Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
La Paz (Agenzia Fides) - In Bolivia, at least 200 people each year fall into the net of criminal organizations that bind them in centers where they are exploited sexually or taken out of the country to work as seamstresses, bricklayers, peasants, servants, and many other activities. Argentina, Peru, USA and Europe are the most frequent destinations. Trade and human trafficking are closely linked with poverty, exploitation and legal inefficiency. According to a research carried out by the Centre de Capacitación y Servicio para la Mujer, the majority of victims are attracted to deceptive advertising. The latest report by human Trafficking and Smuggling raises the alarm about the sexual exploitation to which the indigenous Bolivian in the mines of Peru are subjected. The most frequent victims are teenagers taken from the poorest communities who when they arrive in the mines are identified by their clothing. Over the past five years over a thousand victims of trafficking have been recorded and, despite complaints, their case has never come to court. Across the country in 2012, 94 cases have already been reported, mostly in La Paz, El Alto, Santa Cruz and Cochabamba . (AP) (Agenzia Fides 27/6/2012)
