Mexico and Trafficking Informative Speech Tommy Hertz (Fall 2012) Human Trafficking in Mexico Specific Purpose:To inform my audience of the trafficking going on in Mexico and some association of it around the border. Central Idea:The main points of focus here are Mexico’s stance on controlling or ending it, trafficking happening around the border, and why Mexico is highly susceptible to trafficking. Introduction I.
Always watch out for yourself while going to foreign countries without truly knowing the environment and all of your surroundings there, human trafficking takes place all over the world while most Americans have a blind eye on the subject until it happens to somebody they know, or in this case, our own neighboring country. II. Today I will be sharing different information about Human Trafficking throughout the Mexican area and even its impact around the United States of America and Mexico border. III. I will discuss Mexico’s position on controlling or ending the trafficking going on. IV.
I personally also believe that human trafficking in Mexico is a result of the country itself being so highly susceptible to it and I will explain why throughout this. Body I. Human trafficking in Mexico happens quite often, and what exactly is the government’s position on controlling and stopping it? A. According to the Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, the government of Mexico does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. 1. Collet states in 2005 that Mexico lacks national-level commitment to fight trafficking and they also lack a National anti-trafficking law. ) Although Mexico is described as a source, transit, and a destination country for persons trafficked for sexual exploitation and labor. b) Information about the Mexican Government’s involvement is scarce, possibly to cover up for not complying with the minimum standards. B. They rely on a criminal code that includes penalties for offences to public morality, the corruption of a minor under the age of 16, for induced or forced prostitution, and for the procurement, inducement, and concealment of prostitution. 2. Mexico lacks national-level commitment to fight trafficking and they also lack a National anti-trafficking law. ) They actually signed the Mexican-Guatemalan March 2004 Memorandum of Understanding on Trafficking in 2004. b) They also ratified multiple agreements related to human trafficking, but the country’s efforts to combat trafficking in persons have relied mainly on existing laws pertaining to prostitution, sexual exploitation, threats to public health, moral corruption, and pimping. II. Human trafficking happening around the border of Mexico and its surrounding countries. A. Collet states in 2005 Mexico is one obvious point of entry and source for the estimated 18,000 people trafficked into the U.
S. each year. 1. Mexico participated in conferences on trafficking in persons. a) It included a conference organized by the United States Department of Labor b) The conference was an ongoing cooperative activity between the Government of Canada, Mexico, and the United States under the North American Agreement of Labor Cooperation (NAALC). B. Since the adoption of more stringent immigration rules in the United States which focus on criminal deportation, the Mexico-United States border region has become the stage of increased criminal activity of this sort. 2.
In 2005 the 2006 Salvador says there has been increased activism on the part of the Mexican authorities to address the issues of trafficking and smuggling. a) The Mexican legal framework remains largely untouched and hence limited in its crime-fighting scope and effectiveness. b) Despite the recent adoption of international protocols to fight human trafficking and increased law enforcement cooperation between the United States and Mexico, the perennial lack of economic growth in the Latin American region, coupled with historical migration patterns, have boosted an already booming industry for the illegal smuggling and trafficking of people.
III. Why Mexico is highly susceptible to trafficking. A. The increased flow of goods, people, and capital have yielded net gains for entrepreneurs of all kinds, legal and illegal, while desperation and vulnerability continues at the margins. 1. These inequalities contribute significantly to human trafficking particularly in the US/Mexican context. a) Over 40% of the population in Mexico is in poverty says Shirk 2004. b) Mexico’s people especially women and children are susceptible to traffickers. B.
In 2004 Shirk states that some estimates suggest that as many as 16,000 children are subject to commercial sexual exploitation domestically in Mexico. 2. Using the attractive prospects of well-paying jobs as domestic servants, factory workers, or waitresses, traffickers often recruit their victims. a) They especially get women and girls through fake advertisements, mail-order bride catalogues, and casual acquaintances. b) The illegal practice of trafficking in people is often “tied with illegal arms sales and is second only to drug trafficking as criminal enterprises.
Conclusion I. In summary I hope you better understand the main points which are, Mexico’s stance on controlling or ending trafficking, trafficking happening around the border, and why Mexico is highly susceptible to it. II. Given these conditions, a significant amount of human trafficking occurs in Mexico. Reference List Andreas, P. (1996). U. S. : Mexico: Open Markets, Closed Border. Foreign Policy, 51-69 Cicero-Dominquez, Salvador (2005-2006), Assessing the U. S. -Mexico Fight against Human Trafficking and Smuggling: Unintended Results of U. S. Immigration Policy; A. Nw. Univ. J. Int’l Hum. Rts. 303 Gozdziak, E. M. and Collett, E. A. (2005), Research on Human Trafficking in North America: A Review of Literature. International Migration, 43: 99–128. doi: 10. 1111/j. 0020-7985. 2005. 00314. x Joshi, Aiko. (2002) 13 Hastings Women’s L. J. 31 The Face of Human Trafficking. Shirk, David, and Alexandra Webber. (2004, Jan 23) “Slavery Without Borders. ” N. p. , 12: 5. Srikantiah, Jayashri. (2007) Perfect Victims and Real Survivors: The Iconic Victim in Domestic Human Trafficking Law 28 Immigr. & Nat’lity L. Rev. 741.
