Brazil Starts Campaign Against Sex Slavery

Women are the chief targets of a campaign launched today by the Brazilian federal government, in Goiânia, capital of the state of Goiás, to combat the international trafficking of human beings.

The aim is to distribute informational material at spots where crowds circulate, such as airports and regional headquarters of the Federal Police.

International trafficking of human beings accounts for around US$ 9 billion per year and is currently third on the list of criminal activities responsible for the largest volume of business around the world.

Brazil’s Ministry of Justice commissioned the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to do a diagnosis of human trafficking in Brazil.

According to the surveys carried out in the states of Goiás, Ceará, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo, human trafficking is mostly linked to international sexual exploitation rings. The chief victims are women between 18 and 21 years old with little schooling..

The state of Goiás was chosen to launch the campaign, because it is considered one of the major points of departure for women recruited for purposes of sexual exploitation abroad.

The printed material, which will be distributed all over the country, will provide tips to help identify attempts at recruitment and telephone numbers to report misdoings.

Following the inauguration of the campaign, judges, prosecutors, police officers, lawyers, and other professionals will attend a training program to prepare them to combat the trafficking and sexual exploitation of Brazilian women abroad.

The Minister of Justice, Márcio Thomaz Bastos, and the National Secretary of Justice, Cláudia Chagas, will also participate in the inauguration of the campaign.

Agência Brasil
Translator: David Silberstein