Challenge in the Americas: Trafficking in Persons A Presentation to the Special Committee on Fighting Transnational Organized Cime in the Americas February 15, 2006

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Challenge in the AmericasTrafficking in
PersonsA Presentation to the Special
Committeeon Fighting Transnational
OrganizedCime in the AmericasFebruary 15, 2006
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Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish
Trafficking in Persons

• Trafficking in persons shall mean the
  recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring,
  or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or
  use of force, or other forms of coercion, of
  abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse
  of power, or of a position of vulnerability or of
  the giving or receiving of payments or benefits
  to achieve the consent of a person having control
  over another person, for the purpose of
  exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a
  minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of
  others or other forms of sexual exploitation,
  forced labor or services, slavery or practices
  similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of
  organs.

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Identifying Crime is linked to finding Victims

• Victims are generally difficult for officials to
  identify
• Most victims do no self-identify
• Victims are usually linked to clandestine
  activities
• Prostitution
• Migrant Smuggling
• Sweatshop and Agricultural labor

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Internal and International Human Trafficking

• Victims of internal human trafficking or
  trafficking within the same country
• Victims of cross-border or international human
  trafficking

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Mission of the OAS Anti-Trafficking in Persons
Section

• Increase awareness and understanding
• Help build a Hemispheric consensus
• Provide training opportunities
• Provide better information on trafficking

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Anti-Trafficking Training Seminars

• Argentina November 2004
• Belize April 2005
• Bolivia 2004-05
• Caribbean Countries 2004-05
• Mexico 2004-05
• Peru April 2005
• Ecuador August 2005
• Venezuela January 2005
• Guatemala September, December 2005

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Special OAS Projects

• HAITI Fielding of an OAS advisor with the
  Haitian Police
• JAPAN Report on trafficking of Latin women from
  the region to Japan for the commercial sex trade
• EUROPE Coordination with Latin American source
  countries and Western European destination
  countries

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Countries with Specific Anti-Trafficking Laws in
Force
Belize Bolivia Colombia Dominican
Republic Guyana Panama United States
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Countries with a Combination of Effective
Criminal Laws
Brazil Canada Costa Rica Ecuador El
Salvador Jamaica
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Countries with Significant Anti-Trafficking
Legislation Pending
Argentina Mexico
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Countries with Advanced Police Capacity on Human
Trafficking
Brazil Canada Chile Colombia El
Salvador Guatemala Panama
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Bilateral Agreements in the OAS Region
Guatemala -- Mexico Venezuela -- Brazil
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Estimates of Victims Annually

• 16,000 22,000 victims transported across
  borders within the Western Hemisphere
• 9,000 12,000 victims transported from the
  Western Hemisphere to Europe
• 5,000 8,000 victims transported from Europe to
  the Western Hemisphere
• 12,500 16,500 victims transported from Asia to
  the Western Hemisphere

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Recommendations

• Political Leadership
• Place fighting human trafficking on the national
  agenda
• Appoint a senior policy figure to act as a czar
  to coordinate policy
• Create a modern legal framework

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Recommendations

• Law Enforcement
• Develop dedicated police, immigration and
  prosecutorial units
• Focus on the easy cases first
• Pubilicize high profile prosecutions
• Work with NGOs to develop cases
• Find a strategy to deal with corruption

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Recommendations

• Social Services and Crime Prevention
• Work with NGOs and encourage their activities
• Develop the capacity to identify victims and
  treat them humanely
• Develop the capacity to collect information on
  human trafficking

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Recommendations

• Foreign Relations
• Develop expertise in foreign affairs ministries
• Develop ability to exchange information
• Train consular and diplomatic officials before
  sending them abroad
• Implement transparency in foreign labor,
  residency and visa documents
• Eliminate so-called Entertainer Visas

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Thank you for your attention.
OAS Website on Human Trafficking oas.org/atip