User:Savannabruno/sandbox

Overview
In 2016 the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) estimate that the trafficking industry involving sexual exploitation brings in $1.6 billion US dollars to Guatemala each year. This is equivalent to 12.3 billion Guatemalan quetzal, which is 2.7% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It is believed that only 3% of traffickers are known and many run under the name of large trafficking circles to avoid detection. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has stated that there are only two prosecutors willing to work with traffickers in the country, because of this there have been low conviction numbers with only 20 convicted in 2014.

Types of human trafficking
The most common type of human trafficking reported in Guatemala is sexual exploitation including forced prostitution, sex trafficking, and child pornography. These types of trafficking are more public as they require a consumer whereas labor trafficking (debt bondage, involuntary domestic servitude, child labor, and child soldiers) is less visible to concerned bystanders. People are often upset by the advertising of selling sex and or people and are more likely to report these findings to law enforcement.

Statistics
Cases of identifies trafficking victims has significantly decreased form previous years, dropping from 673 in 2015 to 316 victims in 2018. In this 2018 study it was observed that 292 of the 316 were children. Many of the victims are native Guatemalans under the age of 18. The young children are often times used to collect money though begging, pick-pocketing and working as hawkers. The young women are sexually exploited or sold and young men are forced into gang life, selling and transporting drugs along with other gang related activity.

Border Crossings
The borders in central america involving Honduras, Mexico, El Salvador and Nicaragua are considered hot-spots for human trafficking supply and transit. Every year many women and children attempt the crossing from Guatemala to the United States though Mexico. They often will wait by the Guatemala-Mexico border and get picked up by traffickers promising safe travel for a cost. Many migrants cant afford it and will later pay though bonded labor or other manners such as sexual exploitation or working as a mule to pay off the debt.

Prosecution
According to the United States assessment of Guatemalan statistics involving human trafficking, the US has since 2017 been on the tier 2 watch list for human trafficking.