Human Trafficking in Peru: Stakeholder Perceptions

Abstract

Peru has been found to be a country of destination, origin, and transit of men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. Peruvian news highlights growing trends in labor and sex trafficking, but it is widely recognized that there is a paucity of rigorous data on the subject.This study interviewed stakeholders involved in prevention, intervention, and support of victims of human trafficking in Peru. The research team surveyed thirty human trafficking organizations throughout Peru. Questions included where victims come from, gender, age, how they are trafficked, who trafficks them, where they are trafficked to, how traffickers maintain control, whether they were trafficked for the purposes of sex or labor, duration of trafficking, and how they were able to exit their exploitation. Additionally, each organization was asked from their vantage point, what they would do to end human trafficking in Peru.The findings from this research add substantially to the knowledge of the clandestine world of human trafficking. This research is one of the first studies in Peru that gives insight into both the extent of the problem of human trafficking and real solutions of how it can be combatted.

Moving Towards Self-actualization: A Trauma-Informed and Needs-Focused Approach to the Mental Health Needs of Survivors of Commercial Child Sexual Exploitation

“…Studies with service providers as participants have often stressed CCSE survivors' mental health service needs (Clawson, Salomon, & Grace, 2008;Countryman-Roswurm, & Shaffer, 2015;Greenbaum & Crawford-Jakubiak, 2015;Hardy, Compton, & McPhatter, 2013;Hossain, Zimmerman, Abas, Light, & Watts, 2010;Levine & Schumacher, 2017;Oram et al, 2015;Rafferty, 2018). However, many CCSE victims are trapped in the sex trade due to poverty and other vulnerability factors (e.g., childhood experiences of sexual abuse, limited education, and homelessness) linked to basic human needs (Clawson, Salomon, & Grace, 2008;Dank et al, 2015;Greenbaum & Crawford-Jakubiak, 2015;Laser-Maira, Huey, Castro, Ehrlich, & Nicotera, 2018;Laser-Maira, Huey, Castro, & Ehrlich,, 2016;Naramore, Bright, Epps, & Hardt, 2017;Roe-Sepowitz, 2012;Steiner et al, 2018). In studies of survivors as participants, food, housing and job opportunities were stated as their primary needs (Estes & Weiner, 2001;Curtis, Terry, Dank, Dombrowski, & Khan, 2008;Hounmenou & Her, 2018;Laser-Maira, Huey, Castro, Ehrlich, & Nicotera, 2018;Maney et al, 2011;Swaner et al, 2016).…”

Julie Anne Laser-Maira

“…This study was the first of its kind and emphasized the dire need for more investigations into the growing labor and sex trafficking operations within isolated, often illegal, mining communities throughout Peru . A current empirical research study of human trafficking in Peru found that approximately 80% of victims of human trafficking were female and 80% were children or youth (Laser-Maira, Huey, Castro & Ehrlich, 2016). Additionally, approximately 4 out of 10 were often trafficked for the purpose of labor and 8 out of 10 were trafficked for the purpose of sex (Laser-Maira, Huey, Castro & Ehrlich, 2016).…”

“…Those that were trafficked for sex work often ended up as street prostitutes, brothel prostitutes, involved in sex tourism or pornography (Laser-Maira, Huey, Castro & Ehrlich, 2016). Survivors who were exploited for sex trafficking usually worked one to two years with some over five years (LaserMaira, Huey, Castro & Ehrlich, 2016).…”

“…Survivors who were exploited for labor trafficking usually worked 7-12 month with some over five years (Laser-Maira, Huey, Castro & Ehrlich, 2016). Those that were trafficked for sex work often ended up as street prostitutes, brothel prostitutes, involved in sex tourism or pornography (Laser-Maira, Huey, Castro & Ehrlich, 2016).…”

Global Commercial and Sexual Exploitation of Children

“…Its persistence is proof of this criminality's ability not only to survive, but to thrive, fueled by increasing levels of poverty, migration, and the vulnerability of humans (Hepburn & Simon, 2013). Modern slavery is composed of the sale, transfer, and receipt of human beings, known today as human trafficking or trafficking in persons (TIP), and entraps people through infinitely varied forms of force, fraud, and/or coercion (Laser-Maira, Huey, Castro, & Ehrlich, 2016;Laser-Maira, Huey, Castro, Ehrlich, & Nicotera, 2018). According to the United Nations (UN), TIP generates $32 billion to $36 billion in profit annually, third only to drug and arms trafficking (UN, 2014), and that market is rapidly growing.…”