VZCZCXRO5602
RR RUEHCD RUEHGD RUEHHO RUEHMC RUEHNG RUEHNL RUEHRD RUEHRS RUEHTM
DE RUEHME #0586/01 0582336
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 272336Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY MEXICO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 5370
INFO RUEHXC/ALL US CONSULATES IN MEXICO COLLECTIVE
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHINGTON DC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHINGTON DC
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 16 MEXICO 000586 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
G/TIP, G:ACBLANK, INL, DRL, PRM AND WHA/PPC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC ELAB KCRM KFRD KWMN PHUM PREF SMIG KTIP
SUBJECT: NINTH ANNUAL TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP) REPORT - 
MEXICO 
 
¶1. The mission's point of contact on the Trafficking in 
Persons (TIP) Report is Poloff Suzanne Archuleta.  She may be 
reached by telephone at (52) (55) 5080-2000, ext. 4806, or by 
fax at (52) (55) 5080-2247 or ArchuletaMS@state.gov.  Post 
requests that the names of the non-governmental organizations 
(NGOs) working with the Government of Mexico (GOM) providing 
victim protection and assistance not be disclosed in this 
report.  Post also requests that the names and details 
connected to ongoing investigations not be made public. 
 
¶2. Mexico is a country of origin, transit, and destination 
for persons trafficked for sexual and labor exploitation. 
While there are no reliable figures as to the extent of the 
trafficking problem, Mexico,s geographic location along 
primary transportation routes for illegal migration into the 
U.S. as well as the country,s high level of organized 
criminal gang activity leaves little doubt that the 
transnational and domestic trafficking numbers are 
substantial. 
 
MEXICO'S TIP SITUATION: 
¶3. (SBU) QUESTION A. What is (are) the source(s) of available 
information on trafficking in persons?  What plans are in 
place (if any) to undertake further documentation of human 
trafficking?  How reliable are these sources? 
 
POST RESPONSE:  There are no reliable statistics regarding 
the extent of the trafficking problem.  There are pending 
plans to better document the TIP problem under the terms of 
the 2007 Law to Prevent and Sanction Trafficking in Persons. 
The law mandates creation of an inter-agency commission 
(Article 10), responsible for coordinating all GOM actions to 
counter TIP, including analysis of the scope of the problem 
in Mexico.  On February 27, 2009 regulations for 
implementation of the TIP were published laying the 
foundation for the creation of the proscribed interagency 
commission.  The already existing Public Security National 
System is charged with gathering information to establish a 
statistical database on how often TIP crimes are committed. 
Guidelines will be established in the National Program to 
Prevent and Sanction Trafficking in Person (creation of which 
is required by the 2007 law). 
 
In December 2008, the Chamber of Deputies, the National Human 
Rights Commission (CNDH) and the Center for Studies and 
Research in Social Development and Assistance (CEIDAS) began 
collaborating to create Mexico's first national report on 
trafficking in persons.  This collaborative group intends to 
develop an analysis of the problem's scope in each Mexican 
state, and outline existing policies and programs to combat 
TIP.  The report will also recommend preventive actions.   No 
date is established for the completion of this report. 
 
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported 
that of the 51 trafficking victims it had assisted from 
January 2008 to January 2009, (the majority came from Central 
America (Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica) and less 
than 5 from South America (mainly from Colombia and Ecuador), 
and of the 51, 39 were women.  (Note:  Post is seeking 
further updates from IOM and INM.) 
 
Some statistics are available on specific trafficking victims 
and generally vulnerable populations. The INM reported that 
approximately 55,000 migrants, the vast majority from Central 
America, were detained and repatriated in 2008.  However, 
many NGO's believe this number to significantly 
under-represent migration through Mexico. 
 
Other information on trafficking patterns that are available 
come from NGOs or academics.  However, though, most of these 
reports tend to contain more anecdotal evidence than concrete 
statistics. 
 
¶4. (SBU) QUESTION B. Is the country a country of origin, 
transit, and/or destination for internationally trafficked 
men, women, or children?  Does trafficking occur within the 
country's borders?  If so, does internal trafficking occur in 
territory outside of the government's control (e.g. in a 
civil war situation)?  To where are people trafficked?  For 
what purposes are they trafficked?  Provide, where possible, 
numbers or estimates for each group of trafficking victims. 
Have there been any changes in the TIP situation since the 
last TIP Report (e.g. changes in destinations)? 
 
POST RESPONSE: Mexico is a country of origin, transit, and 
 
MEXICO 00000586  002 OF 016 
 
 
destination for trafficked men, women, and children for 
purposes of sexual and labor exploitation.  Of those 
transited through or destined for Mexico, the vast majority 
of trafficking victims come from Central America, with a 
lesser number of victims originating from the Caribbean, 
Eastern Europe, and Asia.  Those in transit are largely 
trafficked to the United States.  Most victims originating 
from Mexico also are trafficked to the U.S., with smaller 
numbers to Europe, Asia and Canada.  Mexico has a significant 
problem with internal trafficking, although it is much less 
visible that international trafficking.  Often Mexican women 
and girls are trafficked to the northern border or to cities 
where sex tourism is prevalent, such as Cancun and Acapulco. 
 
According to local NGOs, the following forms of trafficking 
can be associated with geographic regions of Mexico: labor 
exploitation is predominant in Chiapas, Chihuahua, Oaxaca and 
Veracruz; trafficking linked to cultural traditions (parents 
sell, rent or barter children for money or business) is 
prevalent in the indigenous communities in Oaxaca, Chiapas 
and Guerrero; and sexual exploitation of children and women 
is prevalent in Acapulco, Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, 
Zihuatenejo, Baja California and Mexico City. 
 
Generally people are trafficked to the big cities or border 
towns, however there have been some cases of persons taken 
from big cities, such as Mexico City, to other states, such 
as Puebla or Tlaxcala, where forced labor and sexual 
exploitation of migrants also occurs. 
 
¶5. (SBU) QUESTION C. What kind of conditions are the victims 
trafficked into? 
 
POST RESPONSE:  Conditions faced by victims of domestic 
trafficking are generally poor by U.S. employment standards. 
Victims tend to work long work hours with minimal breaks or 
time off.  Nutritional and sanitary standards are poor. 
Victims who are trafficked internationally face the same 
conditions, plus the additional discomforts and dangers of 
crossing international borders illegally. 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) QUESTION D. Vulnerability to TIP: Are certain groups 
of persons more at risk of being trafficked (e.g. women and 
children, boys versus girls, certain ethnic groups, refugees, 
IDPs, etc.)? 
 
POST RESPONSE:  Because of the lack of concrete statistics on 
trafficking, the increase in the number of victims or the 
kinds of trafficking victims is difficult to ascertain. 
However, the consensus among migration and trafficking 
experts in government and civil society is that the 
populations most vulnerable to trafficking tend to be women 
and children (both boys and girls), undocumented migrants 
(most often from Central America), as well as indigenous 
groups.  It is frequently held in Mexico that the pattern of 
illegal migration from Mexico and Central American into the 
U.S. puts a larger number of vulnerable persons at risk for 
coming into contact with traffickers. 
 
