Prostitution and Trafficking of Women and Children From Mexico to the United States
Date of Publication
1-1-2023 12:00 AM
Keywords
human security, Prostituion, human trafficking, demands forced
Description
Women are trafficked by pimps to wherever there is a demand for prostitution. The current United States laws on human trafficking place the burden of proof on the victim to produce evidence of fraud, force, or coercion. The historical context of sex trafficking from Mexico to the United States is sketched and it is revealed that of the approximately 50,000 people that are annually trafficked to the United States, one-third are Latin Americans. The San Diego trafficking corridor is described, as are the typical operations of trafficking captive women and children into the United States. Two case studies of girls aged 12 and 15 who were forced into prostitution are presented to illustrate the brutality of human trafficking and forced prostitution. The way in which the United States’ social support systems responded to these victims is also analyzed. The historical context of the sexual exploitation of Mexican and Latin American women and children is sketched as the deep-rooted legacy of male supremacy in Latin American cultures is examined. In these regions, as in many other regions around the world, the widespread belief in male supremacy renders girls and women vulnerable to sexual exploitation, especially during times of regional or national conflicts. The author goes on to charge that Mexican and other Latin American men assume it is their right to sexually exploit any female, and as a result of this attitude there has been a deliberate lack of educational opportunities for women, further rendering them dependant on men for survival. The need for competent bilingual and multicultural support services for prostituted and trafficked women and girls is underscored. Two social service agencies, Arte Sana and the Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition, are discussed as providing a range of culturally relevant services to Latina survivors of sexual exploitation. Meeting the challenges of helping women and girls who have been trafficked and forced into prostitution will require savvy multicultural approaches that speak to the wide range of issues involved in the trafficking and prostitution of women and children. Notes, references
Prostitution and Trafficking of Women and Children From Mexico to the United States
Women are trafficked by pimps to wherever there is a demand for prostitution. The current United States laws on human trafficking place the burden of proof on the victim to produce evidence of fraud, force, or coercion. The historical context of sex trafficking from Mexico to the United States is sketched and it is revealed that of the approximately 50,000 people that are annually trafficked to the United States, one-third are Latin Americans. The San Diego trafficking corridor is described, as are the typical operations of trafficking captive women and children into the United States. Two case studies of girls aged 12 and 15 who were forced into prostitution are presented to illustrate the brutality of human trafficking and forced prostitution. The way in which the United States’ social support systems responded to these victims is also analyzed. The historical context of the sexual exploitation of Mexican and Latin American women and children is sketched as the deep-rooted legacy of male supremacy in Latin American cultures is examined. In these regions, as in many other regions around the world, the widespread belief in male supremacy renders girls and women vulnerable to sexual exploitation, especially during times of regional or national conflicts. The author goes on to charge that Mexican and other Latin American men assume it is their right to sexually exploit any female, and as a result of this attitude there has been a deliberate lack of educational opportunities for women, further rendering them dependant on men for survival. The need for competent bilingual and multicultural support services for prostituted and trafficked women and girls is underscored. Two social service agencies, Arte Sana and the Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition, are discussed as providing a range of culturally relevant services to Latina survivors of sexual exploitation. Meeting the challenges of helping women and girls who have been trafficked and forced into prostitution will require savvy multicultural approaches that speak to the wide range of issues involved in the trafficking and prostitution of women and children. Notes, references
