Peru: Modern Slavery
Peru: Modern Slavery
By Lily Céspedes
Although it is a punishable crime, human trafficking is socially tolerated
Considered one of the most serious crimes in the world, the trafficking of women, youths and children has become a modern form of slavery that affects 2.4 million people worldwide each year, with profits reaching some US$32 billion annually, according to the International Labor Organization (ILO).
"It's a global situation that affects almost all countries. It has become an international problem and in order to fight it the work has to be coordinated between the authorities and governments of the world," warned Rosa Dominga Trapasso, US missionary who came to Peru over 50 years ago and who defends female victims of trafficking in the nongovernmental organization Movimiento El Pozo, in Lima.
According to the report on the trafficking of women for sex trade in Peru, produced in 2005 by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) along with Movimiento El Pozo, eight of every 10 cases identified in Peru are related to domestic trafficking.
"There is a custom of turning over or receiving children or youths whose parents can't take care of them, who fall, unfortunately, into the hands of human traffickers," said Tammy Quintanilla Zapata, director of Movimiento El Pozo.
However, Peru is considered the country of origin, transit and destination of human trafficking. According to the ILO, Peruvian women and girls are the principal victims of this crime and are sent to other countries in South America (Argentina and Bolivia), Western Europe (Italy and Spain), Japan and the United States for sexual exploitation.
Shocking stories
Rosa María, a 16-year old girl from Yurimaguas in the eastern Loreto department, used to live with her grandmother. When a friend offered her work at a dance club, she accepted and was taken to Chota in Cajamarca, in the north of the country, where the job was supposedly located. Upon her arrival, she was shocked to discover that the job was prostitution. However, the police was able to locate her and she was rescued by Movimiento El Pozo.
María, another youth who traveled legally to Japan in search of work, had a different experience. She was offered work, but was tricked. She was sold between pimps, kidnapped, prostituted and her documents taken from her. Her father reported her disappearance to Movimiento El Pozo. She managed to escape with the help of another woman and the authorities of the Peruvian Consulate in Japan helped her to repatriate four years ago.
Rita was offered cleaning work in Argentina. She contacted the supposed employers, who paid for her trip, and she traveled by land, but realized on the way that she was traveling with a lot of young women. She was taken to the outskirts of Buenos Aires where she was shut in and forced to prostitute herself. After five years of captivity, she managed to save up money and escape.
There are thousands of cases like this, but many fear reporting these networks that work in nightclubs, bars, luxury hotels, important streets, military quarters, mining centers, tourist areas and border zones.
Significant advances
After a four-year struggle, nongovernmental organizations defending women teamed up with government bodies and private companies in Peru to create a multi-sector commission that promoted Congress' approval of Law 28950 on Jan. 17, 2007, punishing human trafficking with prison time.
For congresswoman and lawyer Rosario Sassieta, first president of the Women Legislators Table of Peru, this law represents a significant advance since it implies a modification in the Peruvian criminal code, which did not previously recognize human trafficking as a crime, making it difficult to punish those who practiced it.
The new law establishes prison sentences between eight and 15 years for those who promote human trafficking, including the individuals who favor, finance, receive, transport, transfer, kidnap or trick for the purpose of sexual exploitation or receive the victim inside or outside Peruvian territory. When the victims are minors and the person involved in trafficking is a public employee, the sentence is 12 to 20 years. In the case that the victim is murdered or seriously injured, the punishment is no less than 25 years in prison.
In order to help prevent trafficking, the National Plan of Action against Human Trafficking 2007-2013 has also been established in Peru, which promotes the new law's implementation and offers victim assistance through a telephone help line. Between March 2006 and 2007, over 8,500 calls have been registered, resulting in 60 reports to the police and Attorney General's Office for investigation.
However, little information is available on how trafficking networks operate and even less information on people who have been condemned for this crime.
Sassieta hopes that after the Ministry of the Interior's implementation of the Registry System of Human Trafficking Statistics, it will be easier to collect information in order to reduce the exploitation suffered by women and minors.
"While there is a lot of legislation in Europe to punish this crime, Peru shows extreme social tolerance toward these situations of gender discrimination, which usually end in crimes," said Sassieta.
April 17th, 2008
[Latinamericapress]