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UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000519 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
G/TIP FOR BARBARA FLECK 
WHA/PPC FOR MIKE PUCCETTI 
WHA/BSC FOR DREW BLAKENEY 
INL FOR JAMES HIDES 
DRL FOR CATHERINE NEWLING 
PRM FOR MONIQUE RAMGOOLIE 
G/IWI 
DEPT PLS PASS TO USAID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD ASEC PREF PGOV ELAB
PREL, AR 
SUBJECT: ARGENTINA SUBMISSION FOR THE SEVENTH ANNUAL 
TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT 
 
REF: 2006 STATE 202745 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  Summary:  Argentina is a country of origin, 
transit and destination for internationally trafficked men, 
women and children.  Trafficking in persons (TIP) in 
Argentina primarily involves Argentines trafficked internally 
for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation, mostly 
from the northern provinces to the central provinces and 
Buenos Aires, and from Buenos Aires to several southern 
provinces.  Trafficking of persons for commercial sexual 
exploitation also occurs across the country's borders, 
principally women and minors from Paraguay, Brazil, and to a 
lesser extent the Dominican Republic.  International 
trafficking into Argentina of Bolivians and Chinese for 
forced labor was also reported.  Argentina is also a transit 
country for international trafficking of women to the 
Southern Cone region and Europe, particularly Spain, Chile, 
and Brazil.  Lack of federal anti-TIP legislation hampers and 
complicates investigations and prosecutions of traffickers, 
as does the existence of official corruption at local levels. 
 Comprehensive and reliable data on the magnitude of TIP in 
Argentina as well as the number of possible victims, arrests, 
and prosecutions do not exist. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  The U.S. State Department has provided funding to 
the International Office for Migration (IOM) for TIP training 
and victims assistance programs and the Secretary of State 
recognized an Argentine woman active in anti-TIP efforts with 
an International Woman of Courage Award.  The GOA, with IOM's 
assistance, increased TIP training for judges, prosecutors, 
security officials and other government officials.  Although 
there has not been significant improvement in the GOA's 
efforts to combat TIP, public, media and GOA interest in 
addressing the issue has increased significantly, with two 
draft anti-TIP bills pending in the Argentine Congress and a 
new anti-TIP publicity campaign launched in March.  Passage 
of anti-TIP legislation defining TIP a federal crime would be 
the first step towards improving the GOA's ability to 
investigate and prosecute individuals involved in human 
trafficking.  Despite limited resources, the GOA, with 
significant help from IOM, continues to provide assistance to 
trafficking victims through the Attorney General's Office of 
Victims Assistance (OFAVI).  Government officials and NGOs 
who are working to combat TIP are well-meaning individuals; 
but their efforts go largely uncoordinated.  Post recommends 
that Argentina maintain its Tier II watchlist designation. 
End Summary. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Overview: 
 
-- A. Is the country a country of origin, transit, or 
destination for internationally trafficked men, women, or 
children?  Provide, where possible, numbers or estimates for 
each group; how they were trafficked, to where, and for what 
purpose.  Does the trafficking occur within the country's 
borders?  Does it occur in territory outside of the 
government's control (e.g. in a civil war situation)?  Are 
any estimates or reliable numbers available as to the extent 
or magnitude of the problem?   What is (are) the source(s) of 
available information on trafficking in persons or what plans 
are in place (if any) to undertake documentation of 
trafficking? How reliable are the numbers and these sources? 
Are certain groups of persons more at risk of being 
trafficked (e.g. women and children, boys versus girls, 
certain ethnic groups, refugees, etc.)? 
 
Response:  Based on post interviews with government 
officials, NGOs, the IOM, and the Catholic Church, as well as 
written responses to the Department's TIP questionnaire from 
NGOs and think tanks, Argentina is a country of origin, 
transit and destination for internally and internationally 
trafficked men, women and children.  Argentina's main problem 
is internal trafficking for the purposes of sexual commercial 
exploitation, mostly from the northern provinces to the 
central provinces and Buenos Aires, and from Buenos Aires to 
several southern provinces.  Argentina is also a destination 
country for women and young girls trafficked into Argentina 
for the sex trade primarily from Paraguay, although victims 
from the Dominican Republic, Colombia and Brazil have also 
been identified.  Argentina is also a country of origin and 
transit for internationally trafficked women and girls whose 
final destination is the sex trade in Spain, Chile and 
Brazil.  According to the MFA, the Spanish Civil Guard 
reported that it assisted 182 Argentine female trafficking 
victims in 2005.  In addition, the IOM reports that 27 of the 
99 victims of sexual exploitation reported in Chile from 
1998-2006 were Argentine. 
 
