1. Trafficking in Persons: Challenge in the Americas Phillip Linderman Organization of American States October 12, 2005

2. How well is Trafficking in Persons understood in the Western Hemisphere?
Not well understood, complicated by US TIP report
Tied up in questions about illegal migration, prostitution and forced labor.
It is not only commercial sexual exploitation, but also domestic servitude, agricultural labor
Intellectually ambition concept, but the common thread is the commercial exploitation of vulnerable persons.
Want to talk a minute on what we have been doing and the situation in the OAS region

3. Mission of the OAS Anti-Trafficking in Persons Unit:
Increase awareness and understanding
Help build political consensus
Provide training opportunities
Provide better information
The OAS follows the UN protocol on human trafficking
Protocol to the UN Transnational Crime Convention
This is not a new field UN convention. Several League of Nation treaties.

4. Anti-Trafficking Training Seminars
Argentina November 2004
Belize April 2005
Bolivia
Caribbean Countries
Peru April 2005
Ecuador August 2005
Venezuela January 2005
Training activities were undertaken in a number of countries. This was our strategy to put ourselves on the ground in the region.
Allowed OAS
to raise awareness
to identifiy reliable local officials
To increase our own information

5. Special OAS Projects
HAITI: Placement of an OAS advisor with the Haitian Police
JAPAN: Report on trafficking of Latin women from the region to Japan for the commercial sex trade
EUROPE: Coordination with Latin American source countries and Western European destination countries
In Haiti, the Canadians and U.S. are funding project. Hispanolia is a major trafficking region
Japan: OAS researchers in Japan produced report that established the basis for believing that 1,700 women and girls are trafficked to Japan. Cases are Migration and recruitment by Yakuzas. Japan sent a delegation to Bogota in January and admitted Colombia was a source country
Europe: Spain Portugal and Italy are major destination countries for Colombia, Dominicans and Brazilians. Trying to start policy

6. What is known about Trafficking in Persons in the Hemisphere?
Most victims are “internally” trafficked
Cross-border trafficking is not always linked to U.S.-bound migration
Victims are usually linked to clandestine activities:
Prostitution
Migrant Smuggling
Sweatshop and Agricultural labor
Most Victims of human trafficking or trafficked within the same country. They are not moved overseas (as provided in the US law and in the UN protocol). Most are moving from the rural areas to urban areas. Most are young women and girls in prostitution. Organized underage prostitution is form of trafficking and it is common in the Hemisphere.
Cross border trafficking gets lots more attention. But the data is incomplete because most governments don’t keep data on victims and victims do not self identify.

7. Countries with Advanced Policies
Brazil
Colombia
Canada
United States
Advanced here is defined as having laws, policies, police units and political will to act. Some may have the most victims
Other countries like Panama, Dominican Republic, Mexico are confronting this situation in a process to understand the issue and build the capacity to deal with it.
Specialized Police units that deal with TIP exist or are forming in Colombia, Brazil, Panama, Peru, Chile, Canada

8. Estimates of Victims Annually
16,000 – 22,000 victims transported across borders within the Western Hemisphere
9,000 – 12,000 victims transported from the Western Hemisphere to Europe
5,000 – 8,000 victims transported from Europe to the Western Hemisphere
12,500 – 16,500 victims transported from Asia to the Western Hemisphere
Again most victims are internally trafficked.

9. Again many victims are not leaving their countries
Many of the international trafficking routes follow migrant smuggling patterns on their way to the U.S. A major route is Ecuador north, good example of when smuggling and trafficking merge. The Guatemala/Mexico border area (minors in prostitution). In Central America there is a lot of organized underage prostitution, some that involves US bound migration and some that does not
Non-US Dominicans are a major source for non-US bound trafficking to Panama, Argentina, the Caribbean and Western Europe.
The Haitian Dominican border; involving Haitians trafficked to the DR
Colombia is a major source country – to Panama, Western Europe, Japan (50K number); border areas between Venezuela and Ecuador
Netherlands Antilles has a large sex trade, involving Dominicans and Colombians

10. Going into south America, the point to stress is that most victims are internal
Brazil for example has estimated up to 25K Brazilians in forced agricultural labor. Brazil is also leading source of international TIP victims; women in prostitution to Europe, other countries in South America, including Suriname, Argentina.
Argentina is a destination country for women from DR, Paraguay, Bolivia.
Bolivia has major internal trafficking in agriculture.
Peru has internal and international trafficking.
Final word on Chinese trafficking. Major movement in the Hemisphere. It is trafficking because of the debt bondage to pay off trafficking fees and other abuses.