía y atendía Cristina Hernández, quien les instruía en su nueva labor, que desempeñaban de lunes a domingo, sin descanso, durante todo el día hasta que cubrían la cuota de entre 20 y 40 contactos sexuales.
Por cada acto sexual de 15 minutos, cobraban 30 dólares. Empero, si debían despojarse de alguna prenda o "atender alguna solicitud especial", la tarifa aumentaba. El dinero les era quitado de inmediato, con el argumento de que era para construir una casa en México. Hasta que lograban huir.
Los ahora sentenciados fueron detenidos el 11 de septiembre de 2009, se solicitó y obtuvo la medida cautelar de arraigo en su contra y el 28 de noviembre de ese mismo año, se obtuvo la orden de aprehensión contra los tres miembros y otros dos más, Miguel Ángel Romero, preso en Estados Unidos y otro, Saúl Romero Rugerio, prófugo por quien se ofrecen 15 millones de pesos de recompensa.
Family
accused of human trafficking is sentenced
According to the known facts, two brothers circulated throughout the
poor areas of several states where they seduced minors whom they
convinced to become their romantic partners. The girls who were
seduced in this way were then convinced to go the the United States.
Later, they were sexually exploited.
The
federal Attorney General's Office (PGR) has announced that a federal court
in Mexico City has found three defendants in this case guilty, and has offered a
reward for information leading to the arrest of the son of one of
those convicted.
The judge who presided over the case sentenced Emiliano Romero Ramírez,
María Juana Saucedo Rugerio and Cristina
Hernandez Suarez for the crime of human trafficking.
The
PGR, by way of an investigation carried out by prosecutors of the
Special Unit for Investigation of Trafficking in Children, the
Undocumented and Organs - of the PRG’s Special Investigations into
Organized Crime division - achieved prison sentences of 37 years and
six months imprisonment and a fine 231,608 pesos against
Romero Ramírez and
Rugerio Saucedo.
Cristina Hernandez faces a term of 28 years and six months in prison
plus a 145,639 peso fine.
The court
also ordered the confiscation of a house which was determined to
have been built with profits from the trafficking of four of the
group’s victims. The property is valued at 10,446,000 pesos, so it
will be delivered to the Property Service and Disposal
Administration (SAE).
Through a press release, the PGR said that those convicted were also
sentenced to repair the moral damage caused "by exposing the victims to
the risk of transmission of venereal diseases, as well as damaging the reputation, honor, sentiments and mental health of the
victims."
PGR statement went on to explain that these effects have a
material result, which can be seen in the way in which the victims
are subjected to harassment, ridicule and accusations by members of
the society that they have to live in.
It
should be remembered that the criminal actions of those who were
convicted came to light on April 21, 2009, after
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) informed
Mexico's
Assistant Attorney General's Office for
Special Investigations into Organized Crime
(SIEDO) that
they had rescued three women who had been sexually exploited in the
city of Atlanta, Georgia.
In its
statement, the women reported having been seduced and deceived in
Tlaxcala state [Mexico’s sex trafficking capital] by brothers
Miguel Ángel and Saúl Romero Rugerio, who convinced them
to
travel to the United States.
During
the investigation it was learned that two additional young women had
escaped from the traffickers and had returned to Mexico. Both were
located by the Federal Investigations Agency [AFI – equivalent to
the U.S. FBI] in the states of Tabasco and Veracruz. Interviews with
these victims allowed the authorities to discover the modus operandi
that the brothers had used. They obtained luxury cars to impress
these minor girls and seduce them, with the goal of later [sex]
trafficking them to the U.S.
Two of
the minor girls were entrapped within their own school in Tabasco
state, where they were courted and where the traffickers convinced
the victims to live with them, a process that took, at most, one week.
After the girls arrived in the city of Tenancingo, Tlaxcala, they
were convinced by the brothers of the benefits of going to the
United States.
After
the girls crossed illegally into the U.S., they were taken to the
network’s apartments [in Atlanta], where [the madame]
Cristina Hernández
trained them in what their new ‘jobs would be. The victims were
forced to work seven days a week without a break, during the entire
day until they had met their quota of 20 to 40 sexual contacts.
The
gang charged $30 for each sex act, which lasted 15 minutes.
Customers were charged more if they requested that the victims
remove their clothing or if they “had a special request.” The
traffickers took all of the money, telling the victims that it was
being used to build a house in Mexico.
The
three suspects were arrested on September 11, 2009, and were then arraigned.
Suspect Michael Angel Romero is currently jailed in the U.S. Suspect
Saúl Romero Rugerio
is a
fugitive. A 15 million peso reward has been offered for his arrest.
Radio Fórmula
Sep. 03, 2011
See also:
Mexico
Three Mexicans jailed for human trafficking
Mexico City - Three Mexican nationals, including [two women], have been sentenced to more than 25 years in prison for forcing a group of young women to work as prostitutes in the US, officials said.
Emiliano Romero Ramirez and Maria Juana Rugerio Saucedo were each sentenced to 37 years and six months in jail, while Cristina Hernandez Suarez will serve 28 years and six months behind bars.
The convicts – arrested in December 2009 at the request of the US embassy – must also pay damages to the victims, the Council of the Federal Judiciary, which supervises most of Mexico’s federal courts, said.
The traffickers recruited the women ‘by trickery or force’ in Tenancingo town and then shipped them off to the US to work as prostitutes, the officials said.
The criminals, according to investigations carried out by US authorities, operated from 2007 till early 2009.
IANS/EFE
Sep. 04, 2011
Mexico
Hay más pobres, pese a inversión en programas sociales
MEXICO, D.F.- Hace dos meses, el Consejo Nacional de Evaluación de la Política de Desarrollo Social (Coneval) reportó que, de 2008 a 2010, bajo la administración de Felipe Calderón, el número de pobres se incrementó y representa casi la mitad de los mexicanos: 52 millones de personas.
Sin embargo, en los capítulos del Quinto Informe de Gobierno relativos a los sectores más sensibles a los vaivenes económicos, como los indígenas, las mujeres y los grupos vulnerables, parece que se describe otra realidad a la revelada por el Coneval, institución federal especializada en supervisar la efectividad de los programas sociales.
En lo que va del año, el gobierno de Calderón asegura haber elevado su inversión a 49 mil 101 millones de pesos a favor de los indígenas, de los que más de la mitad se aplicaron en los programas de Oportunidades, 70 y Más e Infraestructura Social Básica para la Atención a Pueblos Indígenas (PIBAI).
A pesar de ello, el Coneval encontró que el porcentaje de pobres entre la población indígena pasó, entre 2008 y 2010, de 75.3 a 79.3%, y la pobreza extrema de 39.4 a 40.2 puntos porcentuales.
En el reporte presidencial se asegura que en este año se impulsó una política pública que promueve la equidad de género a través del Programa Nacional para la Igualdad entre Mujeres y Hombres 2009-2012, que en este año tuvo un monto de 14 mil 196 millones de pesos.
Asimismo, se enlistan una serie de programas y campañas para evitar la violencia contra la mujer, así como para el Fortalecimiento de la Transversalidad de la Perspectiva de Género, el Desarrollo de las Instancias Municipales, y líneas gratuitas para asesoría contra la violencia intrafamiliar extrema.
De entre las acciones tomadas por la Fiscalía Especial para los Delitos de Violencia contra las Mujeres y la Trata de Personas (Fevimtra), se reportan mensajes radiofónicos dirigidos a la población indígena sobre la trata de personas...
The ranks of the poor increase despite
investments in social development
Mexico City - Two months ago, the National Counsil for the
Evaluation of Social Development Policy (CONEVAL) has reported that
between 2008 to 2010 (during the administration of President Felipe
Calderón), the number of poor in the nation has increased. They now
account for almost half of Mexico’s population, and total 52 million
people.
By contrast, the official Fifth Government Report’s chapters on
the most vulnerable groups in society, such as indigenous peoples,
women and other at-risk groups paint a different picture than the
alarm raised by the CONEVAL report. CONEVAL is a federal agency
who’s function is to monitor the effectiveness of social programs.
So
far this year, Calderon's government says it has raised its
investment to 49 billion 101 million pesos for programs targeting
indigenous peoples. Over half of that amount was used to support the
programs Opportunities, 70 and Over, and Basic Social Infrastructure
for the Care for Indigenous Peoples (PIBAI).
However, the CONEVAL found that the percentage of poor among the
indigenous population increased between 2008 and 2010, from 75.3 to
79.3%, and extreme poverty has increased from 39.4 to 40.2%.
The
presidential report said that during 2011 it has prompted public policies
that promote gender equality through the National Programme for
Equality Between Women and Men 2009-2012, which this year was funded
at 14 billion 196 million pesos.
It also lists a series of programs and campaigns to prevent violence
against women, to advocate for the mainstreaming of gender perspectives
and to create domestic violence hotlines at the municipal level.
The Special Prosecutor for Violent Crimes
Against Women and Trafficking (FEVIMTRA), in the office of the
Attorney General of the Republic, reported that it had created radio messages
about human
trafficking
that wee addressed to the nation's indigenous peoples.
However, nothing is mentioned in the Government Report about the
worrying increase in femicides, or the refusal of the National System
for Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women
to issue [legislatively mandated] gender alerts [that are required
to be publicized when crimes against
women reach a certain level] in the State of Mexico.
In
Mexico state, which is run by
Governor
Enrique Peña Nieto
of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), there were 2,015 homicides of women between the
ages of 18 and 32 from January of 2007 to December of 2009,
according to data from the National Citizen’s Observatory [think
tank] on Femicide.
Nor
did the president’s report mention the sentence of the
Inter
American Court of Human Rights, in the [femicide] case called the
Cotton Fields, involving the murders of three young women in the
city of Ciudad Juarez, in Chihuahua state. The Court’s decision
requires the Mexican government, through the Attorney General's Office (PGR)
and state prosecutors, to establish protocols for handling cases of missing girls and
women…
Gloria Leticia Díaz
Proceso
Sep. 01, 2011
New Mexico, USA
|
 |
|
Hero: Antonio Diaz Chacon (right), and
his wife, Martha Diaz |
Antonio Diaz Chacon, New Mexico man, thwarted kidnapping of 6-year-old girl
Albuquerque - The pair of 911 calls came in quick succession from a New Mexico
mobile home park.
On one, a frantic 12-year-old says her little sister is missing. On the other is
the wife of the man who would be credited with saving the 6-year-old from every
parent's nightmare.
"We are outside of my mom's house here," Martha Diaz told the dispatcher. "We
heard a man going, `Hey, hey let her go. Let her go.' So we turn around ...
"The man came running to us and said, `They stole a little girl.'"
Phillip Garcia, 29, had snatched the girl moments earlier on Monday afternoon in
Albuquerque, taking her away in a blue van, police said.
Diaz's husband, Antonio Diaz Chacon, jumped in his black pickup and gave chase.
Garcia tried to lose him by driving through a maze of residential streets,
"turning, and turning," Diaz Chacon, a 24-year-old mechanic said Tuesday night
as a swarm of media stood outside his home to hear his story. The events were
interpreted and relayed from Spanish to English by his wife.
Finally, Diaz Chacon said, the man crashed into a telephone pole.
Garcia fled on foot, and Diaz Chacon grabbed the girl and took her home. Garcia
then returned to his wrecked van and took off but was later captured by police,
authorities said.
Hidden under a rock just 25 feet from the van was packing tape and a tie-down
strap, police said.
Inside the impounded van were tostadas, a glove, a Leatherman tool, a black
satchel, orange strapping similar to the strap found hidden under the rock,
police said.
"This little girl was very lucky," police Sgt. Tricia Hoffman said. "We can only
guess what would have happened to this child."
"Throughout the county we see situations like this and they do not end typically
well," she said.
Diaz Chacon, she said, "did an amazing, amazing job and he saved this girl's
life"
Diaz Chacon said he was proud people considered him a hero, but that he never
thought twice about taking the action. While he was chasing the van, he said, he
thought of his own two girls, one 7 years old, the other 5 months, and how he
would want someone to do the same for him.
"I told him `I don't know how you could have gone after him," his wife said,
shaking as she recalled the events in front of their house in the normally quiet
sprawling South Valley neighborhood, where even on the evening after the
abduction kids played freely in the streets on their bikes and scooters.
"How could you have gone after him, not knowing where he's going, what he's
going to do? But he saved a life." Garcia was charged with kidnapping, child
abuse and tampering with evidence. Hoffman said Garcia is from Albuquerque and
had a revoked license but she was unsure if he had a criminal record.
Garcia immediately "lawyered up," declining to give any statement to
authorities, Hoffman said. Garcia was still jailed Tuesday and no lawyer had yet
been listed as taking the case, according to court officials.
There have not been any other recent child abductions or attempted abductions in
the city, Hoffman said...
The Associated Press
Aug. 17, 2011
See also:
New Mexico, USA
Hero says he's an illegal immigrant
Hopes to change perception of undocumented workers
Albuquerque - The Albuquerque man who is being hailed a hero for chasing down a
kidnapper and saving a 6-year-old girl said he's an illegal immigrant. Antonio
Diaz Chacón, 23, is now at the center of the debate over illegal immigration.