Argentina is a destination country for men, women and 
children trafficked for the purposes of labor exploitation. 
According to a 2006 report from the Anti-Slavery 
International, although Bolivians are primarily affected, 
Paraguayans, Argentines and Peruvians are also reported to be 
at risk of this type of exploitation, particularly in 
factories producing footwear and farms.  The report also 
states that there are similar concerns raised about working 
conditions for Korean and Chinese migrants in factories and 
agricultures.  Based on post interviews with the Argentine 
immigration officials, there is also antecdotal evidence to 
suggest that an increasing number of Chinese are being 
trafficked into Argentina's tri-border area to supply labor 
for Chinese-owned supermarket chains under exploitative 
conditions.  However, there has not been any comprehensive 
study or official investigation into the matter of which the 
Embassy is aware. 
 
The Ombudsman's office estimates that tens of thousands of 
people could be working in similar conditions in sweatshops 
in and around Buenos Aires. 
 
The Northern provinces of Argentina are also recognized as a 
point of origin and transit for internationally trafficked 
babies and children who are illegally adopted by families 
from Europe and the United States, though the scope of the 
problem is very hard to measure.  Based on testimonies from 
those arrested for this crime cited by Anti-Slavery 
International, a child can be sold for USD 1,500-5000, with 
the child often going abroad. 
 
The MFA has also identified as a problem  the trafficking of 
Bosnians and other citizens of Eastern Europe for the 
purposes of begging or selling goods on the streets. 
 
Please see section 3B for more information on how victims are 
trafficked. 
 
Since Argentina does not have a comprehensive law 
criminalizing TIP, reliable estimates for the number of 
victims trafficked to, from, and within Argentina are not 
available.  There are several bills pending in the Argentine 
Congress that would, for the first time, define trafficking 
in persons as a federal crime.  In the absence of such a law, 
traffickers are prosecuted under other elements of the 
criminal code and, therefore, are not reported by the various 
law enforcement services or judicial sector for trafficking 
violations per se, making data collection difficult.  In 
addition, victims are often too afraid or ashamed to seek 
legal redress.  Partial and incomplete information comes from 
provincial judicial data, a number of emergency social 
services hotlines, from various provincial social 
service-related agencies, NGO's, the media, and from 
international agencies. 
 
A network of NGO's "No a la Trata" (No to Trafficking) has 
attempted to track the number of trafficking cases in the 
country over the past few years, mainly through monitoring 
 
press reports and cataloging reports from its member groups. 
Unfortunately, the information is often incomplete and does 
not differentiate sufficiently between sexual abuse of 
minors, sexual violence and exploitation of minors for 
commercial sexual exploitation.  Their information, however, 
shows reports of likely trafficking in many of Argentina's 
provinces, with a concentration in the northern provinces, 
and in the province and city of Buenos Aires. 
 
The think tank, the Center for the Implementation of Public 
Policies that Foster Equality and Growth (CIPPECC), has also 
begun to develop a database that tracks TIP cases. 
 
The groups that have the highest risk of becoming trafficking 
victims are women and children with low levels of education 
from impoverished families and broken homes, subject to 
physical and/or sexual abuse in the home and often abandoned 
or essentially left to fend for themselves. 
 
¶B. Please provide a general overview of the trafficking 
situation in the country and any changes since the last TIP 
Report (e.g. changes in direction).  Also briefly explain 
the political will to address trafficking in persons. Other 
items to address may include:  What kind of conditions are 
the victims trafficked into?  Which populations are targeted 
by the traffickers?  Who are the traffickers?  What methods 
are used to approach victims? (Are they offered lucrative 
jobs, sold by their families, approached by friends of 
friends, etc.?)  What methods are used to move the victims 
(e.g., are false documents being used?). 
 
Response:  Internal trafficking for the purposes of 
commercial sexual exploitation remains Argentina,s biggest 
problem, with trafficking cases reported in many parts of the 
country.  The corruption of security forces and government 
officials often allows traffickers to act with impunity. 
Since the last TIP report, the GoA has increased efforts to 
provide TIP-related training to security forces, community 
groups, prosecutors and judges.  The Secretary of Human 
Rights of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights (La 
Secretaria de Derechos Humanos del Ministerio de Justicia y 
 
SIPDIS 
Derechos Humanos) sponsored a series of training courses 
throughout the country, in cooperation with local 
organizations.  The Attorney General's Office of Victim,s 
Assistance (OFAVI) also worked together with the Secretary of 
Homeland Security (Secretaria de Seguridad Interior) to offer 
training programs to security forces. 
 
The GOA has identified trafficking in persons as a serious 
problem and an increasing number of government agencies at 
both the national and provincial levels are becoming more 
engaged in trying to address the problem.  The GoA has 
demonstrated the political will to bring its criminal code up 
to international standards and has likewise demonstrated its 
intentions to prevent and punish trafficking offenses. 
OFAVI, the GOA's anti-TIP focal point, introduced a draft 
bill to criminalize TIP, which was approved by the Argentine 
Senate in August 2005.  Since then, five new draft bills have 
been introduced to criminalize human trafficking.  See 
Section 4A for more information about the current status of 
anti-TIP legislation in the Argentine Congress. 
 
