Human Trafficking in Guatemala

According to the U.S. State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report in June 2009, Guatemala is a source, transit, and destination country for Guatemalans and Central Americans trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. Human trafficking is a significant and growing problem in the country, particularly the exploitation of children in prostitution.

Guatemala is the most populous of the Central American countries with a GDP per capita roughly one-half that of Argentina, Brazil, and Chile. (Credit: gvnet.com)

Human trafficking is one of the most significant and growing problem in the country, particularly the exploitation of children in prostitution. Guatemalan women and children are trafficked within the country, and to Mexico and the United States, for commercial sexual exploitation.

According to the report, young Guatemalan girls are also subject to forced labor within the country as domestic servants. Guatemalan men, women, and children are trafficked within the country, as well as to Mexico and the United States, for forced labor, particularly in agriculture. In the Mexican border area, Guatemalan children are exploited for forced begging on streets and forced labor in municipal dumps; Guatemalan men, women, and children are trafficked for forced agricultural work, particularly on coffee plantations.

Migrants from Guatemala stream into the United States by way of human trafficking networks through Mexico. (Credit: Reuters)

With the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which come into effect in 2016. Human trafficking is addressed by one of the goals. In Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls, it suggests in 5.2 that to "eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation". And in Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels , it says in 16.2 to, "end abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence and torture against children."

A South Asian-Central American human trafficking network that traffic people illegally to the U.S. through Guatemala. The illegal migrants were flown mostly from Delhi, Amritsar and Ahmedabad in India through Istanbul and then on to Guatemala. They later entered the U.S. illegally over land from Mexico. (Credit: India Times)

There are lots of things to be done to prevent human trafficking. for instance, implement and enforce the new anti-trafficking law; increase efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking offenses, and convict and punish trafficking offenders, including public officials complicit with trafficking activity; pursue suspected cases of forced labor and domestic servitude crimes in addition to suspected cases of adult sex trafficking; improve victim services and assistance; increase anti-trafficking training for judges and police; and increase funding for anti-trafficking efforts, particularly for the country’s dedicated prosecutorial and police units, which are suggested by the Persons Report