Lucha contra la trata de personas: Desafío para Colombia en el siglo XXI

Abstract

The article “Fight against human trafficking: A challenge for Colombia in the XXI Century” is a general approximation to the crime of human trafficking. In the last years this crime has become rather important in the international and national fields in view of the ratification of the United Nations’ Convention against Transnational Organized Delinquency and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Human Trafficking, Especially of Women and Children, as well as the implementation of Act 985 of 2005, which adjusted penal norms by creating a new penal type for human trafficking and an increase in penalties.

There is still high lack of knowledge about this crime, which generates US$31.6 billion dollars in the form of forced labor, according to the ILO. This implies challenges for the Colombia state, not only before forced labor but also to face all the other modalities established by the law, considering that Colombia is a primary source for this crime. Because of this, the following issues were discussed in the text: in the first place, the history of the definition of human trafficking, followed by a reading of the penal type; the connection between organized crime and this crime; the main issues that have been proposed to prevent it, the research and investigation, and the taking the criminals before the justice; the achievements in the activities carried out; and finally, the goals and challenges in the future for the fight against human trafficking.