U.S. Department of State 2006 Trafficking in Persons Report - Peru

Peru (Tier 2 Watch List)

Peru is primarily a source country for women and children trafficked internally for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced domestic labor. Most victims are girls and young women moved internally from rural to urban areas or from city to city, and lured or coerced into prostitution in nightclubs, bars, and brothels. Peruvians have also been trafficked for sexual exploitation to Spain, Japan, the United States, and Venezuela for the purpose of labor exploitation. The government also acknowledges that sex tourism occurs, particularly in the Amazon region of the country.

The Government of Peru does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Peru is placed on Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking over the previous year. The government failed to achieve progress in key areas such as the prosecution of traffickers and the provision of protective services for trafficking victims. Despite these deficiencies, the government demonstrated progress in other areas: it trained officials and key community stakeholders regarding new laws against commercial sexual exploitation and sex tourism; conducted a demand reduction campaign to combat sex tourism in the Amazon; published a comprehensive review of its anti-trafficking efforts; and sent to Congress new anti-trafficking legislation. The government should prosecute trafficking cases more promptly and increase protection for victims.

Prosecution

The Government of Peru demonstrated no significant progress in investigating and prosecuting traffickers over the last year. The Peruvian National Police Investigative Section on Trafficking in Persons Crimes, a six-person section responsible for investigating trafficking throughout the country, opened four new investigations and continued work on two older cases. The Public Ministry, which prosecutes cases, reported that 11 individuals were under investigation or prosecution for trafficking crimes, but no traffickers were convicted. Police raids targeting clandestine brothels suspected of exploiting minors in prostitution decreased in comparison with the previous reporting year. Peru's criminal code contains a number of articles that can be used against trafficking activities, but anti-trafficking statutes only address commercial sexual exploitation. The government recognized this deficiency and sent new legislation to Congress to broaden the scope of anti-trafficking laws. There were no confirmed reports of government officials involved in trafficking. However, in light of corruption problems endemic throughout Peru, the government should investigate possible trafficking complicity among security personnel.

Protection

The government made minimal progress in its efforts to protect victims during the reporting period. Victims were not treated as criminals and could seek help at government domestic violence shelters, but these facilities lacked the long-term care and rehabilitation services trafficking victims require. The government provided modest support, usually in the form of in-kind contributions, for some NGOs providing services to victims. A government hotline for domestic violence victims was expanded to also serve trafficking victims. Authorities typically interviewed and released adult victims; underage victims were returned to their families or referred to NGOs. Legal assistance and witness protection for victims were sorely lacking.

Prevention

The government significantly expanded its own efforts to educate the public and train officials during the reporting period and worked productively with NGOs and international organizations that conducted outreach programs. The government published its first annual comprehensive review of anti-trafficking efforts in Peru in late 2005. The government also worked with the tourist industry to launch an information campaign targeting potential sex tourists visiting the Amazon, and the Ministry of Women and Social Development trained 1,350 key officials and activists throughout Peru on new laws that address trafficking and sex tourism.