¶7. (SBU) QUESTION E. Traffickers and Their Methods: Who are 
the traffickers/exploiters?  Are they independent business 
people?  Small or family-based crime groups?  Large 
international organized crime syndicates?  What methods are 
used to approach victims?  For example, are they offered 
lucrative jobs, sold by their families, or approached by 
friends of friends?  What methods are used to move the 
victims (e.g., are false documents being used?).  Are 
employment, travel, and tourism agencies or marriage brokers 
involved with or fronting for traffickers or crime groups to 
traffic individuals? 
 
POST RESPONSE:  Migrants from Mexico and Central America 
(especially women and children) are frequently smuggled into 
the U.S. with the promise of a lucrative job only to find 
themselves forced into prostitution or debt-bondage working 
conditions.  Some traffickers falsely offer victims help in 
reuniting them with their family in the U.S.  Other common 
methods used to approach/target victims include placing ads 
in newspapers that invite girls to participate in 
international exchanges or to start lucrative modeling 
careers.  While credible statistics that describe the 
frequency of the practice are unavailable, it is clear from 
anecdotal evidence that such recruits are sometimes forced 
into labor bondage or prostitution.  Minors traveling alone 
 
MEXICO 00000586  003 OF 016 
 
 
from Central America through Mexico to the U.S. to meet with 
family members who left for the U.S. for better economic 
conditions often fall prey to traffickers while traveling 
north without an adult. 
 
Indigenous families have on occasion resorted to selling, 
renting or bartering their children to traffickers for money. 
 Anecdotal evidence suggests that such children have 
sometimes become victims of sex trafficking in tourist areas 
such as Cancun, Acapulco or Puerto Vallarta. 
 
Within Mexico, women and children from Mexico's poorest 
regions of Mexico move to the urban, tourist, and the 
northern border areas seeking economic opportunity, but they 
often end up working in the commercial sex industry or 
domestic work, for farm work (or all) due to trickery, 
threats, or physical violence by traffickers. 
 
The widespread use of professional alien smugglers contracted 
to help illegal migrants transit Mexico and cross into the 
U.S., increases the risk of falling prey to trafficking 
networks.  Traffickers often employ alien smugglers to both 
target and transport victims.  Alien smugglers use a wide 
variety of techniques to get people across the border, 
including false documents, hidden compartments, and dangerous 
desert crossings.  Among legitimate transportation services, 
taxi drivers serve as guides and facilitators for sex 
tourists, common in border towns like Tijuana. 
 
Many organized criminal organizations from Mexico and other 
countries use Mexico as a staging and training area for women 
and young girls destined for brothels and table dance bars in 
the U.S.  There is reported involvement of criminal gangs 
from Mexico, Central America, Europe, Japan, China and 
several other countries.  Trafficking is also operated by 
small family networks. 
 
For labor exploitation, traffickers often acquire legal work 
documents to transport victims to factories or 
farms/plantations, where employers then confiscate documents 
and impose extreme working conditions.  Regional migrants 
within Mexico (such as farm workers from southern Mexico 
seeking work in northern states and migrants from Central 
America seeking work from farms in southern Mexico) are also 
victims of such exploitation. 
 
Another method used by traffickers to lure in and control 
victims is to establish personal romantic relationships and 
the eventual promise of marriage to isolate them from their 
families and render them vulnerable to various forms of 
trafficking. 
 
SETTING THE SCENE FOR THE GOVERNMENT'S ANTI-TIP EFFORTS: 
¶8. (SBU) QUESTION A. Does the government acknowledge that 
trafficking is a problem in the country?  If not, why not? 
 
POST RESPONSE:  The GOM recognizes it has a sex and labor 
trafficking problem, which are both transnational and 
domestic problems.  Elements of the Mexican government, civil 
society and public are attaching growing importance to the 
issue of trafficking in persons.  GOM officials, the 
semi-autonomous (government-funded) National Human Rights 
Commission (CNDH) and non-governmental human rights groups 
continued to speak out against trafficking in persons 
throughout the year. Definitional problems remain, however: 
among both the public and law enforcement officials, a the 
clear distinction between human smuggling and trafficking in 
persons needs to be drawn on the national, state and local 
level. 
 
During the last year, the GOM/NGOS sponsored numerous 
seminars and conferences that included panels on trafficking 
to promote better public awareness.. 
 
CNDH has worked to address university, business and union 
sectors on trafficking in persons. 
 
Regional Working Groups: 
On May 2008, in Mexico City, CNDH used government funds to 
create a working group called the "Regional Committee against 
the Trafficking of Persons- Mexico, Central America and the 
Caribbean," within the network of National Institutions for 
the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (CORMECAC), made 
up by the Ombudsmen of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, 
Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, the Dominican Republic and 
 
MEXICO 00000586  004 OF 016 
 
 
Mexico.  In November 2008, in Merida, Yucatan, the first 
working group gathering to appoint representatives for a 
Technical Group that was charged with initiating activities 
in February 2009.  The working group's first technical 
meeting was held on February 20, 2009. 
 
University forums 
Additionally, there were various university forums:  National 
Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM); the IberoAmerican 
University (UIA); the Autonomous University "Benito Juarez" 
of Oaxaca (UABJO); a joint cooperation of CNDH, UANJO and the 
Commission for the Defense of Human Rights of the State of 
Oaxaca (CDDHO); and labor sindicate forums with CNDH and the 
Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and Farmers (CROC) in 
Tijuana, Baja California to raise awareness among students 
and workers to the social epidemic of TIP. 
 
Regional forums 
In 2008, CNDH implemented regional public forums to push for 
the homogenization of a national juridic TIP framework.  One 
forum was held in la Ciudad de Culiacan, Sinaloa, together 
with the State Senate and State Government of Sinaloa with 
the participation of six states.  Another forum took place, 
with the support of the State Government of Campeche, in San 
Francisco de Campeche, Campeche in November 2008, with eight 
states participating. 
 
Training workshops 
In terms of training, in September 2008, CNDH, along with 
PROTEJA-USAID, and the UN Office Against Drugs and Crime 
(UNUDD), held workshops on "Detection and Identification of 
Victims of Trafficking in Mexico."  In Baja California on 
September 2-4; and in Juchitan, Oaxaca on September 5,8 and 
9; in Tapachula, Chiapas on September 9-11.  City, state and 
federal public servants, NGOs, consulates, academics and 
others participated at each of the workshops. 
With the collaboration of the Deaf Association of the Federal 
District, translation services for the deaf were provided at 
all of these CNDH TIP workshops. 
 
National NGO Working groups 
CNDH organized three working groups with TIP expert NGOs, 
that were also attended by a representative from the 
interagency commission created by the Law to Prevent and 
Sanction Trafficking in Persons, in order to construct a 
network for NGOs, TIP victims and their families to gather 
TIP information. 
 
On February 23, CNDH, along with PROTEJA and CROC, produced a 
short film, "Slavery of the 21st Century- Trafficking in 
Persons."  This film will be followed by another short 
film"Mexican legislation on Trafficking in Persons and 
Related Crimes." 
 
