The number of human trafficking victims in Mexico is growing, as traffickers target vulnerable people hit hard by the COVID pandemic. HIP publishes its report on human trafficking every four years.
One of the main forms of trafficking described was the sexual exploitation of women and girls. Men and boys, meanwhile, were forced to labor in the mining and construction sectors, while females were also pressed into domestic service.
Children between the ages of five and 12 were victims of sexual abuse and pornography, as well as being forced to beg on behalf of others. The people most vulnerable to trafficking included members of the LGBTQ community, young girls, the disabled, single women with children, Indigenous people and migrants, including those displaced internally or transiting the region, according to the report. Mexico has one of the highest rates of human trafficking in the world.
Between and , more than 2, people were reported to be victims. And if the cases recorded through the first four months of this year continue apace, Mexico will log more than victims in , more than any of the last six years, according to the report. The figures are almost certainly an undercount. Many cases go unreported for a variety of reasons, including a lack of confidence in authorities and fear of being killed for speaking out.
Violence against women in Mexico has increased substantially alongside human trafficking in recent years, with a record women killed in The report also highlighted the Puebla-Tlaxcala corridor, Mexico City and the Gulf state of Veracruz as being human trafficking hotspots.