There has been greater public awareness of the TIP problem in 
Argentina and the GOA has made increased progress on 
strengthening its assistance and prevention efforts and in 
providing TIP-related training to judges, prosecutors, and 
law enforcement officials, often in conjunction with IOM.  As 
noted in last year's report, a Special Prosecutors Office for 
crimes against sexual integrity, child prostitution and 
trafficking in persons was created in 2005.  It is still too 
early to evaluate the office's impact. 
 
The conditions into which victims of sexual exploitation are 
 
trafficked vary significantly according to all available 
reports.  Victims generally receive medical attention within 
the brothel or place of exploitation if they have medical 
needs.  In most cases of sexual exploitation, protection is 
used during sexual contact.  Consumption of alcohol and drugs 
is generally encouraged and sometimes forced upon victims. 
Physical coercion is common; in isolated cases, severe acts 
of violence are used to control victims. 
 
IOM reports that conditions faced by victims of labor 
exploitation are generally very poor.  Many of them are 
forced to eat and sleep in the same cramped spaces where they 
work.  Citing a study conducted by the University of Buenos 
Aires, IOM notes that an estimated 77 percent of trafficked 
laborers do not have appropriate documentation, which limits 
their access to social services and allows their exploiters 
to control and manipulate them more easily. 
 
According to various NGOs, traffickers target young women 
from the northern provinces of Argentina since different 
waves of European immigrants settled in the region and 
intermarried with the local people resulting in a very 
attractive physiognomy that is desirable for traffickers in 
women for commercial sexual exploitation and children for 
illegal adoptions.  Traffickers also target young mothers so 
that they can intimidate woman into submission by threatening 
to harm their children.  For the purposes of forced labor, 
traffickers target the poor in rural communities in Argentina 
as well as Bolivians and Paraguayans. 
 
IOM, CIPPECC, the media, and others have identified 
trafficking networks within Argentina of various sizes.  They 
have identified in particular, rive large organized crime 
networks dedicated to the trafficking of victims for sexual 
exploitation have been identified throughout the country. 
These trafficking networks sometimes consist of entire 
extended families plus their business associates that include 
recruiters, pimps, and managers of brothels.  Secondary 
operators include security forces and public servants who 
provide protection to traffickers, employees of bus and taxi 
companies who assist traffickers by transporting victims, 
employees of cell phone companies that provide traffickers 
with secure phone lines, individuals who create false 
documents for minors and foreigners, and hotels who 
facilitate access to sex tourists.  Within the country, 
victims of sexual exploitation are frequently moved from one 
brothel to the next along predetermined routes, often to 
avoid the law, with brothel managers "renting out" victims to 
pimps for a period of a few weeks. 
 
According to Red Alto a la Trata y Trafico (the Stop 
Trafficking and Smuggling Network), trafficking networks 
related to labor exploitation are generally less 
sophisticated.  In the case of internal trafficking, labor 
recruiters visit poor rural communities to recruit Argentine 
workers to work on farms, particularly citrus and blueberry 
farms.  Workers are then subject to exploitative living and 
working conditions.  Similarly, in the case of international 
trafficking, Bolivian nationals frequently travel back to 
Bolivia to recruit their countrymen and provide them with 
documentation for the trip to Argentina.  Border controls are 
generally very weak, making it fairly easy to transport 
victims, including minors, into Argentina from neighboring 
countries.  Most trafficking victims of Bolivian origin are 
employed in Argentina's agricultural and textile industries 
by other Bolivians, Argentines, and Koreans, according to the 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 
 
IOM explains that traffickers generally use fraud to recruit 
victims of sexual exploitation.  Some recruiters work 
directly for trafficking networks, working &on commission,8 
earning between 35 USD and 165 USD per victim.  They 
typically deceive women and girls from low income families by 
promising them work as domestic employees, nannies, 
waitresses, or cooks.  Traffickers also recruit girls from 
lower and middle income families by advertising &auditions8 
in local hotels and promising jobs as models or actresses. 
Young women, especially minors, often become trafficking 
victims through romantic relationships with pimps.  Pairs of 
male and female recruiters sometimes pose as married couples, 
occasionally with children, to win the confidence of girls 
and their families. 
 
IOM notes that traffickers have also used more violent 
methods to capture their victims, albeit to a lesser extent. 
The local press has reported numerous cases of victims being 
kidnapped by traffickers have been identified, particularly 
in the Northwest region of Argentina.  Kidnappings of victims 
are generally well-planned.  Traffickers rely on local taxi 
drivers, traveling salesmen, or neighbors to &target8 women 
that meet the requirements of trafficking networks.  These 
third party actors are paid approximately 17 USD (50 
Argentine pesos) per victim that they identify.  In some 
cases, recru