Human Trafficking and Child Labour in Mexico

Human trafficking is at the top of the list of profitable crimes in Mexico. It is well known for generating a large sum of money for different criminal groups that want to participate (Rietig, V, 2015). According to high-ranking officials in the Drug and Criminal Departments, women, minors, and foreigners are particularly vulnerable to human trafficking. Human trafficking is the modern form of human slavery since it involves pressuring people to do something they don’t want to do (Allen, B, 2016). Many who have been victims of human trafficking have been exposed to both sexual exploitation and forced labor. Various Nongovernmental organizations as well as governmental researches show that the rate of forceful labor is high than the rates of prostitution rates in Mexico (Schaefer, R. J., & Gonzales, C, 2016). Individuals who are likely to be victims of forced labor include children and undocumented migrants. This paper focuses on describing the high incidences of child labor in Mexica because of forced labor.

Agriculture is ranked among the important sectors whereby child labor is still practiced to date (Luna, G. T, 2014). The children who are in these sectors in Mexico are victims of human trafficking and they do not have the choice into pick what is right for them (Del Carpio, X. V., Loayza, N. V., & Wada, T, 2016). Agriculture makes one of the most important sectors in Mexico. According to reports in 2010, it was said that human trafficking is the fastest growing illegal trade then followed by the drug trafficking (Cummings, P. M, 2016). The business is said to generate a lot of revenue to the world in general. This is tied to the fact that child labor is enforced in agricultural sector that is a very important sector in the economic improvement (Fan, M., Huston, M., & Pena, A. A, 2014). Majority of children who end up in child labor are those who are poor and living in the rural areas. They are promised better life in the urban areas only to ends up being victims of child labor.

References

Allen, B. (2016). Assessing Human Trafficking in Mexico: The American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative’s Experience. Borderline Slavery: Mexico, United States, and the Human Trade, 125.

Cummings, P. M. (2016). Child Labor and Household Composition: Determinants of Child Labor in Mexico. Asian Journal of Latin American Studies, 29(3), 29-54.

Del Carpio, X. V., Loayza, N. V., & Wada, T. (2016). The Impact of Conditional Cash Transfers on the Amount and Type of Child Labor. World Development, 80, 33-47.

Fan, M., Huston, M., & Pena, A. A. (2014). Determinants of child labor in the modern United States: Evidence from agricultural workers and their children and concerns for ongoing public policy.

Luna, G. T. (2014). The Dominion of Agricultural Sustainability: Invisible Farm Laborers. Wis. L. Rev., 265.

Rietig, V. (2015). Prevent, protect, and prosecute human trafficking in Mexico: policy and practical recommendations. International migration, 53(4), 9-24.

Schaefer, R. J., & Gonzales, C. (2016). Human Trafficking Through Mexico and the Southwest Border: Accounts from Hidalgo and Cochise Counties. Borderline Slavery: Mexico, United States, and the Human Trade, 173.