¶9. (SBU) QUESTION B. Which government agencies are involved 
in anti-trafficking efforts and which agency, if any, has the 
lead? 
 
POST RESPONSE:  On November 27, 2007, President Calderon 
signed federal anti-trafficking legislation which makes TIP a 
crime punishable at the federal level.  Under the new law an 
interagency committee was created with all government 
agencies to coordinate on this issue.  Agencies participating 
on the Inter-agency committee to address TIP include: 
National Migration Institute (INM), Mexican Attorney 
General's Office (PGR), National Institute for Women 
(INMUJERES), Secretary of Health, Mexico's Foreign Relations 
Secretariat (SRE), Secretary of government (SEGOB), Secretary 
for Public Security (SSP), Secretary for Health, Secretary 
for Communications and transportation (SCT), Secretary of 
Labor STPS), Secretary of Public Education (SEP), along with 
three academic experts, and three representatives from civil 
society.  The law mandates that the executive appoint a 
single federal oversight element to manage operation of the 
inter-agency.  On February 27, 2007, the government 
officially published the regulations for implementation of 
the "Law to Prevent and Punish Trafficking in Persons." 
 
¶10. (SBU) QUESTION C. What are the limitations on the 
government's ability to address this problem in practice? 
For example, is funding for police or other institutions 
inadequate?  Is overall corruption a problem?  Does the 
government lack the resources to aid victims? 
 
POST RESPONSE:  Political will to address the problem is 
 
MEXICO 00000586  005 OF 016 
 
 
high, evidenced by actions taken by the federal and state 
governments since the last TIP report.  In addition to the 
passage of federal anti-TIP legislation in 2007, 22 of 
Mexico's 31 states, as well as the Federal District, have 
anti-trafficking laws in place, although implementation and 
use of these laws varies considerably; 
 
--Mexico's Attorney General's office (PGR) created a special 
prosecutor for trafficking crimes, adding responsibility for 
trafficking investigations to an existing unit charged with 
addressing violent crimes against women (FEVIMTRA). This unit 
is responsible for providing legal, psychological, medical 
and social assistance to trafficking victims (children, women 
and men) and their families, with centers located in D.F., 
Chiapas, and Chihuahua.  They also have a TIP hotline. 
 
--the National Migration Institute (INM) issued humanitarian 
visas to trafficking victims; (Note: Post is seeking 2008 
number) 
 
--In 2008, Congress approved a $7 million USD budget to 
construct a shelter specifically for trafficking victims. 
FEVIMTRA is currently working to open this specialized 
shelter.  PGR reports that Mexico,s family welfare agency, 
Desarollo Integral de la Familia (DIF), has a working shelter 
for children that have been sexually exploited, but not 
specifically trafficked.  Additionally, the Attorney 
General's office made available a confiscated narco-residence 
in 2008 for use by a local NGO to exclusively shelter TIP 
victims. 
 
--INM and state law enforcement undertook various training 
programs on trafficking. 
 
Finally, media have expanded coverage and discussion of TIP 
as both civil society and government work to raise awareness 
of the problem. 
 
Principal obstacles to full GOM engagement on TIP at all 
levels remain a) incomplete attention by law enforcement 
elements to investigating and prosecuting TIP-related 
offenses, b) limited fact-gathering on the full scope of 
problem in Mexico (as well as data on law enforcement actions 
at the state and local levels to curb it) and c) inadequate 
GOM resources devoted to victims assistance and protection. 
In addition, TIP must compete with other law enforcement 
priorities in Mexico.  Over the past year, President Calderon 
has committed his administration and an increasing amount of 
human and financial resources toward the fight against drug 
trafficking and violence associated with the drug trade. 
Although TIP initiatives are given a priority, TIP enforcers 
must also address the broader problem of spiraling violence 
and criminality in Mexico.  The GOM puts scarce TIP resources 
to good use, however, and has welcomed USG assistance and 
training. 
 
Training needs to continue and expand in the areas of 
awareness-raising (the distinction between trafficking and 
smuggling remains unclear, particularly among local law 
enforcement officials); the identification of and interaction 
with victims; and the provision of services to trafficking 
victims.  Finally, a lack of police professionalism, culture 
of impunity and official corruption (especially at the state 
and local level) remain significant impediments to effective 
TIP enforcement in Mexico. 
 
¶11. (SBU) QUESTION D. To what extent does the government 
systematically monitor its anti-trafficking efforts (on all 
fronts -- prosecution, victim protection, and prevention) and 
periodically make available, publicly or privately and 
directly or through regional/international organizations, its 
assessments of these anti-trafficking efforts? 
 
POST RESPONSE:  With the passage of the November 2007 federal 
anti-trafficking legislation, the GOM was to begin more 
systematically monitoring its anti-trafficking efforts. 
There has not been any quantifiable progress in this area. 
However, a collaborative group, including the Chamber of 
Deputies- Justice Commission, CNDH and the Center for Studies 
and Research in Social Development and Assistance (CEIDAS) is 
working to establish specific criteria to determine what 
states are developing more and better programs to prevent and 
eradicate TIP in Mexico. 
 
(U) INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS: 
 
MEXICO 00000586  006 OF 016 
 
 
¶12. (SBU) QUESTION A. Existing Laws against TIP: Does the 
country have a law or laws specifically prohibiting 
trafficking in persons -- both for sexual exploitation and 
labor?  If so, please specifically cite the name of the 
law(s) and its date of enactment and provide the exact 
language (actual copies preferable) of the TIP provisions. 
Please provide a full inventory of trafficking laws, 
including non-criminal statutes that allow for civil 
penalties against alleged trafficking crimes (e.g., civil 
forfeiture laws and laws against illegal debt). Does the 
law(s) cover both internal and transnational forms of 
trafficking?  If not, under what other laws can traffickers 
be prosecuted?  For example, are there laws against slavery 
or the exploitation of prostitution by means of force, fraud, 
or coercion?  Are these other laws being used in trafficking 
cases? 
 
On November 27, 2007, Mexico passed a federal law titled: 
"Law to Prevent and Punish Trafficking in Persons," which 
amends, supplements, and replaces various provisions of the 
Federal Law Against Organized Crime, the Federal Code of 
Criminal Procedure, and the Federal Penal Code.  The 
regulations for this law were officially published on 
February 27, 2009. 
 
Article 1 of the reads: "The purpose of this law is to 
prevent and punish trafficking in persons, and to protect, 
care for, and assist the victims thereof, in order to ensure 
that victims and potential victims, whether residing in 
Mexico permanently or temporarily, and Mexicans abroad, can 
develop freely as persons.  This law shall apply throughout 
the national territory under federal jurisdiction."  The 
federal law includes internal and external trafficking as 
part of the law. 
 
Article 5 of the law covers prohibitions related to sexual 
and non-sexual purposes, as follows " The crime of human 
trafficking includes the person that promotes, solicits, 
offers, facilitates, obtains, transfers, renders or receives, 
for himself or a third party, another person by means of 
physical or moral violence, deception, or abuse of power to 
submit this person to sexual exploitation, forced labor or 
services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude 
or the removal of organs or its components. 
 
