Venezuela reports 37 cases of people-trafficking between 2004-2006
VHeadline.com News Editor Patrick J. O'Donoghue writes: According to the Venezuelan Attorney General's Office, there have been 37 cases of people-trafficking reported in Venezuela between 2004-2006.
The Attorney General's Office common crimes department director, Nerva Ramirez says that the Metropolitan area has registered most cases, 14 in all, in which 23 people (Venezuelans Chinese and Haitians) have been arrested.
- 24 persons have been tried for people-trafficking, two are currently fulfilling sentences and six have been charged and arrested.
Ramirez points out that in Zulia there are ten (10) cases, in Trujillo four, Sucre three, Merida and Guarico one, but no arrests.
8th national state prosecutor, Mery Gomez says the public ministry has acted integrally taking on not just the criminal process but also attending victims.
Article 54 of the Foreign and Migration Law penalizes labor exploitation of foreigners, while articles 173 and 174 of the criminal code organic law penalizes slavery and similar situations.
In the US State Department's last annual people-trafficking report, Venezuela was listed among 12 nations on level 3.
The Venezuelan government rejected the report that accused Venezuela of not doing enough to combat the scourge, and since the government has made great efforts to protect victims of people-trafficking.
The Inter Press news agency has just reported on one case of people-trafficking, typical of what is happening. A 20-year old Colombian mother of two, who is a computer systems technician, was offered a job in an Venezuelan oil company, but ended up raped and forced into prostitution.
In other cases, Venezuelans have been offered jobs in Spain, where they supposedly could earn €200 a day but on arrival, their passports and documents are taken from them and they are forced to work in menial jobs or in prostitution.
In June, 2 members of the Venezuelan National Guard (GN) were arrested for their alleged involvement in a people-trafficking ring organizing the illegal entry of Chinese nationals into Venezuela.
Last week, the Venezuelan government set up a special national commission to to tackle people-trafficking and come up with clear and conscise guidelines for government policy.
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