"We're just trying to take it all in," said Martha Diaz Chacón, who was
translating for her husband.
Diaz Chacón, who works as a mechanic, became an instant celebrity with hundreds
of news stories written about him across the country and people from coast to
coast wanting to send the hero their thanks.
"He thinks this happened for a reason," said Martha.
Diaz Chacón and Martha, who is a U.S. citizen, have been married for two years.
The couple has been living in Albuquerque for four years.
Diaz Chacón said he's tried to get his citizenship in the past but stopped after
the process became too time-consuming and expensive.
Still, he believes there is a reason why he was the one to save the girl Monday
night.
"Now that everywhere people are attacking immigrants, he thinks this happened
for a reason, for people to know that immigrants aren't just criminals," said
Martha.
Immigrant rights groups are using Diaz Chacón's story to counter the calls for
deporting all illegal immigrants. President Barack Obama announced Thursday his
administration will only focus on deporting illegal immigrants who commit
crimes...
Diaz Chacón isn't concerned he revealed his immigration status to the media
because he said "he's done nothing wrong."
KRQE
Aug. 19, 2011
Mexico, The United States
|
 |
|
U.S.
Commissioner of U.S. Customs and
Border Protection
Alan Bersin |
Piden a inmigrantes de no cruzar a EU por crecimiento en trafico de personas
Alan Bersin, secretario asistente para asuntos internacionales y representante especial para asuntos fronterizos del gobierno de Barack Obama, llamó a los mexicanos a no cruzar a Estados Unidos de manera indocumentada por el peligro que representan los cárteles de la droga que operan el tráfico de personas.
"El peligro de intentar cruzar no vale la pena", dijo el funcionario norteamericano en entrevista con Carmen Aristegui en MVS Radio, como parte de una nueva campaña migratoria impulsada desde Estados Unidos que señala los riesgos de dicha acción.
Además de las condiciones ambientales, el también llamado "zar fronterizo" resaltó que el principal peligro para los inmigrantes es el crimen organizado que controla el tráfico de personas y que antes no lo hacía.
"El crimen organizado está involucrado en una manera muy profunda en el contrabando, en la trata de humanos. Hay asaltos y extorsiones y otros delitos contra los migrantes", expresó.
"Si una persona piensa cruzar por el desierto hay más riesgos con los contrabandistas. Los polleros, los coyotes que están actuando en esta trata de humanos, porque en el pasado no había un crimen organizado, no fue involucrado en la cruzada ilegal de personas (sic)", aseveró.
Bersin señaló que el flujo migratorio bajó un 31 por ciento, pero no precisó fechas. Esto, atribuyó, al fortalecimiento de la presencia de la Patrulla Fronteriza y a que "hemos mandado un mensaje a los pueblos en el sur de México y a otros sitios de "que el peligro de intentar cruzar no vale la pena".
También, dijo, a que en Arizona se implementó "un sistema de aplicación de consecuencias o un castigo". No vamos a permitir el cruce, dijo...
U.S. Official asks
migrants not to cross into the U.S. because of the growth in human
trafficking
Commissioner of
U.S. Customs and Border Protection [and former ‘Border Czar and
California Education Secretary]
Alan Bersin has urged
Mexicans not to cross the U.S. without documents because of the
danger posed by drug cartels that operate as human traffickers.
"The danger of
trying to cross the border is not worth it," the U.S. official said
in an interview with Carmen Aristegui on MVS Radio, as part of a new
campaign promoted by the U.S. that highlights the risks of
migration.
In addition to
[desert] environmental conditions, the Bersin emphasized that the
main danger for immigrants was from organized crime groups that
today control human trafficking, whereas before they did not.
"Organized crime is
involved in a very profound way in smuggling, in trafficking in
humans. There have been assaults, extortions and other crimes
perpetrated against migrants," he said.
"If you are
planning to cross the desert, the risk is higher if you go with a
smugglers who transport people, because in the past organized crime
was not involved in taking people across [the border]." he warned.
Bersin said that
cross-border migration was down by 31 percent, but did not specify
specific dates. This is attributed to the strengthening of the
Border Patrol presence and because "we are sending a message to the
towns in southern Mexico and elsewhere that "the danger of trying to
cross not worth it."
Bersin added that
his agency has implemented a system of the application of
consequences or punishment in Arizona. “We will not allow people to
cross” he said.
Bersin said that
an estimated at 168 deaths of migrants at the U.S. border with
Mexico…
El Universal / Norte
sep. 01, 2011
|
The World, Latin America
 |
|
Chuck Goolsby |
LibertadLatina
Commentary
I recently read a Huffington Post article by Ronald Weitzer,
Professor of Sociology at George Washington University -
Myths About Human
Trafficking (see below excerpt). The professor's article
asserts that the current level of effort and funding focused on addressing the
crisis of sex trafficking is an overreaction to an exaggerated problem.
Although we disagree strongly with Professor Weitzer's analysis and
conclusions, it is important for all observers of the issue of human trafficking
to understand the broad range of viewpoints that are represented within this
movement.
The crisis of
human trafficking and
exploitation that confronts the
poor of Latin America, and
especially women and children
from marginalized indigenous,
Afro-descendant, migrant and
refugee populations, is on the
upsurge. While well-financed
drug cartels gear-up to focus on
the lucrative modern human
slavery market - by provisioning
their supply chain through the
mass kidnapping and entrapment
of innocents as an alternative
source of profits in the face of
more effective law enforcement
interdiction of their drug
shipments - the pro-legalization
faction of the movement seeks to reduce funding
for anti-trafficking efforts. As
we engage in this academic
debate, the trafficking mafias
are laughing all the way to the
bank as their victims continue to
suffer.
We favor neither
a liberal nor a conservative
approach to resolving the global human
trafficking emergency. What we
want to see accomplished is the
development-of and widespread
adoption-of effective approaches
to controlling the largely hidden
mass atrocity of modern human
slavery.
Both sides of the
political spectrum in the
U.S. have
skeletons in their closets in
regard to past inaction in the
face of the onslaught of modern
day slavery. This is
evident, for example, in their
collective
failure to deal with Latin
America's human slavery
emergency until very recently.
Despite that history and the
demonstrable growth in this
criminal enterprise, the 'pro-legalization of
prostitution' movement criticizes
the fact that the U.S.
Department of State's Office to
Monitor and Combat Trafficking
in Persons, directed by
Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, has
grown to a staff totaling 52
persons. We think that growth is
a good sign. It may have
resulted in some of the more
effective global actions that
are now being taken to control
exploitation.
A balance must be struck between
the liberal tendency that thinks
that human behavior should be
loosely controlled and virtually unmonitored, and more
conservative perspectives that
focus-on
ending all forms of sex work
globally (and thus giving less
emphasis to the labor aspects of
human slavery). Neither viewpoint
should interfere with agreement
on the basic imperative that
forced labor and prostitution is
wrong, and that humanity must do
all in its power to catch up to
the trafficking ‘industry’ and
shut it down.
I responded to Weitzer in a series of posts that I have assembled
into the below commentary.
An excerpt of Professor Weitzer's article follows my commentary.
End impunity now!
- Chuck Goolsby
LibertadLatina
Sep. 01, 2011
LibertadLatina
Commentary
Human Trafficking is a crisis that cannot be ignored.
The modern anti-trafficking movement has a history dating back to the 1990’s. The end of the Soviet Empire impoverished many in areas of former Soviet influence. Organized crime rushed into that gap and commercialized the mass sex trafficking of women and underage girls.
Women’s studies professors and Evangelical Christians [in the U.S.] were among the first to step up to the plate and confront the issue. They reacted to the crisis in Eastern Europe, although human slavery existed prior to the 1990’s across the world.
For the past 12 years I have been an active advocate for the Latin American victims of human trafficking,
[a former board member and then] executive director of a small trafficking NGO (Captive Daughters,
Inc.) and,
for the past 10+ years, organizer of the largest global news aggregation web site on
trafficking -
LibertadLatina.
Having seen the history of this issue evolve for a dozen years, and having pushed for an equal place at the table for Latin American, and especially indigenous and Afro-Latina victims, I can attest that the issue is serious, despite the lack of objective statistical evidence to quantify the scope of the problem.
Years ago, the U.S. CIA came up with a figure of 50,000 foreign victims being trafficked into the U.S. on an annual basis. They later revised that estimate to around 17,000. U.S. agencies and the United Nations disagree on the global scope of the problem.
Here are some facts:
1. Latin Americans are
today an estimated 60% of all trafficking victims brought into the U.S.
2. In 1918 the League of Nations examined forced prostitution and found the Latin America was the epicenter of the global problem.
3. Global mafias focus their kidnapping, torture, rape and overseas transport of victims on Latin American, and especially indigenous and other poor victims, because apathetic and sexist law enforcement will not go after them.
4. The Japanese
Yakuza began sex trafficking Colombian women in the 1980s.
Currently,
they hold captive an estimated 3 to 4,000 indigenous underage girls, kidnapped or entrapped in southern Mexico, who are forced to work as Geisha sex slaves in Japan.
5. The NGO Save the Children has identified the southern Mexican border with Guatemala as being the largest region in the world for CSEC (commercial sexual exploitation of children).
6. The International Organization for migration (IOM) has estimated that between 450 and 600 female Latina migrant women and girls are raped each day in their migration through the same region.
7. The U.S. anti-trafficking movement virtually ignored the Latin American crisis for years, favoring instead a focus on European and Asian victims.
Our site examines these issues in depth...
What is concerning is that progressives have been largely asleep at the switch in regard to human trafficking, except for the activism of people such as U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Liberals - who would have fought anti-Mayan genocide in Guatemala [during the 1970s, 80s and 90s] and slavery in the 1860’s South - often yawn upon hearing about modern slavery.
While we can debate the statistics involved, the crisis is real for those who are victimized by it. In the context of Latin America, billion dollar drug cartels are retooling their profit engines to move away from drugs and toward human trafficking. There are brothels that use unwilling Latina women and underage girls in virtually every barrio and farm labor camp in the U.S. The law enforcement response to that imported tradition of impunity is inadequate.
Professor Weitzer’s article involves an analysis that is consistent with the pro-legalization of prostitution ‘faction’ of the anti-trafficking movement. It can be said that the majority of anti-trafficking activists are pro-abolition, a perspective that the professor critiques in his article.
The pro-legalization position is strongly advocated by Professor Ann Jordan of
the Washington College of Law at American University. See her most recent
article, posted on her web site,
2011 State Department Trafficking in Persons Report: A need for more evidence and U.S. accountability.
I do like Professor Jordan’s emphasis on the need to go after the root causes of sex trafficking, which involve gender inequality and its resulting global female poverty.
At a seminar hosted by Professor Jordan at American University on pro-legalization, a participant from India [a female medical doctor] declared that a number of career prostitutes in Mumbai send their daughters to private schools, which I find to be utterly preposterous. Invariably, the pro-legalization folks reject child prostitution, however we know that
in major red light districts such as Mexico City’s La Merced tolerance zone, adult prostitutes sell the virginity of their daughters for a premium price of $800 when they reach age 11.
The pro-legalization lobby is, you could say, a counterweight to the pro-abolition faction, which is heavily conservative and Christian Right. Abolition though, is neither left nor right. It is a common sense position that addresses a global emergency.
Chuck Goolsby
LibertadLatina.org
Posted on HuffingtonPost.com
Aug. 28, 2011
See also:
The World
|
 |
|
Professor
Ronald Weitzer |
Myths About Human Trafficking
As recently as fifteen years ago, the term "human trafficking" was virtually absent from public discourse. Today, it is all the rage, and a huge amount of taxpayer money has been spent fighting it. There is no doubt that, when force or deception is involved in the recruitment or transportation of laborers (the definition of trafficking in U.S. law), trafficking is an evil that deserves robust countermeasures. But there are also many popular myths about trafficking -- frequently voiced in the media and by government officials -- that have distorted proper understanding of the problem and, more importantly, hampered efforts to combat it. What are the chief myths?
Trafficking is a mammoth problem
Interest groups, the media, and the U.S. government have given very high estimates of the number of persons trafficked each year into the sex industry or other labor arenas. In some instances, the numbers appear to be pulled out of thin air, as in a Washington Post editorial (June 28, 2011) declaring that "trafficking is understood today as a global phenomenon exceeding 20 million cases each year." Or consider a November 2005 episode of Oprah, in which it was claimed that "millions" of children are trafficked into prostitution each year. The U.S. Government's figures are lower -- 800,000 worldwide victims (down from an estimated 4 million in 2000) and 14,500-17,500 domestic victims (down from a high of 50,000 in 2000) -- though the sources of these figures have never been disclosed.
There is a stark difference between the official estimates and the tiny number of victims identified and rescued each year or the number of traffickers brought to justice, both domestically and internationally. Worldwide, the State Department reported in 2010 that only 0.4% of the estimated number of victims have been officially located and assisted. No one would claim that the official estimates could possibly match the number of identified victims -- given the obstacles to locating victims in illicit, underground markets -- but the huge disparity between the two should at least raise doubts about the alleged scale of victimization.
