TRAFFICKING OF PERSONS IN BELIZE - OAS
TRAFFICKING OF PERSONS IN BELIZE - OAS
TRAFFICKING OF PERSONS IN BELIZE - OAS
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efforts to improve the situation. But that’s not all. Having the contemporary<br />
version of “El Dorado”- that is the United States- so near, doesn’t help. Mexico<br />
is also a desirable destiny for many migrants.<br />
In such conditions, being a key region for constant migratory flaws, it is no<br />
miracle that human trafficking, with sexual or working exploitation purposes, is<br />
on the rise in Central America.<br />
A study outlined at the International Human Rights Institute of the De Paul<br />
University, published on 2003, said that “women and children trafficking in<br />
Central America and the Caribbean is a daily fact. It affects each country in a<br />
unique way, challenging in different manners the governments, the NGOs and<br />
the entire community” 3 .<br />
This document from the De Paul University described with perfect starkness the<br />
phenomenon: “the traffickers in this area are experts in deceit. They build fake<br />
promises of decent and well paid job at the “maquiladoras” (large scale<br />
assembly lines of different products), at restaurants, bars, hotels and houses,<br />
among other locations. Pursuing these fantasies, women and children are<br />
forced into sexual slavery so as to pay their travelling costs and many additional<br />
debts. The traffickers have everything under control using violence, threats,<br />
fines, physical restrictions, presence of armed guards and impunity<br />
demonstrations due to the collaboration with the local authorities. Women and<br />
children have no options left after using the little money they had to pay their<br />
travelling expenses and they have nowhere or no one to turn to. The risk of<br />
being deported or institutionalized (in the case of minors) persuades the victims<br />
to keep a long lasting silence”.<br />
The paper acknowledged the efforts various countries were undertaking in order<br />
to counter the problem. But it also acknowledged that corruption and lack of<br />
coordination between high impact programmes, have attempted against the<br />
improvement of the situation. The weakness gets real when the time for statistic<br />
data arrives. “There are no available figures. Quantification is complicated due<br />
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