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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 11:23 pm
Time: 11:23 pm
Results for human trafficking (latin america, caribbean)
2 results foundAuthor: Seelke, Clare Ribando Title: Trafficking in Persons in Latin America and the Caribbean Summary: Trafficking in persons (TIP) for the purpose of exploitation is a lucrative criminal activity that is of major concern to the United States and the international community. According to the U.S. State Department, as many as 27 million people may be trafficking victims around the world at any given time. In recent years, the largest numbers of trafficking victims have been identified in Africa and Europe; however human trafficking is also a major problem in Latin America. Countries in Latin America serve as source, transit, and destination countries for trafficking victims. Men, women, and children are victimized within their own countries, as well as trafficked to other countries in the region. Latin America is also a primary source region for people trafficked to the United States. In FY2012, for example, primary countries of origin for foreign trafficking victims certified as eligible to receive U.S. assistance included Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala (along with Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia). Smaller numbers of Latin American TIP victims are trafficking to Europe and Asia. Latin America serves as a transit region for Asian TIP victims. Since enactment of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA, P.L. 106-386), Congress has taken steps to address human trafficking by authorizing new programs and reauthorizing existing ones, appropriating funds, creating new criminal laws, and conducting oversight on the effectiveness and implications of U.S. anti-TIP policy. Most recently, the TVPA was reauthorized through FY2017 in Title XXII of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (P.L. 110-457). According to CRS calculations, obligations for U.S.-funded anti-TIP programs in Latin America totaled roughly $8.4 million in FY2011, with $5.3 million of those funds destined for Haiti. On June 19, 2013, the State Department issued its 13th annual, congressionally mandated report on human trafficking. The report categorizes countries into four “tiers” according to the government’s efforts to combat trafficking. Those countries that do not cooperate in the fight against trafficking (Tier 3) have been made subject to U.S. foreign assistance sanctions. Colombia and, for the first time, Nicaragua received the top Tier 1 ranking in this year’s report. While Cuba is the only Latin American country ranked on Tier 3 in this year’s TIP report, nine other countries in the region—Barbados, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, St. Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela—are on the Tier 2 Watch List. Unless those countries make significant progress, they could receive a Tier 3 ranking in the 2014 report. Activity on combating TIP has continued into the 113th Congress, particularly related to the reauthorization of the TVPA and oversight of TIP programs and operations, including U.S.- funded programs in Latin America. Congress is likely to monitor trends in human trafficking in the region, such as the involvement of organized crime groups in TIP and the problem of child trafficking in Haiti. Congress could consider increasing funding for anti-TIP programs in the region, possibly through the Mérida Initiative for Mexico, the Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI), or through other assistance programs. Details: Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service, 2013. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: RL33200: Accessed July 19, 2013 at: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33200.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Central America URL: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33200.pdf Shelf Number: 129468 Keywords: Human SmugglingHuman Trafficking (Latin America, Caribbean)Sexual Exploitation |
Author: Seelke, Clare Ribando Title: Trafficking in Persons in Latin America and the Caribbean Summary: Trafficking in persons (TIP) for the purpose of exploitation is a lucrative criminal activity that is of major concern to the United States and the international community. According to the U.S. State Department, there may be as many as 20 million trafficking victims around the world at any given time. In recent years, the largest numbers of trafficking victims have been identified in Africa and Europe; however, human trafficking is also a major problem in Latin America. Countries in Latin America serve as source, transit, and destination countries for trafficking victims. Men, women, and children are victimized within their own countries, as well as trafficked to other countries in the region. Latin America is also a primary source region for people trafficked to the United States, increasingly by transnational criminal organizations. In FY2013, primary countries of origin for foreign trafficking victims certified as eligible to receive U.S. assistance included Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador (along with Thailand, the Philippines, and India). Smaller numbers of Latin American TIP victims are trafficked to Europe and Asia. Latin America serves as a transit region for Asian TIP victims. Since enactment of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA, P.L. 106-386), Congress has taken steps to address human trafficking by authorizing new programs, reauthorizing existing ones, appropriating funds, creating new criminal laws, and conducting oversight on the effectiveness and implications of U.S. anti-TIP policy. Most recently, the TVPA was reauthorized through FY2017 in Title XXII of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (P.L. 110-457). According to CRS calculations, obligations for U.S.-funded anti-TIP programs in Latin America totaled roughly $10.9 million in FY2012. On June 20, 2014, the State Department issued its 14th annual, congressionally mandated report on human trafficking. The report categorizes countries into four "tiers" according to the government's efforts to combat trafficking. Those countries that do not cooperate in the fight against trafficking (Tier 3) have been made subject to U.S. foreign assistance sanctions. Nicaragua and, for the first time, Chile received the top Tier 1 ranking in this year's report. While Cuba and Venezuela are the only Latin American countries ranked on Tier 3 in this years TIP report, 10 other countries in the region - Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Bolivia, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Panama, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Uruguay - are on the Tier 2 Watch List. Unless those countries make progress, they could receive a Tier 3 ranking in 2015. The 114th Congress is likely to continue oversight of TIP programs and operations, including U.S.-funded programs in Latin America. Congress is likely to monitor trends in human trafficking in the region, such as the involvement of organized crime groups in TIP, the problem of child trafficking in Haiti, and the vulnerability of unauthorized child migrants from Central America to trafficking. Congress could consider further increasing funding for anti-TIP programs in the region, as was provided for forensic technology to combat TIP in Central America and Mexico in P.L. 113-235, possibly through the Merida Initiative, the Central America Regional Security Initiative (CARSI), or through other assistance programs. For Details: Washington, DC: Congressional Research Services, 2015. 20p. Source: Internet Resource: CRS Report RL33200: Accessed February 16, 2015 at: https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33200.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Caribbean URL: https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/RL33200.pdf Shelf Number: 134628 Keywords: Human SmugglingHuman traffickingHuman Trafficking (Latin America, Caribbean)Sexual Exploitation |