While the legislation establishes TIP as a federal law 
enforcement concern and provides federal investigators with 
the tools to investigate and prosecute TIP-related offences, 
executive orders to implement several key elements of this 
legislation, including the creation of an inter-agency 
committee to coordinate GOM anti-TIP efforts, have remained 
pending on the publication of the regulations, recently 
published on February 27, 2009.  The inter-agency committee 
has been meeting informally since January 2008.  With these 
newly published regulations there is hope to push forward and 
further development anti-trafficking actions in Mexico. 
 
¶13. (SBU) QUESTION B. Punishment of Sex Trafficking Offenses: 
What are the prescribed and imposed penalties for trafficking 
people for sexual exploitation? 
 
POST RESPONSE: The prescribed penalties include: imprisonment 
from 6-12 years and 500-1500 "fine days" (approximately 
$2,434 USD-$78,885 USD) (days in which a prescribed 
percentage of income must be paid); imprisonment of 9-18 
years and 750-2250 "fine days" (approximately $3,651 
USD-$10,954USD), if the offense is committed against a person 
under the age of 18 or against a person who does not have the 
capacity to understand the meaning of the act or the capacity 
to resist.  According to Article 6 of the law, "The penalty 
will increase by half when, "The perpetrator avails himself 
of a public office that he may hold or may have pretended to 
hold without actually being a public servant.  When the 
perpetrator is a public servant, he shall be stripped of his 
public position, office or commission and be prohibited from 
performing any other for up to a period of time equal to the 
term of imprisonment imposed; the same penalty shall apply 
when the victim is a person over 60 years of age or is an 
indigenous person." 
 
Article 6 section (b) states: "When the criminal participant 
in the offense is related to the victim by blood, affinity or 
common law, or lives in the same residence as the victim, 
even though there may be no kinship or is the guardian or 
caretaker of the victim; such person may (depending on the 
 
MEXICO 00000586  007 OF 016 
 
 
circumstances) lose his parental authority, the maintenance 
right to which he is entitled by virtue of his relationship 
to the victim, and any right he may hold with respect to 
victim's assets." 
 
¶14. (SBU) QUESTION C. Punishment of Labor Trafficking 
Offenses: What are the prescribed and imposed penalties for 
trafficking for labor exploitation, such as forced or bonded 
labor?  If your country is a source country for labor 
migrants, do the government's laws provide for criminal 
punishment -- i.e. jail time -- for labor recruiters who 
engage in recruitment of workers using knowingly fraudulent 
or deceptive offers with the purpose of subjecting workers to 
trafficking in the destination country?  If your country is a 
destination for labor migrants, are there laws punishing 
employers or labor agents who confiscate workers' passports 
or travel documents for the purpose of trafficking, switch 
contracts without the worker's consent as a means to keep the 
worker in a state of service, or withhold payment of salaries 
as means of keeping the worker in a state of service? 
 
POST RESPONSE:  Art 5 of the new federal TIP law defines TIP 
for labor exploitation as a federal offense.   Penalties for 
trafficking related to labor bondage are the same as those 
imposed on other TIP offenders. 
 
¶15. (SBU) QUESTION D. What are the prescribed penalties for 
rape or forcible sexual assault? (NOTE:  This is necessary to 
evaluate a foreign government's compliance with TVPA Minimum 
Standard 2, which reads: "For the knowing commission of any 
act of sex trafficking . . . the government of the country 
should prescribe punishment commensurate with that for grave 
crimes, such as forcible sexual assault (rape)."  END NOTE) 
 
POST RESPONSE:  Each of Mexico's 31 states and Mexico City 
has their own penal codes and the penalties vary.  In Mexico 
City, the penalty for rape of a child less than twelve years 
old is punishable by two to five years imprisonment; another 
50 percent of the sentence is added if violence was used. 
When the victim is between 12 and 18 years old, rape is 
punishable by three months to four years in prison.  The 
penalty for rape of an adult woman is six months to four 
years; if violence is used in the process, an additional 50 
percent of the sentence may be added to it.  Use of force in 
a rape against a member of either sex is punishable by eight 
to 14 years in prison. 
 
According to federal law, child prostitution and any practice 
that affects a child's psychological development is a felony 
under Mexican law.  The Federal Penal Code and the Penal 
Proceedings Code cover crimes involving children or 
adolescents in pornography, prostitution of minors, and 
corruption of minors or mentally disabled persons.  Specific 
penalties for perpetrators vary depending on the seriousness 
of the crime. 
 
¶16. (SBU) QUESTION E. Law Enforcement Statistics: Did the 
government prosecute any cases against human trafficking 
offenders during the reporting period?  If so, provide 
numbers of investigations, prosecutions, convictions, and 
sentences imposed, including details on plea bargains and 
fines, if relevant and available.  Please note the number of 
convicted traffickers who received suspended sentences and 
the number who received only a fine as punishment.  Please 
indicate which laws were used to investigate, prosecute, 
convict, and sentence traffickers.  Also, if possible, please 
disaggregate numbers of cases by type of TIP (labor vs. 
commercial sexual exploitation) and victims (children under 
18 years of age vs. adults).  If in a labor source country, 
did the government criminally prosecute labor recruiters who 
recruit workers using knowingly fraudulent or deceptive 
offers or by imposing fees or commissions for the purpose of 
subjecting the worker to debt bondage?  Did the government in 
a labor destination country criminally prosecute employers or 
labor agents who confiscate workers' passports/travel 
documents for the purpose of trafficking, switch contracts or 
terms of employment without the worker's consent to keep 
workers in a state of service, use physical or sexual abuse 
or the threat of such abuse to keep workers in a state of 
service, or withhold payment of salaries as a means to keep 
workers in a state of service?  What were the actual 
punishments imposed on persons convicted of these offenses? 
Are the traffickers serving the time sentenced?  If not, why 
not? 
 
 
MEXICO 00000586  008 OF 016 
 
 
POST RESPONSE:  FEVIMTRA, within Mexico's Attorney General's 
office, reports that from January 31, 2008 to January 23, 
2009, 11 investigations into suspected cases of trafficking 
for labor exploitation were initiated, and that 13 
investigations were opened into suspected cases of 
trafficking for sexual exploitation.  In October 2008, 
FEVIMTRA in the office of Mexico's Attorney General, made the 
first formal charges under the new federal anti-trafficking 
law in a case of trafficking for forced labor in the state of 
Chiapas.  USG law enforcement reports that the GOM has 
participated in several investigations in coordination during 
the reporting period. 
 
(Note:  Post continues to seek information from FEVIMTRA on 
federal investigations and prosecutions, and will continue to 
update G/TIP on additional cases.) 
 
¶17. (SBU) QUESTION F. Does the government provide any 
specialized training for government officials in how to 
recognize, investigate, and prosecute instances of 
trafficking?  Specify whether NGOs, international 
organizations, and/or the USG provide specialized training 
for host government officials. 
 
