Trafficking of Girls and Women: Threats to Global Development and Security in the 21st Century

By Stephanie Salvador


The horror of being sold into slavery is being experienced by a shocking number of females worldwide, earning sellers considerable sums of money, In fact, 40 percent of Latin America’s GDP is reportedly earned from illegal trafficking of girls, women and drugs.

This multi-million dollar industry shows no sign of ceasing.

These facts constituted the cornerstone of an afternoon workshop at the UN DPI NGO conference, on “Trafficking of Women and Girls: Threats to Global Development and Security in the 21st Century,”

Panelist Lucia Legunes reported that the State of Mexico, located just outside Mexico City, suffers from the largest number of crimes perpetrated against women and children.

The government can play a crucial role in preventing women from being victims of sexual exploitation and abuse, but has not been doing so. What’s worse, women who do in rare cases have the opportunity to fill political office, “forget about the ones they left behind,” said Teresa Ulloa Ziavirriz, regional director of the Coalition against the Trafficking of Women and Girls in Latin America and the Caribbean. Ziavirriz has been fighting to stop trafficking for 21 years.

Although some law reform has been implemented, with only a few exceptions, the law remains useless to prevent women from being sexually exploited. “I am ashamed as a Mexican that Mexico does not comply with their duty to protect its women,” Ziavirriz said.

In 2008 alone, 1230 cases of sexual abuse and exploitation were reported in Mexico. Of those cases, 28 were perpetrated by Mexican military officials. However, “the attorney general’s office fails to document details of these cases and acknowledge that sexual misconduct was committed,” said Lagunes. The only information included in a report is that a woman was raped.

Legunes explained that the trafficking of women and children is traditionally thought of in terms of taking them out of the country; however, trafficking within Mexico’s borders is very common.

Women are snatched from their poverty-stricken towns and transported to another part of the country where they are sexually exploited. In some cases, women go with abductors willingly when manipulated into believing that they are in love or are given hope for a better life elsewhere.

Lagunes warns against the misconception that “smuggling” and “trafficking” are interchangeable terms. Many people are trafficked after being smuggled across the Border.

There is great temptation for smugglers to perpetrate abuse because they know that the victim is especially vulnerable due to lack of proper documentation.

In more recent years, the internet has facilitated the recruitment process for traffickers targeting victims. Women join chatrooms to meet men and become susceptible to manipulation and false promises.

Once they arrive at their destination, the they are faced with the harsh reality of being sexually exploited.

Protecting women from sexual exploitation calls for significant change and reform due to its alarmingly high prevalence in Mexico and Latin America. Trafficking is an illegal organized crime that seeks profit by any means necessary.

Youth activist and panelist Graciela de Colon noted that Latin American women suffer from the drug, weapon and sex industry, however they are inhibited to report abuse by violence inherit within these industries. She urged that women continue to unite on the issue of human rights.