Trafficking is growing worldwide
Not only is human trafficking said to be a huge social problem, but also one that it is escalating worldwide. Trafficking does appear to have increased in some parts of the world, especially with the loosening of controls in the former Soviet empire. But the generic assertion that trafficking is growing globally cannot be substantiated. A related claim, by activists and some government officials, is that human trafficking has progressed from the third largest criminal enterprise in the world, behind the drug and arms trades, to number two status, behind drugs. I have yet to see any supporting evidence for this claim. Estimates of the profits -- said to be between $5 and $12 billion annually -- are similarly dubious. We simply have no reliable data on which to extrapolate profit margins in black markets...
Ronald Weitzer - Professor of Sociology, George Washington University
The Huffington Post
Aug. 24, 2011
Mexico
Trata de personas crece en México: PGR y PGJDF
Ciudad de México • Los titulares de las procuradurías General de la República (PGR), Marisela Morales Ibañez, y General de Justicia del Distrito Federal (PGJDF), Miguel Ángel Mancera, dieron a conocer que al igual que en todo el mundo, en México, durante los últimos años, se ha incrementado el delito de trata de personas.
Por su parte, la procuradora general de la República dijo que la trata de personas “es un negocio rentable para quienes la ejercen, y que en México esta deleznable práctica se ha multiplicado en años recientes, como también ha ocurrido en otros países del mundo”.
La funcionara federal dijo que actualmente, la Fiscalía Especial para los Delitos de Violencia contra las Mujeres y Trata de Personas (Fevimtra) y la Subprocuraduría de Investigación Especializada en Delincuencia Organizada (SIEDO) tienen en curso 32 procesos penales relacionados con este ilícito.
Sin embargo, también destacó que gracias a la nueva comprensión de este delito por parte de las autoridades, también se ha incrementado el número de órdenes de aprehensión y de intervenciones judiciales de cateo, cuando en el 2009 eran casi nulas, además de que en ese año sólo se abrieron dos procesos penales.
Durante su intervención en la inauguración del seminario “Combate y sanción de la trata de personas en México en el ámbito federal”, alertó que los tratantes de personas operan en redes transnacionales y “han refinado sus métodos de atracción”, para lo cual utilizan la seducción y el engaño, no sólo de manera personal, sino a distancia, a través de medios como el Internet.
A su vez, el procurador capitalino, Miguel Ángel Mancera, informó que en los últimos tres años, la PGJDF ha realizado 18 operativos contra la trata de personas, rescató a 156 víctimas y 68 menores de organizaciones criminales dedicadas a esta actividad, además de que se consignó a 134 personas por este ilícito.
De igual manera, detalló que en los últimos años se aseguraron 17 inmuebles que eran utilizados para estos fines, y que fueron sometidos a un procedimiento de extinción de dominio, así como que se obtuvieron ocho sentencias condenatorias contra 26 involucrados en este delito.
Dijo que estas cifras son el resultado de la colaboración con la PGR, con un trabajo de intercambio de información, al tiempo que con la Fevimtra y otros organismos, se trabaja en la elaboración de una ley general marco para armonizar los tipos penales.
Dijo que esta nueva ley busca distinguir entre el delito de trata de personas y el delito de explotación, además de que pueda “dar cuenta de manera moderna de lo que es el delito de esclavitud, así como las diferentes conductas que señalen distintos marcos punitivos.
Mexico City – Mexican Attorney
General Marisela Morales Ibañez
and Mexico City’s Attorney
General Miguel Ángel Mancera
have announced that, as is true
across the world, the rate of
human trafficking in their
jurisdictions has increased
during the past several years.
Full English translation to
follow…
Milenio
Aug. 24, 2011
Added: Sep. 01, 2011
Translated into English Sep. 05, 2011
Mexico
 |
|
Mexico City Attorney General Miguel Angel Mancera Espinosa
|
Trabaja PGJDF en nueva ley contra Trata de personas
La Procuraduría General de Justicia del Distrito Federal, informó que avanzan para dar cumplimiento puntual al Protocolo para Prevenir, Reprimir y Sancionar la Trata de personas, especialmente el rubro de mujeres y niños, emitido por la Organización de Naciones Unidas.
La Procuraduría General de Justicia del Distrito Federal (PGJDF), refrendó la noche de ayer, su compromiso con las víctimas del delito de Trata de personas, mujeres y niños y revalidó la coordinación interinstitucional en la lucha contra ese flagelo.
En un comunicado, el titular de la dependencia capitalina, Miguel Ángel Mancera Espinosa, informó que trabajan en una nueva ley en la materia, que sea de vanguardia, moderna, que incluya otras formas de explotación humana y que responda adecuadamente a los agraviados.
Durante la inauguración del ciclo de conferencia y mesa de Intercambio de Experiencias sobre Combate y Sanción de la Trata de Personas en México en el Ámbito Federal, en el edificio alterno de la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación, el Procurador capitalino, detalló que en los últimos tres años, la institución ha realizado 18 operativos, rescatado 156 víctimas, salvados 68 menores, consignado 134 probables tratantes, asegurado 17 inmuebles sometidos al procedimiento de extinción de dominio y obtenido 18 sentencias condenatorias con 26 personas condenadas.
Asimismo, ante la procuradora General de la República, Marisela Morales Ibáñez; la ministro Olga Sánchez Cordero y el experto en prevención del delito de la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas contra la Droga y el Delito, Felipe de la Torre, entre otros, Mancera Espinosa, reconoció que con estos resultados, lo que están tratando de hacer, es saldar la cuenta que todavía se tiene pendiente con las víctimas del delito de Trata.
Comentó además, que se avanza para dar cumplimiento puntual al Protocolo para Prevenir, Reprimir y Sancionar la Trata de personas, especialmente el rubro de mujeres y niños, emitido por la Organización de Naciones Unidas.
Destacó por otra parte, que en coordinación con la Comisión Especial de Lucha contra la Trata de Personas de la Cámara de Diputados, la Fiscalía Especial para los Delitos de Violencia contra las Mujeres y Trata de Personas, dependiente de la PGR, de la Organización Regional contra el Tráfico de Mujeres, Niñas y Niños, se impulsa la elaboración de una Ley General en materia de Trata de personas que sirva como marco para armonizar tipos penales a nivel federal y conjuntamente dar las pautas para las entidades federativas.
Además, explicó que la nueva legislación distinguirá lo que es Trata de personas, de lo que es el delito de explotación, a fin de establecer con toda precisión las reglas y el concurso de normas y de ilícitos.
Se busca, dijo, que pueda dar cuenta por primera vez de manera moderna de lo que es el delito de esclavitud; una ley que pueda distinguir para poder sancionar con todo lo que vale lo justo penal y las diferentes conductas que van acompañando a este delito.
Abundó, en que también esperan incluir otras formas de explotación que tradicionalmente han sido condenadas dentro de otros capítulos; además de establecer en esta ley, lo que es la pornografía infantil para que pueda darse una relación puntual sobre este tipo de explotación en niñas y niños.
De igual forma, sostuvo que a efecto de que el combate sea efectivo, es imperativo conjugar los esfuerzos de la sociedad, del gobierno, de los encargados de la procuración de justicia y también de la importancia de los juzgadores.
Por lo mismo, destacó la convocatoria del Poder Judicial Federal a este encuentro.
Enfatizó en la importancia de la coordinación interinstitucional, pues dijo, se trata de la unión de esfuerzos.
Al respecto, reconoció, "no lo hemos hecho solos, en los diferentes tramos del combate al delito de Trata hemos tenido que compartir ayuda de la Procuraduría General de la República o bien de los centros especializados en custodia de víctimas y en el empoderamiento de las mismas".
De ahí que pusiera de relieve lo significativo del Ciclo de Conferencia y Mesa de Intercambio de Experiencias sobre Combate y Sanción de la Trata de Personas en México en el Ámbito Federal.
Mexico City
Prosecutor’s Office contributes to work on new anti trafficking legislation
The Attorney
General of Mexico City [the Federal District] has reported progress towards the
goal of implementing the United Nations’
Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking
in Persons, especially Women and Children.
Miguel Ángel
Mancera Espinosa, the Attorney General of the Federal District (PGJDF), has
reiterated his commitment to the victims of the crime of human trafficking, and
women and children, and emphasized the importance of interagency coordination in
the fight against this scourge.
In a press
release, Mancera Espinosa reported that his office is contributing to work on
new anti trafficking legislation that will be leading edge. The proposal will
also address other forms of human exploitation and will provide for adequate
support for victims.
During the
inauguration of the conference and round table, An Exchange of Experiences in
Regard to the Federal Effort to Combat and Punish Human Trafficking in Mexico,
held in the Supreme Court’s annex building, the Attorney General Mancera
explained that during the past three years, his office had engaged in 18
operations, rescued 156 victims, saved 68 children, arraigned 134 probable
traffickers, confiscated 17 properties that are subject to forfeiture
proceedings, and had obtained 18 convictions involving 26 suspects.
Mancera noted that
his office coordinates with the Special Commission for Combating Trafficking of
the Chamber of Deputies [in Congress], the office of the Special Prosecutor for
Violent Crimes against Women and Trafficking in Persons - in the office of the
Attorney General of the Republic and the Regional Coalition Against Trafficking
in Women and Girls (CATW-LAC)
to develop new national anti trafficking legislation that will serve as a
framework to harmonize federal criminal statutes as well as provide guidelines
for the nation’s federated entities [31 states and the Federal District – Mexico
City].
Mancera also
explained the the new legislation will distinguish between human trafficking and
the crime of exploitation, with the objective of establishing clear definitions
of crimes and their corresponding criminal statutes.
We seek, said
Mancera, to define for the first time in a modern context, what exactly human
slavery is. It will be a law that distinguishes various criminal acts and
behaviors to allow them to be punished with the appropriate level of sanctions.
Mexico City’s
attorney general added that the authors of the legislation also hope to include
other forms of exploitation that have traditionally been covered by other
chapters of the criminal code. We also include definitions of child pornography,
so that a prompt legal response to this form of the exploitation of children can
be achieved.
Mancera explained
that for the fight against human trafficking to be effective, it is imperative
to coordinate the efforts of society, government, those who are in charge of
criminal justice and judges. Mancera highlighted the fact that members of the
judiciary were participating in the conference.
Mancera said that
the fight against trafficking must be a joint effort. He notes, “we we have not
achieved these results by working alone. We have had to share this effort with
the federal attorney general’s office and with centers [NGOs] that specialize in
assisting and empowering victims…”
Attorney General of the Republic Marisela Morales Ibáñez, Supreme Court Justice
Olga Sánchez Cordero and United Nations crime prevention expert Felipe de la
Torre attended the conference.
Radio Fórmula
Aug. 25, 2011
Mexico
Mexico Establishes Code against Sexual Tourism with Minors
Mexico City - The Mexican government on Tuesday passed a law that seeks to protect minors from sexual tourism.
The new code enacts preventive and protective measures for children and teenagers in tourism companies, and also and also allows for the prosecution and punishment of travelers who commit this crime.
The code was signed by Margarita Zavala, president of the Consulting Citizens Council of the National System for Integral Family Development, Tourism Secretary Gloria Guevara, entrepreneurs and civil society representatives.
The legislation to avoid human trafficking has improved with a constitutional reform passed by the Congress, but it requires more participation to fulfill and respect the law, Zavala said.
Inside Costa Rica
Aug. 24, 2011
Canada, Tanzania
 |
|
Mumtaz Ladha |
British Colombia provincial government sues for house in human trafficking case
The [government of the Canadian province of British Colombia] is attempting to seize the $3.1 million home of a West Vancouver woman charged with human trafficking.
According to the civil claim filed by the province's Director of Civil Forfeiture in B.C. Supreme Court on Thursday, Mumtaz Ladha and two family members used the home as an "instrument of unlawful activity."
Ladha, 55, was charged with human smuggling after a 21-year-old woman claimed she was being confined as a servant at the family's British Properties home.
The young woman left the home in June 2009 after living there for one year and made her way to a women's shelter, police said earlier this year.
The director of civil forfeiture wants all or part of the property where Ladha allegedly made the woman work up to 22 hours a day for a pittance of a wage.
Worked for $200 a month
According to the court documents, the servant was offered a job for $200 a month. But when she arrived from Africa in 2008, she began a life of indenture that saw her wash cars for the family and its friends, launder underwear by hand and shovel snow for Ladha's vehicles, clad only in a cotton dress and sandals.
Ladha also allegedly took possession of the woman's passport after she arrived in Canada, according to police.
The claim also provides insight into the RCMP investigation. Border services officials told police the servant's initial visa application was refused, but later accepted on the basis of a doctor's note which said Ladha needed help with an alleged health condition — vertigo.
But the alleged victim later told investigators that to her knowledge Ladha was in "perfect health."
No statement of defence has been filed by Ladha or the other family members, but in the past the family has said police have got it all wrong and the African woman making the allegation was never forced to work as a slave in Canada.
Ladha was arrested without incident at Vancouver airport on July 19 as she returned to Canada and is facing one charge of human trafficking and one charge of human smuggling.