POST RESPONSE: National Migration Institute (INM) is in the 
process of developing (with the support from civil society 
organizations and inter-governmental agencies with experience 
on trafficking in persons) specific procedures and accurate 
guides to identify and provide attention to victims in four 
areas: minors detected by INM; minors in custody from other 
authorities; adults who present themselves voluntarily; 
adults detected by migration officials. 
 
Coordination of Control and Migration Verification at INM has 
developed an annual program of supervision for all the 
regional delegations for the purpose of verifying businesses 
who hire foreigners in order to better identify at risk 
populations.  These procedures are still being developed. 
 
 
Training: 
PENDING INFORMATION FROM PROTEJA-USAID AND ICE 
 
¶18. (SBU) QUESTION G. Does the government cooperate with 
other governments in the investigation and prosecution of 
trafficking cases?  If possible, provide the number of 
cooperative international investigations on trafficking 
during the reporting period. 
 
POST RESPONSE:  The GOM cooperates with other governments in 
the investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases. 
Mexican law enforcement officials continue to work closely 
with DHS-ICE on several trafficking investigations in Mexico 
and the U.S., including cross border trafficking cases. 
Mexico's collaboration with Central American governments in 
migration and border security is increasing under the current 
government and will have a positive impact on the region's 
ability to coordinate on TIP-related issues.  Post continues 
to work with GOM law enforcement elements to obtain 
information on transnational trafficking investigation with 
third countries. 
 
¶19. (SBU) QUESTION H. Does the government extradite persons 
who are charged with trafficking in other countries?  If so, 
please provide the number of traffickers extradited during 
the reporting period, and the number of trafficking 
extraditions pending. In particular, please report on any 
pending or concluded extraditions of 
trafficking offenders to the United States. 
 
POST RESPONSE:  As reported in the 2007 TIP Report, in 
January 2007, Mexican national Carreto Valencia received a 
sentence of 25 years and six months in Mexico on 
trafficking-related charges; the GOM subsequently extradited 
her to the United States (January 19 2007) to face charges of 
trafficking, among other crimes.  Mexico became the first 
country to extradite a defendant in a trafficking case when 
they extradited Consuelo Carreto Valencia. There were no 
trafficking related extraditions to the U.S. during the 
reporting period.  However, the GOM has six pending 
provisional arrest warrants against individuals in Mexico in 
connection with trafficking related offenses. 
 
¶20. (SBU) QUESTION I. Is there evidence of government 
involvement in or tolerance of trafficking, on a local or 
 
MEXICO 00000586  009 OF 016 
 
 
institutional level?  If so, please explain in detail. 
 
POST RESPONSE: There have been allegations that some law 
enforcement and migration officials- especially at the local 
level have been involved in trafficking to the extent they 
have been known to accept bribes to facilitate or ignore 
alien smuggling or to allow brothels and child prostitution 
to exist unmolested. 
 
¶21. (SBU) QUESTION J. If government officials are involved in 
trafficking, what steps has the government taken to end such 
participation?  Please indicate the number of government 
officials investigated and prosecuted for involvement in 
trafficking or trafficking-related corruption during the 
reporting period.  Have any been convicted?  What sentence(s) 
was imposed?  Please specify if officials received suspended 
sentences, or were given a fine, fired, or reassigned to 
another position within the government as punishment.  Please 
indicate the number of convicted officials that received 
suspended sentences or received only a fine as punishment. 
 
POST RESPONSE:  If government officials are involved in 
trafficking, the GOM added penalties in the new federal law 
to address officials involved in trafficking.  Article 6 (a) 
states: "The penalties set forth in paragraphs 1 and 2 of 
this Article shall be increased by up to one-half when:  (a) 
The perpetrator avails himself of a public office that he may 
hold or may have pretended to hold without actually being a 
public servant.  When the perpetrator is a public servant, he 
shall be stripped of his public position, office, or 
commission and be prohibited from performing any other for up 
to a period of time equal to the term of imprisonment 
imposed; the same penalty shall apply when the victim is a 
person over 60 years of age or is an indigenous person." 
 
Two INM officials, Oscar Manuel Navarete Orozco and Maria 
America Maldonado Alfaro, arrested in 2007 remain in custody 
accused by PGR of leading an organized criminal group that 
trafficked persons, including undocumented workers. 
 
¶22. (SBU) QUESTION K. Is prostitution legalized or 
decriminalized? Specifically, are the activities of the 
prostitute criminalized?  Are the activities of the brothel 
owner/operator, clients, pimps, and enforcers criminalized? 
Are these laws enforced?  If prostitution is legal and 
regulated, what is the legal minimum age for this activity? 
Note that in countries with federalist systems, prostitution 
laws may be under state or local jurisdiction and may differ 
among jurisdictions. 
 
POST RESPONSE:  Prostitution is legal for adults 18 years of 
age and older in Mexico.  The existing laws that do not 
pertain to prostitution focus on threats to public health, 
moral corruption and pimping.  The Mexican criminal code 
contains penalties for corruption of minors; for induced or 
forced prostitution and maintaining brothels; for employment 
of minors in bars and other centers; and for the procurement, 
inducement or concealment of prostitution.  Prostitution 
which is carried out openly in a manner that undermines 
public morality is subject to a penalty of six months to five 
years in prison.  Although pimping is a crime in Mexico, both 
pimping and prostitution are practiced widely and generally 
without arrest or prosecution. 
 
¶23. (SBU) QUESTION L. For countries that contribute troops to 
international peacekeeping efforts, please indicate whether 
the government vigorously investigated, prosecuted, convicted 
and sentenced nationals of the country deployed abroad as 
part of a peacekeeping or other similar mission who engaged 
in or facilitated severe forms of trafficking or who 
exploited victims of such trafficking. 
 
POST RESPONSE: Not Applicable 
 
¶24. (SBU) QUESTION M. If the country has an identified 
problem of child sex tourists coming to the country, what are 
the countries of origin for sex tourists?  How many foreign 
pedophiles did the government prosecute or deport/extradite 
to their country of origin?  If your host country's nationals 
are perpetrators of child sex tourism, do the country's child 
sexual abuse laws have extraterritorial coverage (similar to 
the U.S. PROTECT Act) to allow the prosecution of suspected 
sex tourists for crimes committed abroad?  If so, how many of 
the country's nationals were prosecuted and/or convicted 
during the reporting period under the extraterritorial 
 
MEXICO 00000586  010 OF 016 
 
 
provision(s) for traveling to other countries to engage in 
child sex tourism? 
 
POST RESPONSE:  Mexico is a country with an identified child 
sex tourism problem.  Mexico is a destination for sexual 
tourists and pedophiles, particularly from the United States. 
 There are no specific laws against sex tourism, although 
federal law criminalizes corruption of minors, which is 
punishable by five to 10 years' imprisonment.  Mexico's 
Attorney General's office reports that in 2008 10 individuals 
were prosecuted, deported or extradited to third countries 
for their participation in sex-tourism related activities 
which involved the corruption of minors.  (Post continues to 
work with FEVIMTRA to obtain specifics about these cases.) 
AMCIT Thomas White remains in custody in the state of Jalisco 
pending federal charges of child corruption, as well as 
completion of a U.S. extradition request. 
 
