Argentina was ranked in the highest category in terms of efforts to combat human trafficking along with a group of 30 countries out of a total of 188, and shares that ranking in Latin America with Chile and Colombia, according to the Annual Report on Human Trafficking. People 2022 prepared by the United States Department of State.
The study presented by the Secretary of State of the United States, Anthony Blinken, brings together the most complete information on the government efforts of 188 countries to combat trafficking and highlights the most relevant strategies to confront traffickers and protect and assist victims. victims.
Based on local reports, countries are classified into four levels according to the efforts they make in terms of prevention, persecution, assistance and protection of victims.
In that ranking, Argentina was once again at Level 1, the highest category that it shares in Latin America with Chile and Colombia.
“That Argentina is highlighted along with a handful of countries as those that make the most efforts to fight against sexual and labor slavery fills us with pride and honors our tradition of defending human rights and human dignity.“, said the executive director of the Fight against Trafficking and Exploitation of Persons and for the Protection and Assistance to Victims, Gustavo Vera, in a statement.
In the chapter of the report referring to our country, it is stated that “the Government of Argentina fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking”, while “continued to demonstrate serious and sustained efforts during the reporting period, considering the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on its anti-trafficking capacity”.
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Attention, containment and advice in situations of gender violence
- By free call 24 hours Line 144
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- Downloading the apps
Among the points for which Argentina remains at the highest level, it was highlighted the continuity of prosecution efforts and that the Human Trafficking and Exploitation Prosecutor’s Office (Protex) of the Public Prosecutor’s Office opened 175 investigations (101 for sex trafficking, 58 for labor trafficking, six involving both sex and labor trafficking, and ten for unspecified exploitation for other exploitation offences).
In turn, the Government convicted 31 traffickers (24 sex traffickers and seven labor traffickers) and assisted a total of 1,434 victims, including those assisted by the National Secretariat for Children, Adolescents and Family (Senaf) and other government entities.
The importance of training
The survey also highlighted anti-trafficking training for prosecutors, law enforcement officers and judicial officials in virtual and face-to-face format, and highlighted the specific cooperation agreements for trafficking with other governments in the region.
“The work of the Argentine State in the fight against trafficking was and is intense. And that is reflected in prevention campaigns, training, complaints, rescues, assistance and convictions,” explained Vera.
and specified: “But also in the 28 inter-institutional tables that coordinate and articulate provincial, national and judicial bodies in the districts, in the more than 60 job quota ordinances or in the dissemination of line 145”.
Another of the measures highlighted by the report was the Ministry of Labor’s pilot program to encourage the re-entry of trafficking survivors into the labor market, where 29 people received job search support and a monthly stipend.
On the other hand, the implementation of the Government’s 2020-2022 national action plan to combat human trafficking was emphasized, which completed 67 of the 100 specific activities to combat trafficking.
“We intend to consolidate and deepen that path so that Argentina continues to be a vanguard in the fight against slavery in any of its forms,” Vera concluded.
Regarding the recommendations proposed to Argentina for the following year, the following items stand out: strengthen efforts to investigate, prosecute and convict traffickers; improve victim assistance and include more dedicated and specialized shelters for male victims.
The importance of sentencing traffickers to appropriate penalties was also highlighted; document and address official complicity in human trafficking; and allocate specific funding to fully implement the national action plan.
Today we released the 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report, which is meant to effect positive change and encourage governments to increase and improve their anti-trafficking efforts each year. Read it here: https://t.co/dRZXon7fRg #EndHumanTrafficking pic.twitter.com/AEhtoWyDAH
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) July 19, 2022
