Eleventh Global Studies Conference

Abstract

Peru has been found to be a country of destination, origin, and transit of men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. Peruvian news highlights growing trends in labor and sex trafficking, but it is widely recognized that there is a paucity of rigorous data on the subject. The population that was studied is the stakeholders that work with survivors of human trafficking in Peru in eight different locations in Peru: Cusco, Madre de Dios, Lima, Iquitos, Tumbes, Puno, Trujillo, and Apurimac. These individuals have a great deal of knowledge of the experiences of trafficked individuals, but most have not personally experienced being trafficked, thus reducing the risk of participation in the study. The services provided by these organizations to survivors were: mental health, law enforcement, community advocacy and outreach, shelter, education or vocational education, investigations/evaluations, referrals, food assistance, employment services, and legal services. In total, thirty human trafficking organizations throughout Peru were surveyed. Each organization was asked from their vantage point, what they would do to end human trafficking in Peru? The findings from this research add substantially to the knowledge of the clandestine world of human trafficking. This research is one of the first studies in Peru that gives insight into both the extent of the problem of human trafficking and real solutions of how it can be combatted.