The names and details of these cases, and of the individuals 
subject to ongoing investigations, are not/not available for 
public disclosure. 
 
PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS: 
¶25. (SBU) QUESTION A.  What kind of protection is the 
government able under existing law to provide for victims and 
witnesses?  Does it provide these protections in practice? 
 
POST RESPONSE:  Mexico's Attorney General's office has 
guidelines and procedures in place to afford protection to 
potential witnesses in all criminal cases, including 
trafficking cases.  These measures include provision of 
personal security, police observation, identity concealment 
and other legal measures.  Procedures are somewhat cumbersome 
for TIP victims and potential witnesses, however, 
particularly for third country nationals.  Potential 
witnesses seeking protection must present themselves 
personally to the office's organized crime division to 
testify.  Mexico City and many Mexican states have similar 
measures in place.   In August 2008, the Attorney General's 
office publicly urged Mexico's Congress to enact specific 
legislation to protect witnesses in trafficking cases. 
 
 ¶26. (SBU) QUESTION B.  Does the country have victim care 
facilities (shelters or drop-in centers) which are accessible 
to trafficking victims?  Do foreign victims have the same 
access to care as domestic trafficking victims?  Where are 
child victims placed (e.g., in shelters, foster care, or 
juvenile justice detention centers)?  Does the country have 
specialized care for adults in addition to children?  Does 
the country have specialized care for male victims as well as 
female?   Does the country have specialized facilities 
dedicated to helping victims of trafficking?  Are these 
facilities operated by the government or by NGOs?  What is 
the funding source of these facilities?  Please estimate the 
amount the government spent (in U.S. dollar equivalent) on 
these specialized facilities dedicated to helping trafficking 
victims during the reporting period. 
 
POST RESPONSE:  Both the Mexican federal government and some 
states have crime victim assistance programs.  The programs 
cover legal assistance and medical services and psychological 
counseling.  The DIF, for example, provides temporary shelter 
and medical services to unaccompanied minors, with programs 
on the northern border.  These shelters may serve victims of 
trafficking, but do not provide tailored services to 
trafficking victims and has not established a referral 
system.  The DIF tries to locate parents or family members in 
order to repatriate the children.  The quality of the 
programs varies. 
 
In 2007, the INM authorized the issuance of nine humanitarian 
visas, granted to victims who are willing to assist in 
prosecution cases.  (Post is getting update.)  The visas are 
issued with a validity of one year and are renewable. The INM 
has a detention center in Tapachula, Chiapas and in 45 other 
places throughout the country in order to process migrants. 
This facility provides separate accommodations for men, 
women, children and families.  Several trafficking victims 
have been identified in the facility and passed to NGOs or 
DIF-run shelters.  (Post has asked for the amount of 
government funds spent on these programs.) 
 
 
¶27. (SBU) QUESTION C.  Does the government provide 
trafficking victims with access to legal, medical and 
 
MEXICO 00000586  011 OF 016 
 
 
psychological services? If so, please specify the kind of 
assistance provided.  Does the government provide funding or 
other forms of support to foreign or domestic NGOs and/or 
international organizations for providing these services to 
trafficking victims?  Please explain and provide any funding 
amounts in U.S. dollar equivalent.  If assistance provided 
was in-kind, please specify exact assistance.  Please specify 
if funding for assistance comes from a federal budget or from 
regional or local governments. 
 
The DIF temporary shelters also provide limited medical 
services to unaccompanied minors, with programs on the 
northern border. 
 
The federal and state governments provide funding and other 
forms of support to domestic NGOs for services to victims; 
however, the level of funding and support remains very 
limited. 
 
¶28. (SBU) QUESTION D. Does the government assist foreign 
trafficking victims, for example, by providing temporary to 
permanent residency status, or other relief from deportation? 
 If so, please explain. 
 
POST RESPONSE: The GOM does provide assistance to foreign 
trafficking victims.  Law enforcement and migration officials 
do encourage victims to cooperate with investigations; 
however, victims rarely identify themselves as victims of 
trafficking and often times migrants who are exploited 
through their employers are afraid to tell authorities for 
fear deportation. 
 
From 2005 to 2008, the INM has identified 22 victims of 
trafficking from Guatemala, Nicaragua, Argentina, Slovakia 
and Ecuador.  Of the 22, (81%) of the 22 were victims of 
sexual exploitation and (19%) victims of labor exploitation. 
Five of these were foreigners and were authorized 
humanitarian visas in order for them to provide information 
to prosecute traffickers and regularize their status within 
Mexico.  The remaining voluntarily returned to their 
countries with the support from various consulates and 
international organizations. Since the beginning of 2008, INM 
has identified one trafficking victim from Ecuador.   (Post 
is seeking update from INM, IOM.) 
 
¶29. (SBU) QUESTION E. Does the government provide longer-term 
shelter or housing benefits to victims or other resources to 
aid the victims in rebuilding their lives?  (Post is seeking 
info from INM.) 
 
¶30. (SBU) QUESTION F. Does the government have a referral 
process to transfer victims detained, arrested or placed in 
protective custody by law enforcement authorities to 
institutions that provide short- or long-term care (either 
government or NGO-run)?  (Post is seeking info from NGOs.) 
 
¶31. (SBU) QUESTION G. What is the total number of trafficking 
victims identified during the reporting period?  Of these, 
how many victims were referred to care facilities for 
assistance by law enforcement authorities during the 
reporting period?  By social services officials?  What is the 
number of victims assisted by government-funded assistance 
programs and those not funded by the government during the 
reporting period? (Post is seeking info with INM, IOM.) 
 
From January 2008 to January 2009, IOM reported that 51 
trafficking victim cases (39 women and 12 men) were 
identified and assisted through their organization.  The 
majority of these cases were referred to them by INM. 
 
¶32. (SBU) QUESTION H. Do the government's law enforcement, 
immigration, and social services personnel have a formal 
system of proactively identifying victims of trafficking 
among high-risk persons with whom they come in contact (e.g., 
foreign persons arrested for prostitution or immigration 
violations)?  For countries with legalized prostitution, does 
the government have a mechanism for screening for trafficking 
victims among persons involved in the legal/regulated 
commercial sex trade? 
 
POST RESPONSE:  Mexico's family welfare agency, Desarollo 
Integral de la Familia (DIF) continues to operate shelters 
for unaccompanied migrant children who are intercepted at the 
northern border.  Third Country Nationals (TCNs) intercepted 
at the border are generally placed in a migration detention 
 
MEXICO 00000586  012 OF 016 
 
 
station until they can be repatriated.  NGOs such as Casa 
Alianza offer shelter to street children, mainly adolescents, 
who are often victims of sexual exploitation; and Casa de las 
Mercedes offers shelter and training to former prostitutes 
and their children.  The INM has also referred several 
trafficking victims to NGOs or state-run shelters for 
assistance. 
 
