Nearly 50,000 sexual exploitation victims in Guatemala – report

PROSTITUTION. General view of a zone known as 'La Linea' (The Line), in Guatemala City, Guatemala. This location just passed the railroad is one of the most popular zones of prostitution in the city. File photo by Saul Martinez/EPA

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala – Nearly 50,000 people – most of them girls aged 12 to 17 – are direct victims of sexual exploitation in Guatemala, two UN entities said in a joint report presented on Thursday, May 26.

Research by the UN children's agency UNICEF and the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) found that poverty – which affects 60% of Guatemala's population of 15 million – as well as a patriarchal society and domestic violence are chiefly responsible.

The report found that 64% of the 48,600 recorded victims were women, most under 18. Twenty-three percent of the victims were men and 13% were not registered by gender.

Not only Guatemalan women were ensnared by prostitution rings in the country: Colombians, Hondurans, Salvadorans and Nicaraguans were also exploited.

UNICEF's deputy representative in the Central American nation, Mariko Kagoshima, highlighted the case of a 12-year-old girl forced to provide 30 instances of sexual services a day.

Organized criminal groups make an estimated $1.6 billion a year from sexual exploitation in Guatemala, equivalent to 2.7% of the country's GDP, the report revealed. (READ: Abusive work conditions persist despite gains – UN report)

The activity amounted to "modern slavery," CICIG chief Ivan Valesquez said, urging greater penalties for property owners and business people who profited from such people trafficking. – Rappler.com