The Huffington Post - Canada
Aug. 26, 2011
See also:
Canada, Tanzania
B.C. human trafficking suspect a no-show in court
Mumtaz Ladha, of West Vancouver, faces human
trafficking and human smuggling charges.
A West Vancouver woman facing human trafficking and smuggling charges was respresented by her lawyer at a court appearance in Vancouver Wednesday morning.
Mumtaz Ladha, 55, was arrested at Vancouver International Airport on July 19 and charged with human trafficking and human smuggling.
Ladha was represented at B.C. Provincial Court by legal staff and the case was put over until Sept. 19. She has hired well-known criminal defense attorney Richard Peck to represent her.
A warrant for her arrest was issued in May, alleging Ladha lured a 21-year-old African woman to Canada on the promise of a job in a hair salon in 2008. But police allege Ladha instead forced the woman to work in her home 18 hours a day without pay, confiscated her passport and fed her table scraps.
The crown has asked for a publication ban in the trial to protect the identity of the victim. It is not clear why she is seeking to protect her identity.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
Aug 10, 2011
|
Mexico
Desaparecen en promedio en el país 41 niños cada día
Según la Fundación Nacional de Investigaciones de Niños Robados y Desaparecidos, se rescatan a cuatro de cada diez
En los últimos cinco años la Procuraduría General de la República (PGR) tiene reportados como robados o desaparecidos a 75 mil niños, es decir 41 en promedio cada día, de los cuales se ha logrado recuperar a 30 mil, que equivalen a 40%.
De acuerdo con datos recabados por la
Fundacion Nacional de Investigaciones de Niños Robados y Desaparecidos, el crimen organizado penetra hasta en las rancherías para robarse a niños y niñas, los cuales vende a redes de pederastas con fines de explotación sexual.
Aun cuando el problema del narcotráfico es de alta prioridad para las autoridades, en México el fenómeno en el cual niños son arrebatados de su familia y utilizados con fines de adopción ilegal, tráfico de infantes, prostitución infantil o para ser explotados laboralmente es altamente preocupante.
Al menos así lo deja ver la Fundación, que nació en 1997 como respuesta a la problemática social del robo, extravío, explotación y desaparición de menores en nuestro país, y la cual se encarga de brindar apoyo a las familias que han sufrido el robo, extravío o desaparición de alguno de sus hijos para orientarlos y lograr su recuperación.
“Hacemos todo lo humanamente posible para recuperar a estos pequeños y regresarlos a sus casas. Una vez recuperados, les brindamos gratuitamente terapia física y sicológica, así como a sus familias”, explicó la vocera de la Fundación,
Lourdes Begné.
Los logros
La Fundación, de carácter asistencial, busca reintegrar a los menores a sus hogares, apoyándose de investigaciones que ayuden a localizarlos; este apoyo e investigaciones son sin costo alguno, ya que la institución recurre a donativos de personas, empresas y organizaciones que desean ayudar a su labor.
“De cada diez casos (que llegan a la institución) logramos recuperar sólo a uno. Es muy complicado, pero estamos luchando por la cultura de la prevención con nuestra cartilla y dando cursos a los niños para evitar que se los roben”, expuso Begné.
De hecho, para la Fundación el rescate de niños al año es muy variable; se encuentra en un rango de entre 150 y 300 niños. “Esto depende de la ayuda que se reciba por parte de las familias y personas. El tiempo que se tarda en recuperar al desaparecido, también depende de la ayuda que reciba la Fundación por parte de la gente”, señala.
Apenas el martes pasado fue encontrada una niña de 13 años que fue secuestrada y ahora se encuentra en recuperación sicológica.
Otro de los últimos casos más sonados fue el rescate de 15 niñas que robaron y prostituyeron en un penal.
También se logró la recuperación el 5 de junio pasado de la menor Alejandra “Ch”, de 12 años, desaparecida el 4 de junio del 2011 como consecuencia de contactos que estableció a través de las redes sociales.
Para recuperar a los niños la PGR ocupa varios métodos, y uno de ellos es tomar cabellos de los desaparecidos para sacar el ADN; a partir de ahí, la Fundación comienza a distribuir folletos, boletines, anuncios en radio y televisión, así como correos electrónicos, para anunciar la desaparición.
En esa parte la ayuda de las personas es vital, ya que son los que mencionan haber visto al desaparecido.
An average of 41 children go missing each day in Mexico
According to Mexico's Attorney General's Office, during the past 5 years 75, 000
children have gone missing, which is an average of 41 disappearances per day.
Some 30,000 of those children have been recovered, amounting to 40% of the
total. According to data collected by the National Foundation for Investigations
into Stolen and Disappeared Children (Fundacion Nacional de Investigaciones de Niños Robados y Desaparecidos),
organized crime groups go so far as to invade rural homes to kidnap girls and
boys. The victims are sold to pedophile [child sex trafficking] networks for
purposes of sexual exploitation. Although the war against the drug cartels is
the nation's highest [law enforcement] priority, the high numbers of children
who are robbed from their families to be sold in illegal adoptions and in baby
trafficking, or who are exploited in labor slavery and forced prostitution is
truly worrying. That is how the staff at the Foundation - founded in 1997 to aid
families who have suffered the kidnapping of a child - see the situation.
Foundation spokeswoman Lourdes Begné stated, "We do all that is humanly possible
to find these little ones and return them to their homes. After they are
recovered, we offer both the victims and their families free psychological and
physical therapy."
Achievements
With donations provided by individuals, organizations and businesses, the
Foundation has been able to provide free assistance in investigations, and has
worked to reintegrate the victims back into their home life.
"For every 10 cases that the foundation receives, one victim is recovered. It is
very complicated, but we are fighting to create a culture of prevention with our
information cards and through our workshops for children," explained Begné.
The number of children rescued by the Foundation on an annual basis varies
widely, from between 150 to 300. "The rates of recovery, depend upon the
amount of help that they receive from the victim's families and the public. The
time needed to find a child also depends upon the level of public cooperation
that we receive," said Begné.
On Tuesday of last week the Foundation rescued a 13-year-old girl who had been
kidnapped. She is now in psychological therapy. Another
recent case that was notable involved 15 underage girls who had been kidnapped
and were being prostituted in a prison.
On June 5, 2011 the foundation also achieved the rescue of Alejandra "Ch," age
12, who had disappeared on June 4th as a result of her use of [Internet] social
networks.
The federal attorney general's office uses various methods to search for
disappeared children, including the taking of hair samples to extract DNA. The
Foundation joins in these investigations by distributing flyers, running
announcements on radio and television and by sending email distributions. The
response of the public is vital, as it is their sightings of the victims that
result in rescues.
Periódico Excélsior (Mexico)
Aug. 20, 2011
See also:
National Foundation for Investigations into Stolen and Disappeared Children: 41 Children Go Missing Each Day in Mexico
According to a Mexican non-profit organization, the Attorney General's Office has registered 75,000 minors as missing since 2006, many of them likely sold to sex trafficking rings.
The National Foundation for Investigations into Stolen and Disappeared Children (Fundacion Nacional de Investigaciones de Niños Robados y Desaparecidos) says that an average of 41 children a day have been reported missing over the past five years. Only one in 10 cases handled by the foundation end with the child being rescued, the organization's spokeswoman said. According to data from Mexico's Attorney General's Office, 30,000 of the 75,000 children reported missing have been rescued.
According to a report prepared last year for the United Nations, up to 35,000 minors have been recruited by drug trafficking gangs since 2006. Under Mexican law, minors cannot serve prison sentences longer than three years, which may explain why some gangs have turned to recruiting teen hitmen, including 14-year-old Edgar Jimenez, alias "El Ponchis," a U.S. citizen charged with kidnapping and homicide in July.
Minors are also recruited into the sex trade. Many of Mexico's missing women and girls may be working in forced prostitution, the foundation notes. According to a report published last year by the Council on Hemispheric Affairs, the focus on the war against drug trafficking has forced some gangs to broaden their criminal portfolio and begin seeking profits from human and sex trafficking.
Other agencies besides the Attorney General's Office have tracked the negative impact of Mexico's so-called "drug war" on the youth population. According to Mexico's Minister of Education, 30 percent of the homicides connected to organized crime involve minors.
Elyssa Pachico
InsightCrime.org
Aug. 22, 2011
|
See also:
Added: Dec. 12,
2010
Mexico
|
 |
|
Indigenous
girl
children
in
Mexico:
Always
at risk
from sex
traffickers,
U.S. and
European
pedophile
sex
tourists
and a
government
that
doesn't
care. |
|
 |
|
Guillermo
Gutiérrez
Romero,
who is
the
president
of
Mexico's
National
Foundation
for the
Investigation
of
Kidnapped
and
Disappeared
Children,
holds a
press
conference
in 2010
to
discuss
the
disappearance
of
140,000
children
in
Mexico
during
the past
5 years. |
De cada 10 niños
robados uno es
recuperado
En México, se estima
que por cada diez
niños que son
robados sólo uno es
recuperado, por lo
que urge que se
tipifique este hecho,
como un delito
federal y se
integren unidades
policíacas
especializadas de
investigación.
Guillermo Gutiérrez
Romero, presidente
de la
Fundación Nacional
de Investigación de
Niños Robados y
Desaparecidos,
observó que este
ilícito, comienza, a
presentarse con
mayor frecuencia en
zonas indígenas del
país, donde los
padres de familia,
no cuentan con
documentos o
fotografías de sus
menores que permitan
abrir indagatorias...
Only one out of 10
kidnapped children
in Mexico is ever
recovered
The kidnapping of
indigenous children
is accelerating due
to the impunity that
is made possible by
language barriers
and a lack of
children's birth
certificates and
photographs
An estimated
50,000 children have
been kidnapped and
are now living on
the streets under
the control of
sexual exploiters
Guillermo Gutiérrez
Romero, who is the
president of the
National Foundation
for the
Investigation of
Kidnapped and
Disappeared Children
believes that the
crime of child
kidnapping is
focused on
indigenous regions
of Mexico, where the
parents of victims
do not have birth
certificates or
photographs that
would allow the
authorities to
investigate their
cases.
Gutiérrez Romero
added that human
trafficking has
become the third
most profitable
criminal activity
globally, after arms
and drug smuggling.
This requires, he
said, that the
legislative branch
of the federal
government reform
the nation's laws,
so that human
trafficking becomes
a federal crime.
[Note, the nation's
current Law to
Prevent, and Punish
Human Trafficking,
passed by Congress
in 2007, is not a
'general' federal
law. It therefore is
not enforceable by
federal law
enforcement in any
of this nation's
states, nor in
Mexico City. -
LL]
No statistical
reporting mechanisms
exist in any of
Mexico's states to
identify unusual
patterns in child
kidnappings, said
Gutiérrez Romero.
Therefore, he added,
criminal networks
operate with
complete impunity.
From Gutiérrez
Romero's
perspective, these
kidnappings have
three purposes: 1)
to sell these
children to couples
via illegal
adoptions; 2) to use
the victims for
sexual exploitation;
and 3) to illegally
extract their
organs.
Gutiérrez Romero
emphasized that the
kidnappings of
infants and young
children is
perpetrated
specifically to
supply the illegal
adoptions market. He
has recommended that
hospitals and
clinics step-up
security in their
facilities.
The kidnapping of
children between the
ages of 3 and 6
represents a
particular pattern,
noted Gutiérrez
Romero. He said that
many young couples
in which the woman
wants to preserve
her figure seek out
clandestine
adoptions of
children in this age
range.
Gutiérrez Romero
declared that the
only statistics that
are available about
child kidnappings in
Mexico indicate that
at least 50,000 of
these victims live
on the streets and
are exploited by sex
trafficking
networks, while at
the same time nobody
[particularly in law
enforcement] takes
action to rescue
them.
What is striking is
that now, in
southern Mexico and
especially among the
indigenous peoples
of the region, this
phenomenon is
beginning to
accelerate,
especially because
the language, spoken
by he parents of the
victims is not
Spanish, said
Gutiérrez Romero.
A second problem
that impedes the
documentation of
each of these cases
is the fact that
parents do not have
birth certificates,
photographs or other
documents that are
required to create
the case file that
is needed to begin
the search.
Gutiérrez Romero
concluded by saying
that families,
schools and
hospitals must
develop approaches
to protect children,
and they must fight
back, so that the
federal authorities
echo our demands to
pass legislation
that responds to
this phenomenon.
El Universal
Dec. 09, 2010
See also:
Mexico
Guillermo Gutiérrez
informa que en
México en los
últimos 5 años han
desaparecido 140 mil
niños
Para combatir el
robo de niños falta
voluntad de la
autoridad
Culiacán, Sinaloa.-
En México, en los
últimos 5 años, han
desaparecido 140 mil
niños, de los cuales
sólo el 10 por
ciento ha sido
recuperado, informó
Guillermo Gutiérrez
Romero, director
general de la
Fundación Nacional
de Investigaciones
de Niños Robados y
Desaparecidos IAP.
Señaló que 50 mil de
esos infantes están
siendo víctimas de
la prostitución
infantil, mientras
que 70 mil de ellos
son explotados
laboral y
sexualmente.
