Colima, Colima - Emilio Maus Ratz, Director of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons of the National Commission of Human Rights (CNDH), called on Mexican authorities responsible for the enforcement and prosecution of justice to "get with it" in combating this crime.
"Sadly, we see that in the country there is much impunity, and human trafficking does not escape impunity, so it takes a determined fight to assure protection and assistance to victims," he said.The official, who was involved in arranging the Colima State Conference Against Trafficking in Persons, said that this phenomenon is found in almost the entire national territory, and he presented a map called "Route of Trafficking Networks in Mexico" on which are located the thirteen cities with the highest incidence of trafficking in the country.
According to the document, prepared by the Center for Studies and Research in Development and Social Assistance (CEIDAS):
- Six of the cities mentioned are found along the northern border: Tijuana, Mexicali, Nogales, Ciudad Juárez, Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros;
- Two are on the Pacific Coast: Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco;
- Two are in the Southeast: Tapachula and Cancún;
- Two are in the center: Mexico and Tlaxcala; and
- One is on the Gulf of Mexico: Veracruz.
"the largest number of victims who have been identified in the national territory are Mexicans captured in Mexico and exploited in the same country, so it's not a matter exclusively for the immigration authorities, but above all for national and local authorities responsible for the enforcement and prosecution of justice."According to Maus Ratz, it is very difficult to talk about precise figures on human trafficking in Mexico, because
"it is a crime that occurs in secrecy, and where victims are often unaware of their plight."However, he observed that some studies by UNICEF and INEGI [National Institute of Statistics] mention that about 16,000 boys and girls are found in situations of child sexual exploitation in the country.
Worldwide, he said, in 2005 the International Labor Organization (ILO) estimated the number of victims of trafficking to be 12.3 million. In 2012, the ILO raised to 18.7 million the number of people in situations of exploitation, of whom 14.2 million experience exploitative labor and 4.5 million sexual exploitation.
Each year, he added, 2.5 million victims are captured, according to the International Organization for Migration. According to UNICEF, 1.8 million children currently suffer from sexual exploitation.
Emilio Maus said that Mexico is considered to be the country of origin, transit and destination for victims of human trafficking, which means that there are many people who are caught in Mexico for the purpose of being exploited in another nation. But victims picked up in other countries are also exploited in Mexico and, finally, the country is used as a route for traffickers going to other countries, especially the United States.
Each year throughout the world, he said, between 800,000 and 900,000 people are brought across borders, and of these a significant number are Mexican victims.... Spanish original