INM refers trafficking victims to IOM.  During the reporting 
period, IOM reported rescued and provided assistance to 38 
trafficking victims. 
 
¶33. (SBU) QUESTION I. Are the rights of victims respected? 
Are trafficking victims detained or jailed?   If so, for how 
long?  Are victims fined?  Are victims prosecuted for 
violations of other laws, such as those governing immigration 
or prostitution? 
 
POST RESPONSE:  Migrants from Central American and other 
countries who travel to Mexico illegally and violate Mexican 
immigration laws are usually deported within 90 days.  Once 
migration officials identify an illegal migrant, INM takes 
them to their detention center where they conduct interviews 
to see if any crime has been committed during their travel 
to/through Mexico.  If the migrant is identified as a victim 
of trafficking, INM officials say they then turn them over to 
DIF, if they are under the age of 12 or to the appropriate 
Embassy or Consulate or to shelters that can support victims 
of trafficking (i.e. Casa del Migrante or IOM). 
 
Grupos Beta, units of INM that operates on the northern and 
southern borders, is mandated to deliver aid and protection 
to migrants or nationals of Mexico.  In 2008, Grupos Beta 
reported  3178 migrant rescues along the Mexico's southern 
and northern borders. 
 
¶34. (SBU) QUESTION J. Does the government encourage victims 
to assist in the investigation and prosecution of 
trafficking?  How many victims assisted in the investigation 
and prosecution of traffickers during the reporting period? 
May victims file civil suits or seek legal action against 
traffickers?  Does anyone impede victim access to such legal 
redress?  If a victim is a material witness in a court case 
against a former employer, is the victim permitted to obtain 
other employment or to leave the country pending trial 
proceedings?  Are there means by which a victim may obtain 
restitution? 
 
POST RESPONSE:  Law enforcement and migration officials 
encourage victims to cooperate with investigations; however, 
victims rarely identify themselves as victims of trafficking 
and often times migrants who are exploited through their 
employers are afraid to tell authorities for fear 
deportation.  Before the passage of the new federal law, 
trafficking in persons was designated as a specific federal 
crime, however, and suspects  were charged with other crimes 
other than trafficking.  As stated above, Mexico's Attorney 
General's office has initiated 24 investigations under the 
new law, and leveled formal charges under the new law in one 
instance.  (Note:  Post is working to obtain information on 
this case from FEVIMTRA.) 
 
¶35. (SBU) QUESTION K. Does the government provide any 
specialized training for government officials in identifying 
trafficking victims and in the provision of assistance to 
trafficked victims, including the special needs of trafficked 
children?  Does the government provide training on 
protections and assistance to its embassies and consulates in 
foreign countries that are destination or transit countries? 
 What is the number of trafficking victims assisted by the 
host country's embassies or consulates abroad during the 
reporting period?  Please explain the type of assistance 
provided (travel documents, referrals to assistance, payment 
for transportation home). 
 
POST RESPONSE:  The GOM continues to work with DOJ, USAID and 
ICE on training government officials in identifying 
trafficking victims.  CNDH expects to receive training from 
USG in identifying trafficking victims with the intent to 
assist in training government officials on identifying 
victims and potential victims.  SRE official say that they 
are implementing programs to assist Mexican trafficking 
victims in the U.S. and that one of their consulates in 
California has established the resources to assist a TIP 
victim.  GOM has plans to work with their Embassies in 
 
MEXICO 00000586  013 OF 016 
 
 
Central America to develop programs to assist with prevention 
of trafficking in Central America.  This program has not been 
established. 
 
¶36. (SBU) QUESTION L. Does the government provide assistance, 
such as medical aid, shelter, or financial help, to its 
nationals who are repatriated as victims of trafficking? 
 
POST RESPONSE: Through the DIF, the government continues to 
administer assistance programs and provide shelters for 
migrants through DIF on the northern border.  NGOs also 
continue to provide assistance to victims of trafficking and 
street children and migrants: 
 
Alternativas Pacificas, based in Monterrey continues to 
provide support for victims of trafficking.  Alternativas 
Pacificas is a holistic shelter model for domestic violence 
victims and created a national network of shelters.  Within 
the past few years, the shelters have provided services to 
victims of trafficking. 
 
Casa Alianza Mexico runs a network of shelters dedicated to 
street children.  Most of the children are victims of 
domestic violence as well as trafficking.  Casa Alianza 
provides comprehensive service such as food, education, 
health care, religion, legal counseling, and psychological 
assistance.  Casa Alianza works with DIF and also receives 
the cooperation of INM when assistance is needed to 
repatriate undocumented migrants. 
 
Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition (BSCC) works on the US 
and Mexican sides of the border, with offices in San Diego 
and Cancun.  BSCC has launched awareness campaigns, developed 
a coalition of civil society organizations to combat 
trafficking, and trained Mexican law enforcement and other 
officials.  BSCC works closely with state-level DIF offices, 
the State Commission for Human Rights and federal law 
enforcement. 
 
Casa de las Mercedes provides assistance and support to women 
of all ages who live on the streets and are victims of 
mistreatment, sexual abuse, and sexual exploitation.  The NGO 
runs a shelter in which these women and their children can 
live (as long as necessary) and receive medical and 
psychological attention, food, legal counseling and education. 
 
The Casa del Migrante runs shelters in Tapachula, Ciudad 
Juarez and Tijuana where they primarily attend to migrants 
but also encounter TIP victims.  In its Tapachula shelter, 
the organization recently added a separate area dedicated for 
trafficking victims.  Casa del Migrante has a good 
relationship with INM. 
 
Centro de Estudios e Investigacion en Desarollo y Asistencia 
Social (CEIDAS) is promoting awareness of trafficking through 
the media, academic conferences, studies and other outreach 
strategies. 
 
The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) actively 
works to raise awareness about TIP, such as on programs 
designed to prevent the sexual exploitation of minors, 
particularly by trying to lower the demand.  CATW has trained 
law enforcement officials on trafficking.  CATW reports 
having received funding from INMUJERES and Mexico City 
Government. 
 
Centro Integral de Atencion a la Mujer (CIAM), located in 
Cancun, provides short and long term services to women 
victims of domestic and sexual violence-including crisis 
prevention, legal assistance, medical and psychological and 
vocational counseling, and also protection.  CIAM provides 
services to trafficking victims, conducts anti-TIP public 
awareness campaigns and works with the hotel industry and the 
local government in efforts to combat trafficking. 
 
Fundacion Infantia works with the tourism industry on 
prevention of child sexual exploitation.  Fundacion Infantia 
works with the BSCC and the International Labor Organization 
(ILO) in providing training to government entities and 
schools and has worked with local DIF offices. 
 
International Organization for Migration works extensively 
with the GOM, mostly with the INM to provide training to 
immigration officials on both the northern and southern 
borders.  The IOM works closely with Casa del Migrante in 
 
MEXICO 00000586  014 OF 016 
 
 
Tapachula, Chiapas, as well as Casa de las Mercedes in Mexico 
City, among many other NGOs and shelters.  The INM regularly 
contacts the IOM for assistance with suspected trafficking 
victims.  Note: The names of NGOs working with the INM with 
victim protection and assistance are not/not for public 
disclosure.  INM reportedly assisted 38 victims of 
trafficking during the reporting period.  End note. 
 
