Mine published this news item from a feminist source on the marxism list. It bears a little study. What it shows is that Mexican officials were primarily interested in deportation of Central American 'illegal immigrants'. And probably due to some dispute with the brothel owners over kickbacks, since the Mexican elite of Tapachula are certainly the biggest clients of this type of brothel. Mexican actions against illegals form part of the framework of the US Migra. What goes on South is fully complicit with border patrolling farther North. Mexico Immigration/ US Immigration is a singular packet, and the brutality of the Mexicans against immigrants is fully promoted from Washington. Some of the flowery puff of Vicente Fox about human rights takes on a different meaning, when one considers that he was discovered after the election with child laborers working on his family estate in Guanajuato. One will see very little action from him to end exploitation of children in Mexico. Tony Abdo _______________________________ TRAFFICKED CHILDREN IN MEXICAN BROTHELS January 25th, 2001 TRAFFICKED CENTRAL AMERICAN CHILDREN RESCUED FROM BROTHELS IN TAPACHULA, MEXICO A total of 12 Central American girls from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador were rescued from brothels in the southern Mexican border town of Tapachula this past weekend. All the girls were between the ages of 13 and 17. Late last year, Legal Aid staff from the Mexico and Costa Rica operations of Casa Alianza, a human rights organisation that protects at risk children in Latin America, undertook an investigation into the trafficking of Central American girls to Mexico where they are sold to brothels for US$ 100-200 to be sexually exploited. The information collected by Casa Alianza was passed to the federal Mexican Attorney General's office (Procuraduria General de la Republica) in December and gave the exact location of brothels in several cities in the State of Chiapas where scores of Central American children had been sold into sex slavery. The Honduran authorities were invited to participate in the investigation in Mexico but responded stating they had no budget to do so. As a result of the investigation undertaken by Casa Alianza, the child defence agency has presented two criminal actions against traffickers of children for the sex trade in Guatemala and Honduras. To date, the authorities have not made the necessary efforts to investigate the activities of the child traffickers. "These actions (in Tapachula) are better late than never, but much more needs to be done", commented Bruce Harris, the Regional Director of Latin American programs for Casa Alianza in Costa Rica. "The trafficking of children for sexual exploitation has become a major problem for the poor yet governments are not reacting fast enough. There are many more children who have been sold into slavery in southern Mexico and they need to be helped". The young girls who were rescued this past weekend are being held by the police in Tapachula. Casa Alianza Guatemala is trying to assist with the immediate repatriation of the young victims. Seven Central American adult women working in the brothels were also detained for immigration violations. Casa Alianza is undertaking a major study into the trafficking of children for commercial sexual exploitation in six countries (Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica), which will be published in March of this year. _______________________________________________ Crashlist website: http://website.lineone.net/~resource_base
