Guatemala child trafficking soars despite legal brothels
Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2007 11:00 amProstitution is legal In Guatemala at registered brothels. There are mandatory health checks for the prostitutes offered by an NGO for women's health in Guatemala City. Because prostitution is legal, it is rarely investigated unless there is an official complaint, and those usually come down harder on the prostituted than the prostitute-using. -sam
Child Trafficking Soar in Guatemala
http://www.plenglish.com/ Article.asp?ID=%7B4D197633-B527-4B33-83BE-375E7C726E21%7D&language=EN
Guatemala, Jul 23 (Prensa Latina) Child trafficking become pretty common in Guatemala whose laws are not strong enough to fight the scourge.
Humanitarian organizations like the non governmental organization "End Child Prostitution, Pornography and Trafficking" call the Guatemalan-Mexican border a staple area for the trade.
Maria Eugenia Villareal, member of the NGO, said girls aged eight to fourteen are sold as sex slaves or used in risky sectors like garbage collection and classification, peddling and construction.
Most victims -from Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador- are misled with promises to travel to the US yet they are taken to different Mexican cities, including the capital.
Attorney Alex Colop calls serious problem the absence of laws with severe sanctions for such practices since the perpetrators walk free on bail or pay a fine.
In addition, the children do not press charges fearing threats from the exploiters or to loose their income source.
Child Trafficking Soar in Guatemala
http://www.plenglish.com/ Article.asp?ID=%7B4D197633-B527-4B33-83BE-375E7C726E21%7D&language=EN
Guatemala, Jul 23 (Prensa Latina) Child trafficking become pretty common in Guatemala whose laws are not strong enough to fight the scourge.
Humanitarian organizations like the non governmental organization "End Child Prostitution, Pornography and Trafficking" call the Guatemalan-Mexican border a staple area for the trade.
Maria Eugenia Villareal, member of the NGO, said girls aged eight to fourteen are sold as sex slaves or used in risky sectors like garbage collection and classification, peddling and construction.
Most victims -from Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador- are misled with promises to travel to the US yet they are taken to different Mexican cities, including the capital.
Attorney Alex Colop calls serious problem the absence of laws with severe sanctions for such practices since the perpetrators walk free on bail or pay a fine.
In addition, the children do not press charges fearing threats from the exploiters or to loose their income source.