The Fundacion Camino a Casa, a faith-based organization, 
operates a shelter exclusively for TIP victims in a 
confiscated narco-residence made available to them by the 
Attorney General's office in 2008.  They work closely with 
PROTEJA and provide educational and vocational to trafficking 
victims, mostly young women. 
 
Additionally, the Attorney General's office made available a 
confiscated narco-residence in 2008 for use by a local NGO to 
exclusively shelter TIP victims. 
 
 
INMUJERES is also involved in anti-TIP efforts, mostly 
through funding programs and it its programs to counter 
violence against women and educate women on their rights. 
 
Sin Fronteras has a good working relationship with the GOM, 
particularly with the INM and the SRE's Secretariat for 
Global Affairs.  Sin Fronteras provides legal and social 
services for migrants in Mexico, and it has been called upon 
to assist the INM with providing assistance to trafficking 
victims.  NOTE: the names of NGOs working with the INM with 
victim protection and assistance are not/not for public 
disclosure. End note. 
 
¶37. (SBU) QUESTION M. Which international organizations or 
NGOs, if any, work with trafficking victims?  What type of 
services do they provide?  What sort of cooperation do they 
receive from local authorities? 
 
POST RESPONSE:  Several NGOs and international organizations 
work with trafficking victims.  (These are listed in 36.L.) 
 
PREVENTION: 
¶38. (SBU) QUESTION A. Did the government conduct 
anti-trafficking information or education campaigns during 
the reporting period?  If so, briefly describe the 
campaign(s), including their objectives and effectiveness. 
Please provide the number of people reached by such awareness 
efforts, if available.  Do these campaigns target potential 
trafficking victims and/or the demand for trafficking (e.g. 
"clients" of prostitutes or beneficiaries of forced labor)? 
 
POST RESPONSE:  As documented in last year's TIP report, the 
GOM's anti-trafficking information and education campaigns 
have focused on a National Program to Eradicate the 
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Minors.  The program is 
administered by the DIF and is supported by numerous 
executive and legislative branch entities (STPS and the PGR), 
as well as civil society groups.  An NGO addressing 
prevention of trafficking in persons in Mexico says the 
states of Colima and Sinaloa has the best state level 
campaigns to combat trafficking in persons through DIF at the 
state level. 
 
¶39. (SBU) QUESTION B. Does the government monitor immigration 
and emigration patterns for evidence of trafficking?  Do law 
enforcement agencies screen for potential trafficking victims 
along borders? 
 
POST RESPONSE:  The GOM, Migration officials, Grupos Beta, 
PGR all recognize the large influx of trafficked person and 
other illegal migrants entering through the southern border 
with the intention of transiting Mexico en route to the U.S., 
but scare resources continue to prevent them from training 
personnel to effectively screen for potential trafficking 
victims.  INM report that they deported approximately 38,000 
aliens in 2008- the vast majority of whom were from Central 
America;  Human rights organizations and International 
organizations say that there was an increase of children 
crossing the southern border alone often times falling prey 
to traffickers. 
 
In 2007, INM authorized the issuance of nine humanitarian 
visas (updating), which are valid for one year, renewable, 
and granted to victims who agree to cooperate in the 
prosecution of case.  In operations to secure its borders, 
 
MEXICO 00000586  015 OF 016 
 
 
INM nonetheless misses significant opportunities to identify 
victims.  The lack of standardized training on victim 
identification and a paucity of public resources to screen 
Central Americans traveling through Mexico prevent officials 
from accurately screening and interviewing individuals to see 
if they are victims of trafficking. 
 
INM has 46 detention centers throughout Mexico and CNDH 
reportedly has an office in each center.  INM officials say 
that when they find migrants who are within Mexico illegally, 
they send them to the detention centers where they are asked 
several questions to determine if the person is a victim of 
trafficking.  If not, INM contacts the appropriate Embassies 
and Consulates in order to provide services to the illegal 
migrants.  Within 90 days the migrants are usually deported 
back to their home countries. 
 
INM expects to develop identification cards to issue to 
Central Americans seeking work in Mexico.  The identification 
card is expected to contain personal information on the 
individual, including information on the employer in order to 
track employers.  This will also enable migration officials 
to conduct periodic checks on employers to ensure that they 
are abiding by proper labor standards. 
 
There was a document published called "Labor Diversification 
of Guatemalan Workers in Chiapas" this document does not 
provide evidence on specific cases in Chiapas but tries to 
approach the migration issue on the border region.  This 
study was written in 2005 and published in 2007. 
 
¶40. (SBU) QUESTION C. Is there a mechanism for coordination 
and communication between various agencies, internal, 
international, and multilateral on trafficking-related 
matters, such as a multi-agency working group or a task force? 
 
POST RESPONSE:  As noted above, Mexico's new federal law 
establishes an interagency commission to coordinate all GOM 
actions against trafficking in persons. To date, President 
Calderon has not appointed a chair of the commission.  This 
commission, which has met informally since January 2008, will 
be the formal mechanism to coordinate and communicate between 
various agencies. 
 
¶41. (SBU) QUESTION D. Does the government have a national 
plan of action to address trafficking in persons?  If the 
plan was developed during the reporting period, which 
agencies were involved in developing it?  Were NGOs consulted 
in the process?  What steps has the government taken to 
implement the action plan? 
 
POST RESPONSE:  Under the new federal law, the GOM is 
required to create such a plan.  Article 12 of the new 
federal law states: "The Inter-Agency Commission shall 
develop the National Program to Prevent and Punish 
Trafficking in Persons."  Section 2 states: "Establish 
prevention, protection and care campaigns for trafficking in 
persons based on the principle of safeguarding human dignity 
and human rights with special attention to children, 
adolescents and women."  Once formally established, the 
inter-agency trafficking commission will be required to frame 
a national plan. 
 
¶42. (SBU) QUESTION E: What measures has the government taken 
during the reporting period to reduce the demand for 
commercial sex acts? 
 
See Question 8.A. and 38.A. 
 
¶F. Required of all Posts: What measures has the government 
taken during the reporting period to reduce the participation 
in international child sex tourism by nationals of the 
country? 
 
¶43. (SBU) QUESTION POST RESPONSE: Mexicans traditionally have 
not traveled to other countries deemed to be centers of 
sex-tourism.  Within Mexico, reports the Attorney General's 
office, measures to contain sex-tourism by local nationals 
include enforcement of Mexico's strict corruption of minors 
laws, public awareness campaigns in key tourist zones, and 
campaigns to help tourism related businesses and their 
employees better identify the hallmarks of sex tourism and 
the sexual exploitation of minors. 
 
Visit Mexico City's Classified Web Site at 
 
MEXICO 00000586  016 OF 016 
 
 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/mexicocity and the North American 
Partnership Blog at http://www.intelink.gov/communities/state/nap / 
BASSETT