Los rangos de edad,
dijo, van desde
recién nacidos hasta
la adolescencia,
siendo las niñas las
que encabezan la
lista...
Combating the
kidnapping of
children will remain
impossible as long
as Mexico's
government lacks the
will to do so
140,000 Children
have been kidnapped
during the past 5
years
According to
National Foundation
for Investigation of
Kidnapped and
Disappeared Children
president Guillermo
Gutiérrez Romero,
140,000 children
have disappeared
during the past 5
years. He added that
only ten percent of
these children have
been found.
Fifty thousand of
these victims have
become victims of
child prostitution.
Another 70,000 are
subjected to labor
and sexual
exploitation.
These missing
children range in
age from recently
born infants to
adolescents. Girls
are the primary
victims. ..
El Debate
Dec, 12, 2010
See also:
Mexico
"Sufren 50 mil niños
explotación sexual"
Culiacán.- Se
calcula que en
México hay alrededor
de 50 mil niños
raptados que son
explotados
sexualmente, sin
embargo, no existe
una cifra oficial
que permita conocer
la realidad, dijo el
presidente de la
Asociación de Niños
robados y
Desaparecidos, IAP,
Guillermo Gutiérrez
Romero. "No tenemos
esa cifra.
Desconocemos cuál es
la radiografía
nacional, para saber
cuántos niños
robados hay en
México. Muchas veces
los mismos estados
niegan cierta
información porque
no conviene a sus
intereses", aseveró.
Por la explotación
infantil, indicó,
México es
considerado el
Bangkok de América
Latina, donde llegan
miles y miles de
pedófilos de todo el
mundo. "Les ofrecen
carteras donde
vienen bebés, niñas
y niños de 1 ó 2
años, incluso, para
tener sexo con ellos",
reveló...
Fifty Thousand
children kidnapped
suffer [commercial]
sexual exploitation
The city of Culiacán
on the state of
Sinaloa - It is
estimated that
50,000 kidnapped
children are being
sexually exploited
in Mexico, although
no official
statistics exist to
allow us to
understand the
actual situation,
declared Guillermo
Gutiérrez Romero,
the president of
Mexico's National
Foundation for
Investigation of
Kidnapped and
Disappeared
Children. Gutiérrez
Romero, "We don't
have any statistics.
We don't know how
many stolen children
exist in Mexico."
Gutiérrez Romero
warned that, "On
many occasions, the
state governments
themselves have
refused to provide
certain statistics,
because to do so
would not be in
their own self
interest."
Gutiérrez Romero
observed that in
regard to the
[commercial] sexual
exploitation of
children [CSEC],
Mexico is considered
to be the Bangkok of
Latin America, where
thousands of
pedophiles arrive
from all over the
world.
"These pedophiles
are offered venues
where infants,
babies of 1 to
2-years-of-age are
sold, to have sex
with them,"
he declared.
Gutiérrez Romero
reported that the
majority of CSEC
takes place in
Mexico's large
cities and in its
tourist ports. For
that reason, he
said, these are the
locations that
pedophiles flock to.
"What is known as
child sex tourism is
taking place in our
tourist ports. A
number of people
choose these
destinations to have
sex with children."
Gutiérrez Romero
cautioned that state
governments that
have tourist resort
areas within their
jurisdictions are
loathe to announce
publicly that the
kidnapping of
children takes
place, because that
news would diminish
tourism.
Only 10% of child
kidnapping victims
are rescued, noted
Gutiérrez Romero.
Gutiérrez Romero
denounced the fact
that the laws
against stealing
cattle in Mexico are
more severe than the
laws against the
kidnapping of
children.
Janneth Aldecoa
Noroeste (Northwest)
Dec. 12, 2010
Mexico
Often unaided by
authorities, Mexican
parents of abducted
children spend their
days searching and
nights haunted by...
stolen lives
"...When people rob
a bank, there are
cameras. But if you
steal a child in
circumstances no one
sees, we are talking
about an invisible
enemy," said
Guillermo Gutierrez
Romero, who runs one
of the largest
private
organizations in
Mexico dedicated to
finding missing
children.
"There is not a
trace of anything,"
said Gutierrez, who
heads the National
Foundation of
Investigations of
Stolen and
Disappeared Children
and has been trying
to establish links
with the Center for
Missing & Exploited
Children in
Virginia. "In the
United States, you
have help from the
government, from the
FBI, from private
corporations. In
Mexico we are on our
own…"
The only
organization with a
breakdown of the
percentage of cases
is the Association
for the Recovery of
Lost Children, run
by accountant Israel
Betanzos.
He said about 60
percent of the cases
he handles are
custodial. That is,
a husband or wife
took the child. But
he said between 30
percent and 40
percent are stolen
or kidnapped. Other
organizations agree
on the breakdown.
"Police don't help
us. When we call
them, they want
money," said
Betanzos, who wants
to establish an
alliance with the
Heidi Search Center
for Missing Children
of San Antonio. "But
all the victims are
poor. They barely
have enough to eat…"
Betanzos said if a
child is under 3
years of age, the
chance of recovery
is virtually nil.
"Minors who are
stolen are becoming
younger all the
time. That way they
can't remember their
parents or talk
about their
families, and in
many cases they
don't even know
their name," the
newly created
Federal Preventive
Police said in a
statement in March.
"They are stolen for
sale to illegal
adoption networks
that take them out
of their country,
and are exploited in
various forms,
including sexually,
for pornography and
prostitution," he
said…
Bring in the clowns
The children's
organizations say
kidnappers use all
means to take a
child when parents
have their guard
down.
"The kidnapping of
newborn babies from
hospitals and
clinics by people
dressed as nurses is
very common," said
Gutierrez, a
business
administrator who
founded his
organization after
running the Mexico
City attorney
general's Center for
Missing Persons.
"There is also what
we call 'shopping
from a catalog,'
which happens in
poor, rural areas,"
he said.
A few years ago,
Gutierrez said,
officials discovered
a clown ring that
traveled to remote
indigenous
villages in the
states of Guerrero,
Oaxaca and Veracruz
to entertain
children and take
their photographs.
"The whole village
came out, children,
parents to see the
clowns. They gave
out candy and told
jokes," Gutierrez
said. "When the
games were over they
took photographs of
the children."
A couple of months
later, the clowns
return to the
villages bearing
gifts for the
children.
"They give presents
except to certain
ones, the ones
selected in
photographs,"
Gutierrez said. "To
those they say 'Oh,
no! We've run out of
toys, but there are
more in our van if
you come with us.'"
The children follow
and are locked
inside, not to be
seen again,
Gutierrez said.
"These rings operate
where there is
poverty, where
people have no power
or political clout,"
Gutierrez said.
Children's
organizations say a
child can bring
anywhere from
$10,000 to $100,000
depending on skin
and eye color. The
whiter the skin, the
more expensive…
Susana Hayward
San Antonio
Express-News
April 09, 2000
See also:
LibertadLatina
Special Section
Read our section on
the prostitution of
infants by
trafficking gangs
across Latin America |
|
Mexico, The United States
|
 |
|
Mexico's Attorney General Marisela Morales Ibáñez meets in Mexico
City with
Melanne Verveer, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues |
Recibe PGR a encargada de Asuntos Mundiales de la Mujer de EU
México.- La titular de la Procuraduría General de la República (PGR), Marisela Morales Ibáñez, recibió la visita de Melanne Verveer, embajadora especial para Asuntos Mundiales de la Mujer de Estados Unidos, quien está de gira por México.
En un comunicado, la procuraduría informó que ambas abordaron temas relativos al desarrollo económico y la participación política de las mujeres, quienes enfrentan grandes retos en los principales problemas sociales, tales como la seguridad de la ciudadanía.
Durante la reunión también estuvieron Patricia Bugarín, subprocuradora de Investigación Especializada en Delincuencia Organizada, e Irene Herrerías, fiscal especial para la Atención de Delitos de Violencia contra las Mujeres y Trata de Personas.
Entre las funciones de la embajadora estadounidense destaca la de buscar la reducción de la violencia contra las mujeres por razones de etnia, raza, clase social, religión, nivel educativo y nacionalidad.
Verveer también se encarga de verificar que se combatan amenazas como el infanticidio por género, el matrimonio infantil, la trata de personas y la violencia doméstica, entre otros problemas que afectan a la población femenina en el orbe.
En ese contexto, Morales Ibáñez refrendó el compromiso de la PGR de velar por la estricta aplicación de la ley, agotando las instancias legales procedentes para su cumplimiento, siempre con respeto a los derechos humanos, así como a los procedimientos y competencias establecidos en la ley.
Todas coincidieron en que el fortalecimiento de las instituciones de procuración de justicia es fundamental para la construcción de una sociedad democrática, así como en el papel que actualmente desempeña el sector femenino para el fortalecimiento del tejido social.
Mexico's Attorney General
receives Melanne Verveer, U.S.
Ambassador-at-Large for Global
Women’s Issues
Marisela Morales Ibáñez,
Mexico’s Attorney General, has
received a visit by Melanne
Verveer, U.S.
Ambassador-at-Large for Global
Women’s Issues, who is currently
touring Mexico. In a press
release, Morales Ibáñez stated
that the two had discussed
issues related to economic
development and political
participation of women, who
today face great challenges in
regard to the nation’s major
social problems such as personal
safety.
Also present during the meeting
were Patricia Bugarín, Deputy
Attorney General for Organized
Crime, and Irene Herrerías,
Special Prosecutor for Attention
to Crimes of Violence against
Women and Trafficking in Persons
(FEVIMTRA).
Ambassador Verveer’s
responsibilities
include leading global efforts
to reduce violence against women
that are caused by their condition of
ethnicity, race, social class,
religion, educational attainment
or nationality. The Ambassador
is also empowered to verify the efforts of nations
in regard to reducing the
threats of gender based
infanticide, child marriage,
human trafficking and domestic
violence, among other themes.
In this context, Attorney
General Morales Ibanez
reiterated her commitment as
Attorney General to ensure
strict enforcement of the law,
the compliance of government
entities with their
responsibilities, as well
as maintaining respect for human
rights in accordance with the
procedures and powers
established by law.
The attendees at the session
agreed that the strengthening of
criminal justice institutions is
fundamental to building a
democratic society, as is the
role played by women in
strengthening the nation's social fabric.
Notimex
Aug. 19, 2011
See also:
Mexico, The United States
Travel of Ambassador Melanne S. Verveer to Mexico
Melanne Verveer, Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues, will travel to Mexico City, Mexico August 16-19 to promote bilateral engagement on women’s economic empowerment and political participation, as well as challenges women face on key societal issues like citizen safety. On August 17, she will deliver the keynote address at the Mexican publisher Expansion Group’s event “50 Most Powerful Businesswomen in Mexico,” highlighting the role of women in driving economic growth. While in Mexico, Ambassador Verveer will also meet with government, civil society, and business leaders to exchange views on the economic, political, cultural, and social situation of women in Mexico and the United States.
Office of the Spokesperson - U.S. Department of State
Aug. 15, 2011
Mexico, The United Nations
Autorizan a la ONU hacer diagnóstico sobre trata
Informará sobre la situación actual en el país
Informará sobre la situación actual en el país
Autorizan a la ONU hacer diagnóstico sobre trata
2011-08-20•Política
.El gobierno federal avaló la elaboración de un Diagnóstico Nacional del Delito de Trata de Personas en México, el cual será realizado por la Oficina de las Naciones Unidas contra la Droga y el Delito.
El subsecretario de Asuntos Jurídicos y Derechos Humanos de la Secretaría de Gobernación, Felipe de Jesús Zamora, informó lo anterior durante la quinta sesión ordinaria de la Comisión Intersecretarial para Prevenir y Sancionar la Trata de Personas.
En un comunicado explicó que el análisis permitirá conocer la situación actual de México en materia de trata de personas. Además de consolidar políticas públicas transversales para prevenir y sancionar ese delito y atender a las víctimas.
México.
Mexico authorizes the United
Nations to perform a study on
the current state of human
trafficking and the effectieness
of government responses
The federal government has
endorsed the development of a
National Assessment of the Crime
of Trafficking in Mexico, which
will be conducted by the United
Nations Office on Drugs and
Crime (UNODC).
Felipe de Jesus Zamora, who is
Undersecretary for Legal
Affairs and Human Rights in the
Department of the Interior, announced
the agreement at the fifth
ordinary session of the
Interdepartmental Commission to
Prevent and Punish Trafficking
in Persons [a commission
established under the nation's
'underpowered' 2007 Law to
Prevent and Punish Trafficking
in Persons] . In a statement he
explained that the analysis will
reveal the current state of
trafficking in Mexico, and will
measure the strength of the
nation’s policies for preventing
and punishing trafficking
crimes, as well as efforts to
assist victims.
Notimex
Aug. 20, 2011
Mexico
|
 |
|
Indigenous girls in Mexico live under constant threat from
international sex traffickers |
|
 |
|
Oaxaca state |
Investigan a comunidades indígenas por supuesta venta de niñas
Las autoridades mexicanas iniciaron una investigación en varios pueblos y comunidades indígenas en el estado de Oaxaca, donde supuestamente las familias venden a niñas, informó hoy la Comisión Nacional de los Derechos Humanos (CNDH, defensoría del pueblo).
