Human Trafficking in  [Chile]  [other countries]
Street Children in  [Chile]  [other countries]
Child Prostitution in  [Chile]  [other countries]
 

Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery

Republic of Chile                                                                         [ Country-by-Country Reports ]

The Republic of Chile [map], located in S South America, west of the continental divide of the Andes Mts, is bordered by Peru (N), Bolivia (NE), Argentina (E), and the Pacific Ocean (W & S).  Santiago is its capital and largest city.  Chile has a market-oriented economy characterized by a high level of foreign trade.  Chile's basic social indicators compare favorably with other countries in the region.

Chile is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and labor exploitation. Most victims of sex trafficking are Chilean women and girls who are trafficked within the country. Chileans also are trafficked for sexual and labor exploitation to neighboring countries such as Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia, in addition to Europe, Japan, and the United States. Foreign victims from neighboring countries and Asian countries such as the P.R.C. are lured to Chile with false job offers and subsequently coerced into prostitution. Migrants from Peru and Bolivia, including children, may be subjected to involuntary servitude in agriculture in northern Chile. Chinese nationals are reportedly smuggled through Chile en route to Mexico, Brazil, and the United States; some may be trafficking victims. - U.S. State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2008 [full country report]

 

CAUTION:  The following links have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Chile.  Some of these links may lead to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated or even false.  No attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content.

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iAbolish Country Report: Chile

COUNTRY BACKGROUND - Slavery has a legacy in Chile. In the 1980s, during the former dictatorship, "dignity colonies" were operating. These were clandestine camps where many of the desparecidos (the 'disappeared' people) were sexually exploited and trapped in a system of forced labor. These were only recently discovered. The kinds of slavery that exist in Chile today also hardly receive any immediate media attention.

THE PROCESS OF ENSLAVEMENT - Chile is a destination for Bolivian minors who are lured into the country under false pretenses and promises of higher wages in a country economically more stable than Bolivia. Chile is also a country where human traffickers facilitate and promote the movement of people from Asia to American cities, such as Los Angeles and Houston, for the purposes of debt bondage and sexual exploitation.

 

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U.S. Dept of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs

INCIDENCE AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - In 2003, the Government of Chile estimated that there were approximately 3,700 children involved in some form of commercial sexual exploitation.  Children are also trafficked internally for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation.

Bur of Democracy, Human Rights & Labor - Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005

TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS – Within the country victims reportedly were trafficked from rural areas to such urban areas as Santiago, Iquique, and Valparaiso. Law enforcement authorities stated that small numbers of victims were trafficked to neighboring countries (Argentina, Peru, and Bolivia), the United States, Europe, and Asia. Victims reportedly entered the country from Peru, Argentina, Colombia, and Bolivia, although it was difficult to distinguish trafficked persons from economic migrants.

Anecdotal reports suggested that young women were the primary targets for trafficking to other countries. Traffickers reportedly used newspaper advertisements for models and product promoters to lure girls, ages 11 to 17, into prostitution. Law enforcement agencies indicated that traffickers looking for children also targeted economically disadvantaged families, arguing to the parents that they were giving the child an opportunity for a better life. Men from less-affluent rural areas may be recruited into abusive labor situations in deep-sea fishing or ranching operations.

Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2002

[49] The Committee, while noting that the State party has ratified ILO Conventions No. 138 concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment and No. 182 concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour and increased the minimum age for admission to work to 15, expresses its deep concern at the large number of children, including those under 15, who are exploited economically, especially in the farming sector, and the large number who have to leave school because they cannot conciliate work and school.

Freedom House Country Report - Political Rights: 1   Civil Liberties: 1   Status: Free

Human Rights Overview by Human Rights Watch – Defending Human Rights Worldwide

U.S. Library of Congress - Country Study

iAbolish Country Report: Chile

COUNTRY BACKGROUND - Slavery has a legacy in Chile. In the 1980s, during the former dictatorship, "dignity colonies" were operating. These were clandestine camps where many of the desparecidos (the 'disappeared' people) were sexually exploited and trapped in a system of forced labor. These were only recently discovered. The kinds of slavery that exist in Chile today also hardly receive any immediate media attention.

THE PROCESS OF ENSLAVEMENT - Chile is a destination for Bolivian minors who are lured into the country under false pretenses and promises of higher wages in a country economically more stable than Bolivia. Chile is also a country where human traffickers facilitate and promote the movement of people from Asia to American cities, such as Los Angeles and Houston, for the purposes of debt bondage and sexual exploitation.

The Protection Project - Human Rights Reports of The Americas - Chile [DOC]

FORMS OF TRAFFICKING - One study reported that 50 percent of foreign women working in eastern Santiago’s late-night establishments were victims of trafficking. Foreign women come to Santiago to look for work, and from Santiago they are trafficked to other parts of the country.  Bolivian women and children are trafficked to Chile for prostitution and domestic work.

A Chilean woman was allegedly involved in a network that was suspected of trafficking young Chilean women for prostitution in Japan.  Known as the “Chilean Geisha,” she made a fortune with her best-selling memoirs, her music albums, and even a movie about her life. Corporación La Morada, one of Chile’s leading women’s organizations, filed a lawsuit against the “geisha” for trafficking in persons; in June 2004, the government’s Council for the Defense of State joined the legal action against her.

Child trafficking projects in Central and South America

INVOLVING THE GOVERNMENTS - To be able to protect young boys and girls from child trafficking, it is primarily important to improve the basic legal framework. Thanks to the initiative of DNI and Infante, partner organizations of terre des hommes in Bolivia, amendments to laws making child trafficking a punishable offence are about to be passed. Similarly, the Chilean organization, Raices, works closely with the local police authorities. In addition, a commission with representatives from Chile, Peru and Bolivia is working on a strategic and a more effective approach against cross-border child trafficking.

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Human Trafficking in  [Chile]  [other countries]
Street Children in  [Chile]  [other countries]
Child Prostitution in  [Chile]  [other countries]