ObservaLAtrata Calls for Greater State Commitments

June 12, 2017. The Latin American Observatory on Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants (ObservaLAtrata) held its Fifth Latin American Congress on Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling in Lima this past June, bringing together more than 121 representatives of civil society, government, academia, international organizations, and people affected by this crime, which deeply harms Latin American societies.

Organized by the Institute of Democracy and Human Rights of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (IDEHPUCP), together with Capital Humano y Social Alternativo (CHS Alternativo), the experts concluded that it is imperative to strengthen the fight against this problem and reinforce the promotion and protection of the rights of affected persons.

Representing the Dominican chapter of ObservaLAtrata, OBMICA associate researcher Camila Belliard Quiroga described the context of trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling in, toward, and from the country, stating that “it is a problem linked to multiple dimensions, from cross-border smuggling on the Haitian border to the irregular situation of Haitian immigrants in the country, violence against women, and the abuse of children and adolescents, among others.”

Regarding the regional situation, ObservaLAtrata pointed to as obstacles that must be overcome, first, the lack of budgets assigned to the state institutions called upon to combat the scourge and, at the same time, the difficulties in executing those resources in the few cases where such budget lines do exist. It also highlighted the complicity or shared responsibility of state officials and authorities with the active perpetrators of the crime.

ObservaLAtrata, which met at the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in the city of Lima, also states that the lack of effective information, awareness, and prevention mechanisms; the non-application of action protocols and care models by justice operators and institutions for victim protection and assistance respectively; and corruption and impunity in the states also create serious obstacles in the fight against trafficking.

Belliard states that “it is essential to carry out integrated work among state institutions, civil society, and NGOs, conducting campaigns and educational programs on trafficking and smuggling based on research.”

As in every edition, this year the congress encouraged collective contributions from research, training, and public policy advocacy in order to fight trafficking in persons and smuggling and to activate the agenda of the thirteen national chapters, the two promoter groups, and the three regional networks that make up ObservaLAtrata.