El organismo público inició una queja de oficio por esos casos de abuso contra mujeres en la región de la Mixteca Alta, en el sureño estado de Oaxaca, indicó la dependencia en un comunicado.
La CNDH explicó que se trata de una "costumbre ancestral" que "al parecer se sigue llevando a cabo", en la que "se vende a las menores en cuanto llegan a los once años y hasta los 15 años".
"Los padres han encontrado la manera de negociar y a cambio de dinero dar a sus hijas, ya sea al futuro esposo o a familias que las llevan a otras ciudades para ayudar en labores domésticas", explicó la defensoría.
Una vez que son vendidas hasta por tres mil pesos (250 dólares) o el equivalente en productos varios como cabezas de ganado, fríjol o maíz, los padres renuncian a todo derecho sobre las menores, agregó la institución.
Los pueblos y comunidades indígenas en México gozan de cierta autonomía, por las leyes de "usos y costumbres" del país, pero se deben ceñir a "lo establecido en la Constitución" de México "en materia de derechos humanos", consideró.
Las mujeres indígenas son uno de los grupos más vulnerables y menos atendidos del país, subrayó la CNDH, y es importante la defensa de sus derechos humanos.
En México 10,1 millones de habitantes (9,8 % de la población) son considerados indígenas.
Según el Consejo Nacional de Población (Conapo), siete de cada diez hablantes de lengua indígena reside en municipios con alto grado de marginación.
La población indígena es más pobre que el resto de los mexicanos, y esa condición se evidencia en menores niveles salariales, educación de menor calidad y, en general, en un acceso restringido a los servicios públicos.
Los estados con mayor presencia de indígenas son Yucatán (65,5 %), Oaxaca (55,7 %), Quintana Roo (45,6 %) y Chiapas (30,9 %).
De acuerdo con Unicef, los indígenas en México, en especial los niños, niñas y adolescentes, constituyen la población con mayores carencias y menor grado de cumplimiento de sus derechos fundamentales.
Mexican authorities investigate the suposed sale of girl children in indigenous
communities
Mexic's National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) has announced that they are
investigating a number of indigenous communities in the state of Oaxaca, where
families supposedly sell their girl children.
According to a press release from the agency, the CNDH opened a formal complaint
in regard to reported cases of abuses against female minors in the Mixteca Alta
region of southern Oaxaca state.
The statement said that the problem involves ancestral customs that "apparently
are still being followed," in which girl children are sold between the ages of
11 and 15.
"The parents have found a way to negotiate the sale of their daughters in
exchange for money, be it to a future husband or to a family that wants to take
the girl to be a domestic worker.
Once the girl is sold, for the equivalent of 3,000 Pesos (US$250) or its
equivalent in head of cattle or beans or corn, the parents renounce any parental
rights in regard to the child.
The indigenous peoples of Mexico enjoy a certain level of autonomy, but they
should follow the requirements of Mexico's constitution, said the press release.
Indigenous women are one of the most marginalized and underserved communities in
Mexico, emphasized the CNDH statement...
The indigenous population is more impoverished than the rest of Mexico, a fact
that is reflected in the lower salaries paid, the substandard education and, in
general, the restrictions that are placed on their access to public services.
The state with the highest indigenous populations are
(65,5 % of the total population), Oaxaca (55,7 %), Quintana Roo (45,6 %) y
Chiapas (30,9 %).
According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), indigenous peoples in
Mexico, and especially boys, girls and adolescents, constitute the demographic
group that suffers from the highest levels of poverty and the lowest level of
compliance with enforcement of their human rights.
EFE
Aug. 19, 2011
See also:
Added June 28, 2008
Guatemala, Mexico
Rigoberta Menchú denuncia venta de niñas indígenas
Centroamérica y México
Mayan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Rigoberta Menchu denounces the sale of indigenous children into sexual slavery
in Central America and Mexico
[Mayan human rights leader] Rigoberta Menchú, the
1992 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, during a visit to Veracruz, Mexico, has
denounced the sale of indigenous girls in Mexico and Central America, in which
traditional indigenous marriage customs are perverted by criminal gangs to force
underage girls into sexual slavery.
According to information from Prensa Libre, Menchu
said that the trade in minors involved organized mafias, doctors, lawyers,
legislators and local authorities.
Menchu regretted that the sale of children, mainly
girls, occurs with the knowledge of officials within indigenous communities.
Menchu protested the fact that in Guatemala, there
is an extensive, underground trade in boys and girls, which authorities find
hard to detect.
Menchu stated that many nongovern-mental
organizations have denounced this situation, and that they are mainly concerned
by the fact that families 'sell' [underage] girls to older men to become wives.
In reality, the girls [typically in the age range of 11 to 13] are resold [to
child sex traffickers and pimps] for sexual exploitation. she noted.
The Nobel laureate said that in southeastern Mexico
and across Guatemala this practice is common. She asked that the public report
these sales of children.
Finally, Menchu announced that the Rigoberta Menchu
Foundation has signed an agreement with the state government of Veracruz
[Mexico] to perform various prevention measures in rural [indigenous]
communities.
- CERIGUA
Guatemalan Human
Rights News
June. 27, 2008
See also:
Launch event for the book ‘Mirame,’ shining a light on
challenges facing indigenous girls in Guatemala
Manuel Manrique, UNICEF Represent-ative in
Guatemala:
“Indigenous people in general are
discriminated against, the indigenous child doubly discriminated against, [and]
the indigenous girl triply discriminated against.” “If you review the life
cycle from birth until 18 years of age, the situation of the indigenous girl is
worse than that of others...”
'Mirame is a project of UNICEF and the Office of the Public
Defender of Indigenous Women in Guatemala.
- UNICEF
Guatemala City
Aug. 22, 2007
See also:
LibertadLatina
Special Section
About the crisis of sexual exploitation facing indigenous
women and children
in Guatemala's civil war aftermath - including the history
of Mayan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Rigoberta Menchu.
|
Guatemala
|
 |
|
Mayan
women who survived
genocidal massacres
during the civil
conflict in
Guatemala
|
Cuatro acusados niegan participación en matanza en Guatemala en 1982
Cuatro acusados niegan participación en matanza en Guatemala en 1982
Guatemala.- Cuatro exmilitares y patrulleros civiles guatemaltecos negaron hoy su participación en la matanza de más de 240 campesinos perpetrada el 18 de julio de 1982 en una remota comunidad indígena del norte de Guatemala.
En su primera declaración ante el Juzgado Primero de Primera Instancia de Mayor Riesgo, que preside la jueza Patricia Flores, tras su captura la semana pasada, Lucas Tecú, Mario Acoj, Eusebio Grave y Santos Rosales se declararon inocentes
El fiscal del Ministerio Público (MP) Orlando López acusó a los cuatro detenidos de asesinato múltiple e incumplimiento de los deberes de humanidad...
Según la investigación de la Fiscalía de Derechos Humanos del MP, los exmilitares, luego de asesinar a recién nacidos, adolescentes, mujeres y hombres, les prendieron fuego para no dejar evidencia de "los actos inhumanos contra la población civil".
El alto tribunal, luego de analizar la primera declaración de los cuatro detenidos y las pruebas del MP, decidirá si envía o no a juicio oral y público a los cuatro detenidos.
La matanza de Plan de Sánchez se perpetró durante el régimen militar que presidió el general golpista José Efraín Ríos Montt (1982-1983) y es la segunda que llega a los tribunales.
El pasado 2 de agosto fueron condenados a 6.060 años de prisión cuatro exmilitares guatemaltecos que fueron hallados culpables por el Tribunal de Alto Riesgo, en la capital, de la matanza de 201 personas el 7 de diciembre de 1982 en una comunidad del departamento norteño de Petén.
Se trata de Daniel Martínez, Manuel Pop, Reyes Collin, los tres ex miembros del grupo kaibil, una fuerza elite del ejército entrenada para matar, y del exteniente de infantería Carlos Antonio Carias.
La Comisión del Esclarecimiento Histórico (CEH), auspiciada por las Naciones Unidas, documentó 669 casos de masacres durante el conflicto interno (1960-1996), la mayoría de ellas atribuidas al Ejército.
Four defendants deny involvement
in killings in Guatemala in 1982
Guatemala. Four former military
and civil [guard] patrollers
today denied their involvement
in the killing of more than 240
peasants perpetrated on July 18,
1982 in a remote indigenous
community in northern Guatemala.
In their first statement to
Judge Patricia Flores after
their capture last week, Lucas
Tecú, Mario Acoj, Eusebio Grave
and Santos Rosales pleaded not
guilty.
Prosecutor Orlando López accused
the four detainees accused of
the crime of multiple murders
and dereliction of their duties
to humanity.
Lopez said the detainees
participated along with other
military and not-yet identified
civilian patrol members in the
killing of more than 240 farmers
in the community of Plan de
Sánchez, in the municipality of
Rabinal, the northern department
of Baja Verapaz, July 18 1982,
after accusing them of being
guerillas.
However, Tecú, a 56-year-old
former military commissioner,
denied involvement in the
slaughter and assured the court
that the army had in fact killed
one of his brothers. And that he
himself had been shot for not
collaborating with the massacre
that took place in his
community.
Tecú said an Army captain named
José Antonio Solares "was the
commissioner who ordered César
Baldizón to recruit 20 people to
carry out the massacre." Further
details are not known about
these two additional suspectsn
as the prosecutor’s case is not
being publicized.
Tecú admitted that he observed
when the inhabitants were
killed, called the killing "an
injustice" but said he is
innocent of the crimes of which
he is accused.
Mario Acoj, age 54, explained
that when the slaughter was
perpetrated he was on duty in
the military zone of Playa
Grande in the northwestern
province of Quiché.
"I was in Playa Grande. The
accusation is false," said Acoj.
The suspect insisted that he was
unaware of the massacre and that
he was “not in the area at the
time.”
"I will not make a statement
because I don’t know anything"
said Santos Rosales, age 71, who
is also an ex civil patrol
member.
Eusebio Grave, another suspect
and former soldier, said that he
is "innocent in this case" and
explained that he didn’t learn
about the massacre until 1985,
when he returned to the
community of Concul, in the town
of Rabinal after completing his
military service in the Guards
of Honor Brigade in the capital.
According to an investigation
conducted by the human rights
office of the Public
Prosecutor’s Office, the accused
and their accomplices
murdered newborns, adolescents,
women and men. They then
attempted to cover-up the crime
by burning the bodies.
The high court, after analyzing
the statements of the four
detainees and the case offered
by the prosecution, will decide
whether to hold a public trial
in the matter.
The Plan de Sanchez massacre was
perpetrated during the military
regime headed by coup-installed
General Jose Efrain Rios Montt
coup (1982-1983). It is the
second [civil war massacre] case
to find its way to the courts.
On August 2, 2011. four former
Guatemalan Armey soldiers were
found guilty by the Court of
High Risk in the capital in the
killings of 201 people on
December 7, 1982 in a community
of the northern department of
Petén.
Sentenced were Daniel Martinez,
Manuel Pop and Reyes Collin. All
three are former members of the
Kaibiles special forces. Former
Infantry lieutenant Antonio
Carlos Carias was also sentenced
in the case.
The Commission for Historical
Clarification (CEH), sponsored
by the United Nations, has
documented 669 individual cases
of massacre events during the
internal conflict in Guatemala
that took place between 1960 and
1996. Most of the massacres have
been attributed to the
Guatemalan Army.
EFE
Aug. 16 2011
See also:
LibertadLatina
Special Section
About the crisis of sexual exploitation facing indigenous
women and children
in Guatemala's civil war aftermath - including the history
of Mayan Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Rigoberta Menchu.
|
A sample of
other important news stories
and commentaries
|
LibertadLatina
Commentary
 |
|
Indigenous women and children in Mexico |
During the over ten years that the
LibertadLatina
project has existed, our ongoing analysis of the
crisis of sexual abuse in the Americas has lead us to the conclusion that our
top priority should be to work to achieve an end to the rampant sex trafficking
and exploitation that perennially exists in Mexico. Although many crisis hot
spots call out for attention across Latin America and the Caribbean, working to see
reform come to Mexico appeared to be a critical first step to achieving major
change everywhere else in the region.
We believe that this analysis continues to be correct. We also recognize the fact that the
Dominican Republic, Argentina, Paraguay, Peru and Colombia are other emergency
zones of crisis. We plan to expand our coverage of these and other
issues as resources permit.
Mexico is uniquely situated among the nations of the Americas, and therefore
requires special attention from the global effort to end modern human slavery.
Mexico:
-
Is the world's largest Spanish speaking nation
-
Includes a long contiguous border with the U.S., thus making it a transit
point for both 500,000 voluntary (but vulnerable) migrants each year as well
as for victims of human slavery
-
Has multi-billion dollar drug cartels that profit from Mexico's proximity to
the U.S. and that are today investing heavily in human slavery as a
secondary source of profits
-
Has a 30% indigenous population, as well as an Afro-Mexican minority, both
of whom are marginalized, exploited and are 'soft targets' who are now
actively being cajoled, and kidnapped by trafficking mafias into lives of
slavery and death
-
Has conditions of impunity that make all impoverished Mexicans vulnerable to
sex and labor trafficking
-
Has a child sex tourism 'industry' that attracts many thousands of U.S.,
European and Latin American men who exploit vulnerable, impoverished
children and youth with virtual impunity
-
Is the source of the largest contingent of foreign victims of human slavery
who have been trafficked into the U.S.
