El Salvador Departments Map Mapa Departamentos El Salvador

Sex trafficking in El Salvador is

human trafficking Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extrac ...

for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the

Republic of El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning "Jesus, The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the so ...

. It is a country of origin, transit, and destination for sexually trafficked persons. El Salvador citizens and foreigners, primarily women and girls, are sex trafficked to the different

departments of El Salvador El Salvador is divided into 14 departments (Spanish: ''departamentos'') for administrative purposes, subdivided into 262 municipalities (''municipios''). The country is a unitary state. Departments See also *El Salvador *List of cities in ...

, as well as other countries, namely

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The illegal transporting and

sexual assault of migrants from Latin America to the United States Many people migrating from Latin America to the United States are victims of sexual assault and sex trafficking in Mexico. People who migrate through or from Mexico without legal permission must enter into dealings with smugglers and, often, c ...

is a problem. The majority of foreign victims of sex trafficking in El Salvador come from

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

Nicaragua Nicaragua (; ), officially the Republic of Nicaragua (), is the largest country in Central America, bordered by Honduras to the north, the Caribbean to the east, Costa Rica to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Managua is the cou ...

, and

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

. Children, deported migrants, and people in poverty are especially vulnerable to sex trafficking. Incidents have involved

child pornography Child pornography (also called CP, child sexual abuse material, CSAM, child porn, or kiddie porn) is pornography that unlawfully exploits children for sexual stimulation. It may be produced with the direct involvement or sexual assault of a chi ...

and

sex tourism Sex tourism refers to the practice of traveling to foreign countries, often on a different continent, with the intention of engaging in sexual activity or relationships in exchange for money or lifestyle support. This practice predominantly oper ...

. Sex trafficked victims are deceived or abducted and forced into prostitution and unfree labour. They are guarded or locked up in brothels, homes, and other locations. Some are forced into marriages or pregnancies, and victims' babies have been sold. They are threatened and physically and psychologically abused. Victims have been tortured and murdered. Their family members are sometimes threatened. Victims contract sexually transmitted diseases from rapes without condoms. They have been deprived of water and other necessities and often live in poor and dirty conditions. A number are drugged while in captivity. Others are forced to get tattoos or breast implants. Victims experience mental health problems, including depression, suicidal thoughts, and persecutory delusions. Victims have participated in investigations and trials against their traffickers. Sex crimes against women and girls, such as these, are a form of gender inequality in El Salvador. Sex trafficking and exploitation have permeated all levels of Salvadorian society. Traffickers have been male and female. A number of traffickers are members of or facilitated by gangs and transnational criminal organizations. Government officials and workers and police have been complicit and corruption and impunity are issues. Anti-sex trafficking efforts in the country have been criticized for being unsatisfactory. The scale of sex trafficking in El Salvador is not known because of the dearth of data. Government anti-sex trafficking efforts and protections for citizens have been criticized for being insufficient. Law enforcement is hindered by limited operating budgets and resources. Victim care and rehabilitation programmes are lacking.

Links to illegal drug trade

Drug gangs in El Salvador engage in sex trafficking as an alternative source of profit. Women and girls have been forced into sexual relationships and kept as

sex slaves Sexual slavery and sexual exploitation is an attachment of any ownership rights, right over one or more people with the intent of Coercion, coercing or otherwise forcing them to engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activities. This include ...

by gang leaders.

Non-governmental organization

Ramá Network, part of the International Network of Consecrated Life Against Trafficking in Persons, and the Association for the Self-Determination of Salvadoran Women (AMS) carry out anti-sex trafficking efforts in El Salvador.

References

{{Sex trafficking, state=collapsed Child sexual abuse Crime in El Salvador by type Forced prostitution Organized crime activity Law enforcement in El Salvador Society of El Salvador Sex industry

El Salvador El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...

Crimes against women Women's rights in El Salvador

Links to illegal drug trade

Non-governmental organization

Further reading

References