During this day, the IDP’s Trafficking in Persons Investigative Brigade (Britrap) revealed that in the last three years victims of this type of crime increased by 1,300%, with sexual exploitation and work to the most common causes. A situation classified as “modern slavery” by the civilian police.
This dramatic increase relates to the increase in immigration during the indicated period, considering that from 2017 to 2019, victims of migrant trafficking increased from 27 to 376 affected. Meanwhile, detainees for this crime amounted from 11 to 32 during the same time, reveals La Tercera.
The majority of victims are foreigners and especially women, as sexual and labour exploitation is the most recorded illegals.
“This has to do directly with the being foreigners who come to our country, where they do not have support networks or close relatives, and in situations where there is also a distrust of authority and towards the police,” the head of britrap told the media , Giordano Lanzarini.
From the Jesuit Migrant Service (SJM) point to the measures taken by the Executive, noting that when “regular entry to the country is hindered”, the possibility of being victims of gangs engaged in these crimes increases. For this reason, the director of Incidence and Studies of the entity, Juan Pablo Ramaciotti, warns that “administrative measures cannot be above the human rights of people”.
“If we put excessive barriers, especially on people who need to migrate due to political or humanitarian crises, we are putting them at risk of falling into these networks. In that one worrying figure is that the last two years have multiplied revenue by non-enabled steps,” he explained.
Following this data, in order to help victims, a complaints system has been employed to ensure the protection and regularization of their legal situation in the country.
Modus operandi
One of the cases disrupted by the Britrap is in November 2019, when an international network between Chile and Colombia was discovered that brought women from Colombia to engage in prostitution
in the cities of Santiago, Temuco, Osorno and Puerto Montt. The operation identified 50 women brought to our country, victims of this network.
The modus operandi of this band was that the leaders sent videos from Chile offering a spacious house to live in good conditions on a good salary. However, when they arrived they were deceived, and they were obliged in the same piece, where they were also to serve customers.
“They were deceived and taken advantage of their vulnerable situation, as they had no nets and entered as tourists, but with the aim of prostitution,” he said.
Moreover, one problem in the investigation of these cases is that “victims do not recognize the most victimized.” Hence the police chief points out that “human trafficking is modern slavery. It means bending a person’s will to engage in some kind of activity on behalf of others.”