-
Has a large and highly educated middle class which includes thousands of women who
are active in the movement to enhance human rights in general and women's
rights in particular
-
Has a growing anti-trafficking movement and a substantial women's rights
focused journalist network
-
Has a politically influential faction of socially conservative men who
believe in the sexist tenants of machismo and who favor
maintaining the status quo that allows the open exploitation of poor Mexicans and
Latin American migrants to continue, thus requiring assistance from the
global movement against human exploitation to help local activists balance
the scales of justice and equality
For a number years
LibertadLatina's
commentaries have called upon Mexico's
government and the U.S. State Department to apply the pressure that is required
to begin to change conditions for the better. It appears that the global
community's efforts in this regard are beginning to have impact, yet a lifetime
of work remains to be done to end what we have characterized as a slow-moving
mass gender atrocity.
Recent developments in Mexico are for the most part encouraging.
These positive developments include:
The replacement of Chávez Chávez
with
Marisela
Morales Ibáñez as the nation’s first female attorney general
(Morales
Ibáñez
was recently honored by U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton)
Morales
Ibáñez’ reform-motivated purge of 174 officials and employees of the
attorney general’s office, including the recent resigna-tions of 21 federal
prosecutors
Morales
Ibáñez’ recent raid in Cuidad Juárez, that resulted in the arrests of 1,030
suspected human traffickers and the freeing of 20 underage girls
The recent appointment of Dilcya Garcia , a
former Mexico City prosecutor who achieved Mexico's first trafficking
convictions to the federal attorney general's office (Garcia
was recently honored by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her
anti-trafficking work)
The July, 2010 replacement of Interior Secretary
Fernando Gómez Mont with José Francisco Blake Mora. (Secretary Gómez Mont
openly opposed the creation of strong federal anti-trafficking legislation.)
Success by President Calderón and the Congress
of the Republic in achieving the first steps to bringing about a
constitutional amendment to facilitate human trafficking prosecutions
Recent public statements by President Calderon
imploring the public to help in the fight against human trafficking
Some progress in advancing legislation in
Congress to reform the failed 2007 federal anti trafficking law, a reform
effort that has been lead by Deputy Rosi Orozco
The active collaboration of both the U.S.
Government and the United Nations Office eon Drugs and Crime in supporting
government efforts against trafficking
Taken together, the above actions amount to a truly watershed moment in Mexico’s
efforts to address modern human slavery. We applaud those who are working for reform,
while also recognizing that reform has its enemies within Congress, government
institutions, law enforcement and society.
Mexico’s key anti-trafficking leaders, including journalist and author
Lydia
Cacho,
Teresa Ulloa (director of the Regional Coalition Against Trafficking in
Women for Latin America and the Caribbean -
CATW-LAC),
and Congresswoman
Rosi
Orozco
of the ruling National Action Party (PAN) have all raised the alarm in
recent months to indicate that corrupt businessmen, politicians and law
enforcement authorities continue to pressure Mexican society to maintain a
status quo that permits the existence of rampant criminal impunity in relation to
the exploitation of women, children and men. The fact that
anti-trafficking activist
Lydia Cacho continues to face credible deaths threats on a regular basis and
must
live with armed guards for 24 hours a day is one sobering indicator of
this harsh reality.
The use of slavery for labor and sexual purposes has a solid 500 years of
existence in Mexico and much of the rest of Latin America. Indigenous peoples
have been the core group of victims of human exploitation from the time of the
Spanish conquest to the present. This is true in Mexico as well as in other
nations with large indigenous populations such as Guatemala, Bolivia, Peru and
Colombia. African descendants are also victims of exploitation - especially in
Colombia, and like indigenous peoples, they continue to lack recognition as
equal citizens.
These populations are therefore highly vulnerable to human trafficking and
exploitation due to the fact that the larger societies within which they live
feel no moral obligation to defend their rights. Criminal human traffickers and other
exploiters take advantage of these vulnerabilities to kidnap, rape, sex traffic
and labor traffic the poorest of the poor with little or no response from
national governments.
A society like Mexico - where even middle class housewives are accustomed to
treating their unpaid, early-teen indigenous girl house servants to labor
exploitation and verbal and physical violence
–
and where the men of the house may be sexually abusing that child – is going to
take a long time to adapt to an externally imposed world view that says that the
forms of exploitation that their conquistador ancestors brought to the region
are no longer valid. That change is not going to happen overnight, and it is not
going to be easy.
Mexico’s current efforts to reform are to be applauded. The global anti-trafficking
activist community and its supporters in government must, however remain vigilant and
demand that Mexico continue down the path toward ending its ancient traditions
of tolerated human exploitation. For that transformation to happen effectively,
indigenous and African descendant Mexicans must be provided a place at the
table of deliberations.
Although extending equality to these marginalized groups is a radical concept
within the context of Mexican society, we insist that both Mexico, the United
States State
Department (a major driver of
these reforms in Mexico) and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC - another
major driver in the current reforms) provide the social and political spaces
that will be required to allow the groups who face the most exposure to
exploitation to actually have representation in both official and NGO
deliberations about their fate at the hands of the billion dollar cartels and
mafias who today see them as raw material and 'easy pickings' to drive their
highly lucrative global slavery profit centers.
Without taking this basic step, we cannot raise Mexico’s rating on our
anti-trafficking report card.
Time is of the essence!
End impunity now!
Chuck Goolsby
LibertadLatina
Aug. 05, 2011
Updated Aug. 11,2011
Note: Our August 4/5,
2011 edition contains a
number of stories that
accurately describe the
nature of the
vulnerabilities that
indigenous children and
women face from modern
day sex
traffickers, pedophiles
and rapists.
See also:
Added: Aug. 1, 2010
An editorial by anti trafficking activist Lydia puts the
spotlight on abusive domestic work as a form of human slavery targeting, for the
most part, indigenous women and girls
Mexico
Esclavas en México
México, DF, - Cristina y Dora tenían 11 años cuando Domingo fue por ellas a la
Mixteca en Oaxaca. Don José Ernesto, un militar de la Capital, le encargó un par
de muchachitas para el trabajo del hogar. La madre pensó que si sus niñas
trabajaban con “gente decente” tendrían la posibilidad de una vida libre, de
estudiar y alimentarse, tres opciones que ella jamás podría darles por su
pobreza extrema.
Cristina y Dora vivieron en el sótano, oscuro y húmedo, con un baño improvisado
en una mansión construida durante el Porfiriato, cuyos jardines y ventanales
hablan de lujos y riqueza. Las niñas aprendieron a cocinar como al patrón le
gustaba. A lo largo de 40 años no tuvieron acceso a la escuela ni al seguro
social, una de las hermanas prohijó un bebé producto de la violación del hijo
del patrón. Les permitían salir unas horas algunos sábados, porque el domingo
había comidas familiares. Sólo tres veces en cuatro décadas les dieron
vacaciones, siendo adultas, para visitar a su madre enferma...
Slaves in Mexico
[About domestic labor slavery in Mexico]
Mexico City – Cristina and
Dora were 11-years-old when Domingo picked them up in the state of Oaxaca. José
Ernesto, a military man living in Mexico City, had sent Domingo to find a pair
of girls to do domestic work for him. The girls’ mother thought that if they had
an opportunity to work with “decent people,” they would have a chance to live a
free life, to study and to eat well. Those were three things that they she could
never give them in her condition of extreme poverty.
Cristina and Dora lived in the dark and humid basement of a
mansion built during the presidency of
Porfirio Díaz (1876
to 1910). Their space had an improvised bathroom. Outside
of the home, the mansion’s elaborate gardens and elegant windows presented an
image of wealth and luxury. The girls learned to cook for the tastes of their
employer.
It is now forty years later. Cristina and Dora never had access
to an education, nor do they have the right to social security payments when
they retire. One of the sisters had a child, who was the result of her being
raped by one of their employer’s sons.
They are allowed out of the house for a few hours on Saturdays.
On Sundays they had to prepare family meals for their patron (boss).
Today, some 800,000 domestic workers are registered in Mexico.
Ninety three percent of them don’t have access to health services. Seventy Nine
percent of them have not and will not receive benefits. Their average salary is
1,112 pesos($87.94) per month. More than 8% of these workers receive no pay at
all, because their employers think that giving them a place to sleep and eat is
payment enough.
Sixty percent of domestic workers in Mexico are
indigenous women and girls. They began this line of work, on average, at the age
of 13. These statistics do not include those women and children who lived
locked-up in conditions of extreme domestic slavery.
Mexico’s domestic workers are vulnerable to
sexual violence, unwanted pregnancies, exploitation, racism and being otherwise
poorly treated…
Recently, the European Parliament concluded that undocumented
migrant women face an increased risk of domestic labor slavery. In Mexico, the
majority of domestic slaves are Mexicans. Another 15% of these victims are
[undocumented] migrants from Guatemala and El Salvador. Their undocumented
status allows employers to prohibit their leaving the home, prohibit their
access to education or deny their right to have a life of their own. The same
dynamics happen to Latina women in the United States and Canada.
For centuries [middle and upper class white Mexican women] became
accustomed to looking at domestic labor slavery as something that ‘helps’
indigenous women and girls. We used the hypocritical excuse that we were lifting
them out of poverty by exploiting them. [They reality is that] millions of these
women and girls are subjected to work conditions that deny them access to
education, healthcare, and the enjoyment of a normal social life.
We (Mexico’s privileged) men and women share the responsibility
for perpetuating this form of slavery. We use contemptuous language to refer to
domestic workers. Like other forms of human trafficking, domestic labor slavery
is a product of our culture.
Domestic work is an indispensable form of labor that allows
millions of women to work. We should improve work conditions, formally recognize
it in our laws, and assure that in our homes, we are not engaging in
exploitation cloaked in the idea that we are rescuing [our domestic workers]
from poverty.
To wash, iron, cook and care for children is as dignified as any
other form of work. The best way for us to change the world is to start in own
homes.
“Plan B” is a column written by Lydia Cacho
that appears Mondays and Thursdays in CIMAC, El Universal and other newspapers
in Mexico.
Lydia Cacho
CIMAC Women's News Agency
July 27, 2010
|
Added: Aug. 4, 2011
LibertadLatina
Commentary
We at
LibertadLatina
applaud U.S. Attorney General Eric
Holder, the U.S. Justice Department and all of the agencies and officers
involved in Operation Delego, which shut down a grotesque international
child pornography network that glorified and rewarded the torture and rape of
young children. We also wish you good hunting in taking down all child
pornography rings, wherever they may exist.
We call attention
to a recent story (posted on Aug. 4, 2011) on the rape with impunity of indigenous school children, from
very young ages, in the nation's now-closed Indian boarding school system. The
fact that the legislature of the state of South Dakota passed legislation that
denies victims the right to sue the priests and nuns who raped
them is just as disgusting as any of the horror stories that are associated
with the pedophile rapist / torturers who have been identified in Operation Delego.
Yet neither the
U.S. Justice Department nor the Canadian government, where yet more horrible
sexual abuses, and even murders of indigenous children took place, have ever
sought to prosecute the large number of rapists involved in these cases.
In addition,
federal prosecutors drop a large number of rape cases on Indian reservations
despite the fact that indigenous women face a rate of rape in the U.S. that is
3.5 times higher that the rate faced by other groups of women. White males are
the perpetrators of the rape in 80% of these cases.
When former
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales fired eight U.S. attorneys in December of
2006, it turned out that 5 of those targeted had worked together to increase the
very low prosecution rates for criminal cases on Native reservations. Their
firings did a disservice to victims of rape and other serious crimes in Indian Country.
The indigenous
peoples of the Americas demand an end to the rampant sexual exploitation with
impunity of our peoples, be they from the United States, Mexico, Brazil,
Guatemala, Bolivia, Peru or Canada.
We expect the United Stated Government to set the
tone and lead the way in that change in social values.
Time is of the
essence!
End impunity now!
Chuck Goolsby
LibertadLatina
Aug. 05, 2011
|
Added: Apr. 17, 2011
Massachusetts, USA
 |
|
Donna Gavin, commander of the Boston
Police Human Trafficking Unit, at
Wheelock College |
 |
|
Norma Ramos, executive director of
the
Coalition Against Trafficking in
Women, speaks |
 |
|
Wheelock professor and anti
pornography activist
Dr. Gail Dines,
and survivor and activist
Cherie
Jimenez speak at Wheelock |
 |
|
LibertadLatina's
Chuck Goolsby speaks up to represent
the interests of Latin American and
indigenous victims at Wheelock
College |
Wheelock College anti-trafficking event
Stopping the Pimps, Stopping the Johns: Ending the Demand for Sex Trafficking
This event is part of Wheelock's sixth annual "Winter Policy Talks."
