The Three Phases Of Human Trafficking In Latin America

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countries across Latin America. In addition to being a source and transport region, Latin America also serves as destination countries. According to the 2014 Global Slavery Index produced by the Free Walk Foundation, the six countries with the greatest prevalence of their populations subjected to human trafficking, are Haiti, Suriname, Guyana, Mexico, Colombia, and Peru” (Walk Free Foundation, 2014).
There are three phases in the human trafficking business. The first is to obtain victims through push and pull factors or kidnapping and this phase occurs in the Source Country. The second phase is the movement of victim. Transporting victims includes transporters and smugglers moving victims from point A to point B, often times identifying and enlisting support from corrupt law enforcement officers and officials willing to accept bribes in exchange for allowing traffickers to move people.
The third phase, involves people that …show more content…

Corruption of public officials and law enforcement along with the complicity between local law enforcement and border agents allows human trafficking to thrive in Latin America. “Victimization occurs in political environments characterized by unrest, conflict, and displacement of local populations. Traffickers exploit the weakened (or absent) rule of law, damaged economy, and the loss of community support networks in conflict and post-conflict zones” (Risley, 2010, p.102). Organized crime is thriving in Latin America due to drug and arms trafficking. High profits, low risk of detection, and minimal penalties have made human trafficking attractive to organized crime. “The business operates with complicity of professionals providing services to human traffickers. Vast profits have developed high-level expertise as drug trafficking organizations have done. This model thrives because of traffickers from poor societies, as well as highly paid facilitators in the west” (Shelley, 2003,

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