Speakers:
•Donna Gavin, commander of the Boston Police Human Trafficking Unit and the Massachusetts Task Force to Combat Human Trafficking. She is a sergeant detective of the Boston Police Department.
•Cherie Jimenez, who used her own experiences in the sex trade to create a Boston-area program for women
•Norma Ramos, executive director of the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
•Gail Dines, Wheelock professor of Sociology and Women's Studies and chair of the American Studies Department
Wheelock College
March 30, 2011
See also:
Massachusetts, USA
Wheelock College to discuss Massachusetts sex trafficking
Wheelock College is set to hold a panel discussion on the growing sex trafficking in Massachusetts.
The discussion, titled "Stopping the Pimps, Stopping the Johns: Ending the Demand for Sex Trafficking," is scheduled for Wednesday and will feature area experts and law enforcement officials.
Those scheduled to speak include Donna Gavin, commander of the Boston Police human trafficking unit and the Massachusetts task force to combat human trafficking.
Experts believe around 14,000 to 17,000 people are trafficked into the U.S. every year, including those from Latin America, Asia and Africa.
The panel is part of the Brookline school's sixth annual "Winter Policy Talks."
The Associated Press
March 30, 2011
See also:
LibertadLatina
Commentary
|
|
|
Chuck Goolsby |
On March 30, 2011 Wheelock College in Boston
presented a forum that explored human
trafficking and ways to end demand. Like many
human trafficking gatherings held around the
world, the presenters at this event provided an
empathetic and intelligent window into current
thinking within the different interest
groups that make up this movement. Approximately
40 college students and local anti-trafficking
activists attended the event.
Norma Ramos, executive director of the Coalition
Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) spoke about
current human trafficking conditions around the
world. Pornography abolitionist Dr. Gail Dines
of Wheelock presented a slide show on
pornography and its link to the issue of
prostitution demand. Survivor Cherie Jimenez
told her story of over 20 years facing abuse at
the hands of pimps, and her current efforts to
support underage girls in prostitution.
Detective Donna Gavin discussed the Boston
Police Department’s efforts to assist women and
girls in prostitution, including the fact that
her department’s vice operations helping women
in prostitution avoid criminal prosecution to
the extent possible.
The presentation grew into an intelligent
discussion about a number of issues that the
presenters felt were impacting the effectiveness
of the movement. Among these issues were
perceptions on the part of Dr. Dines that a
number of activists in the human trafficking
movement have expressed pro-pornography points
of view. She added that the great majority of
college students in women’s programs with whom
she talks express a pro-pornography perspective. Panelists
also expressed the view that many men
who lead anti-trafficking organizations also
have a pro-pornography viewpoint.
Cherie Jimenez shared her opinion that U.S. born
victims do not get as much visibility and attention
relative to foreign born
victims. She emphasized that victims from all
backgrounds are the same, and should be treated
as such.
Jimenez emphasized that much of her work as an
activist focuses on helping young women who, at
age 18, leave state supported foster care, and
must then survive on their own. She emphasized
that foster care is a broken system that exposes
underage girls to routine sexual abuse. CATW’s
Ramos, who was a victim of that system herself,
agreed.
Ramos, head of the global Coalition Against
Trafficking in Women and Girls for Sexual
Exploitation (CATW), emphasized that men who
operate in the arena of anti sex trafficking
activism must be accountable to women activists,
because the issue was a gender issue. She also
stated that she approached the human trafficking
issue from an indigenous world view.
In response to a question from a Latina woman
about services for transgender youth, Detective
Gavin of the Boston Police Department stated
that they have not run into sex trafficking
cases involving males. Norma Ramos did note that
sex trafficked male youth did exist in
significant numbers in the New
York City area.
During the question and answer period of the
forum, I spent about 15 minutes discussing
the issue of human trafficking from the Latin
American, Latin Diaspora and indigenous
perspectives.
* I noted that as a male anti-trafficking
activist, I have devoted the past dozen years of
that activism to advocating for the voiceless
women and girls in Latin America, the United
States and in advanced nations of the world in
Europe and Japan where Latina and indigenous
victims are widely exploited.
* I pointed out that within the Boston area as
elsewhere within the United States, the brutal
tactics of traffickers, as well as the
Spanish/English language barrier, the cultural
code of silence and tolerance for exploitation
that are commonplace within Latin immigrant
communities all allow sex trafficking to
flourish in the Latin barrios of Boston such as
East Boston, Chelsea, Everett and Jamaica Plain.
* I also mentioned that during the current climate
of recession and increased immigration law
enforcement operations, Latina women and girls
face a loss of jobs and income, and a loss of
opportunities to survive with dignity, which are
all factors that expose them to the risk of
commercial sexual exploitation.
* I mentioned that the sex trafficking of women
and girls in Latin America focuses on the crisis
in Mexico, which, I stated was the epicenter of
sex trafficking activity in the Americas.
* I stated that the U.S. anti-trafficking
movement cannot make any progress while it
continues to treat the sex trafficking crisis in
Mexico as a secondary issue.
* I mentioned that Teresa Ulloa, director of the
Regional Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
for Latin America and the Caribbean (CATW-LAC),
was a stellar activist who has provided the
vanguard of leadership in anti sex trafficking
activism in the region. I added that Ulloa
recently promoted statistics developed by the
Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences, that
state that 25% of the Gross Domestic Product
across all Latin American nations is derived
from human trafficking.
*
I
mentioned that a number
of years ago, I
called-on my local
police department to
enforce the law and
arrest an adult man who
was severely sexually
harassing an 11-year-old
Latina girl.
These two officers
told me in a matter of fact way that they could not respond to what the
county Police Academy had taught them (in cultural sensitivity classes
there) was just a part of Latino culture.
As is the case in most public events that I
attend that address the crisis in human
trafficking, the issue of Latina and indigenous
victims (who are the majority of U.S. victims)
would not have been discussed in detail without
the participation of
LibertadLatina.
The event was an enlightening experience. My
perception is that both the activists and the
audience were made aware of the dynamics of the
crisis of mass gender atrocities that women and
children are facing in Latin America, the
Caribbean and in their migrant communities
across the globe.
End impunity now!
Chuck Goolsby
LibertadLatina
April
17, 2011
Mexico
|
 |
|
This map
shows the number of types of child slavery that occur in the
nations of Latin America and the Caribbean |
Indigenous children are the focal point for underage sex and labor slavery in Mexico
Around 1.5 million children do not attend school at all in Mexico, having or choosing to work instead. Indigenous children are often child laborers. Throughout Central and South America, indigenous people are frequently marginalized, both economically and socially. Many have lost their traditional land rights and they migrate in order to find paid work. This can in turn make indigenous peoples more vulnerable to exploitative and forced labor practices.
According to the web site Products of Slavery.org, child slavery, especially that which exploits indigenous
children, is used to generate profits in the following industries in Mexico:
|
*
The production of Child
Pornography
*
The production of coffee,
tobacco, beans, chile peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, melons, onions,
sugarcane and tomatoes - much of which is sold for export
|
Key facts about Mexican child sex
and labor exploitation defined on the Product of Slavery:
|
*
Many indigenous children in
Mexico aged between seven and 14 work during the green bean harvest
from 7am until 7pm, meaning they cannot attend school.
*
Amongst Mexico's indigenous
peoples, 86% of children, aged six years and over, are engaged in
strenuous physical labor in the fields six days a week working to
cultivate agricultural produce such as chile peppers.
*
Indigenous child labor keeps
costs of production down for Mexican companies as boys and girls
from indigenous families are frequently denied recognition of their
legal status as workers, charged with the least skilled tasks, such
as harvesting cucumbers, and so receive the lowest pay.
*
Child labor is widespread in
Mexico's agricultural sector; in 2000, it was discovered that 11 and
12 year olds were working on the family ranch of the then-President
elect, Vicente Fox, harvesting onions, potatoes, and corn for export
to the United States.
[I know a couple of U.S. ICE agents who can add 'another
paragraph' to the above statement -
LL.]
*
Mexican children who are
exploited by the sex industry and involved in activities such as
pornography and prostitution suffer physical injuries, long-term
psychological damage with the strong possibility of developing
suicidal tendencies and are at high risk of contracting AIDS,
tuberculosis and other life-threatening illnesses.
*
There are strong links between
tourism and the sexual exploitation of children in Mexico; tourist
centers such as Acapulco, Cancun and Tijuana are prime locations
where thousands of children are used in the production of
pornographic material and child prostitution is rife.
*
Mexican street children are
vulnerable to being lured into producing pornographic material with
promises of toys, food, money, and accommodation; they then find
themselves prisoners, locked for days or weeks on end in hotel rooms
or apartments, hooked on drugs and suffering extreme physical and
sexual violence.
*
David Salgado was just eight
years old when he was crushed by a tractor as he went to empty the
bucket of tomatoes he had just collected on the Mexican vegetable
farm where he worked with his family. The company paid his funeral
expenses but refused to pay compensation to his family as David was
not a formal employee. |
The web site explores child enslavement in all of the nations shown in the above
map.
Products of Slavery
North Carolina, USA
|
 |
|
"For
Sale" - A composite from a poster announcing Davidson College's
recent event on Human
Trafficking
in
Latin America
See the complete poster |
Chuck Goolsby speaks at Davidson College
On
February 3rd of 2011 I travelled to Davidson College, located in a beautiful
community north of Charlotte, North Carolina, to provide a 90 minute
presentation on the crisis of sexual slavery in Latin America, and in Latin
American immigrant communities across the United States. I thank the members of
Davidson's Organization of Latin American Students (OLAS) and the Vann
Center for Ethics for cosponsoring the
presentation, and for their hospitality and hard work in setting up this event.
During my talk I described many of the dynamics of how sexual slavery works in
the Americas. I summarized the work of
LibertadLatina
as one of the few English
language voices engaging the world in an effort to place Latin American gender
exploitation issues on an equal footing with the rest of the world's struggle
against sex trafficking. I covered the facts that:
|
1)
Sexual slavery has long been condoned in Latin America;
2)
Community tolerance of sexual exploitation, and a cultural code of
silence work to hide crimes of violence against women across the
region;
3)
The multi-billion dollar pockets of Latin American drug cartels,
together with the increasing effectiveness of anti-drug trafficking
law enforcement efforts are driving cartel money into major
investments in kidnapping, 'breaking-in' and selling underage girls
and young women into slavery globally, en mass;
4)
Men in poverty who have grown up in [especially rural] cultures
where women's equality does not exist, are prime candidates to
participate in the sex trafficking industry - this is especially
true in locations such as Tlaxcala state, just east of Mexico City,
where an estimated 50% of the adults in the La
Meca neighborhood of the major city of Tenancingo are involved in
sex traffickers;
5)
Male traffickers, often from family organized mafias of adults and
teens [especially in Tlaxcala], either kidnap women and girls
directly, or engage in false romances with potential victims that
result in the victim's beating, gang rape and enslavement, getting
the victim pregnant - and then leaving the infant with the
trafficker's family as a form of bribery [threatening the baby's
death if the victim does not continue to submit to forced sexual
enslavement;
6)
Traffickers typically take their victims from Tlaxcala, to Mexico
City, and to Tijuana on the U.S. border - from which they are
shipped like merchandise to Tokyo, Madrid, Amsterdam, Los Angeles,
Miami, Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, DC and New York City;
7)
Traffickers also bring victims to farm labor camps large and small
across the rural U.S.;
8)
North Carolina, including the major population centers of
Raleigh-Durham and Charlotte are places where Latina immigrant
sexual slavery is a major problem (given the rapid growth in the
local immigrant population, who see the state as a place with lots
of jobs and a low cost of living);
9)
Mexico's government is reluctant (to be polite) to engage the issue
of ending human trafficking (despite recent presidential rhetoric),
as exemplified by the multi-year delay in setting up the regulations
and inter-agency collaborations needed to actually enforce the
nation's 2007 Law to Prevent and Punish Human Trafficking (note that
only in early 2011 has the final element of the legislation been put
into place to actually activate the law - which some legislators
accurate refer to as a "dead letter.");
10)
heroes such as activist
Lydia Cacho have faced retaliation and death
threats for years for having dared to stand-up against the child sex
trafficking networks whose money and influence corrupts state and
local governments;
11)
it is up to each and every person to decide how to engage in
activism to end all forms of human slavery, wherever they may exist.
|
Virtually everyone in the crowd that attended the event had heard about human
trafficking prior to the February 3rd presentation. They left the event knowing important details about the
facts involved in the Latin American crisis and the difficulties that activists
face in their efforts to speak truth to power and the forces of impunity. A number of
attendees thanked me for my presentation, and are now new readers of
LibertadLatina.org.
The below text is from Davidson College's announcement for this event.
|
Slavery is (thankfully) illegal
everywhere today. But sadly, it is still practiced secretly in many
parts of the world. One persistent form of it occurs when women and
girls are forced into prostitution or sexual slavery, sometimes by
being kidnapped and trafficked or smuggled across national borders.
Chuck Goolsby has worked tirelessly
for decades to expose and end this horrific, outrageous practice. As
the founder and coordinator of
LibertadLatina, much of his work has
fo
| | |
/ Welcome
