Arun Kumar Acharya

Sexual violence and proximate risks: a study on trafficked women in Mexico City

Abstract Trafficking in humans is an integral part of the social and economic fabric in Mexico as in other parts of the world. This practice causes intolerable degradation and suffering for the girls and young women involved and are treated as a commodity. The process results in a risk to their physical and mental health, and in particular, to their sexual health, which I have explored in this research. Sixty trafficked women currently working as commercial sex workers were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire, and 13 in-depth interviews were conducted in the La Merced red-light area of Mexico City. Trafficked women in Mexico are basically young women, have little education and are mostly unmarried. The women I interviewed were working in cheap hotels and were living with a pimp. In the week prior to the interviews, 70 percent were beaten with objects, 100 percent were abused verbally, 28 percent were burned by lighting cigarettes, 36 percent were threatened with being killed and 22 percent were raped by clients and traffickers. Unwanted pregnancies and forced abortions were common; 65 percent had had at least one abortion. Almost all women had been infected by sexually transmitted diseases. The present research concluded that sexual violence has serious physical and mental health risks on trafficked women and it needs an urgent response from the government not only to provide health facilities to these women but also to eradicate women trafficking in Mexico.

The health consequences of trafficking in women in Mexico: findings from Monterrey city

There has been little research on the health consequences of trafficking in women in Mexico and this study examines the effects of trafficking in women. Twenty internally trafficked women were interviewed in Monterrey city, Mexico, during the years 2007 and 2008. Although the study found that trafficking of women in Mexico results from multi-causal factors, we found that in general trafficked women suffer a wide range of physical and sexual violence. This has direct consequences on their physical and mental health and in particular their sexual health.

The dynamic of internal displacement, forced migration and vulnerable to trafficking in Mexico.

Abstract Displacement coupled with migration and trafficking has caused a massive increase and influx in the numbers of women and girls into sexual exploitation. The main concern of this research is to investigate how the internal displacement in Chiapas state of Mexico forcing the people especially to women for migration and making them vulnerable towards trafficking. The present research analyzes the demographic profile of displaced-trafficked women as well as their pattern of trafficking and consequences on health. For this study information has been collected from both primary and secondary sources. The primary information has obtained through interviewing 40 trafficked women in the Tapachula City of Chiapas, Mexico in a semi-structured questionnaire. Apart from that 10 in-depth interviews were conducted to get the life history of displaced-trafficked women.

Female Migration and Urban Informal Sector in Monterrey Metropolitan Region

Abstract For an increasing number of women globalization has led to migration: more and more women are involved in internal, regional and international migration to find jobs and most of them are employed to do agricultural and domestic work. In this paper an attempt has been made to see the migration of Mexican women to urban informal sector particularly to Monterrey Metropolitan Region. The paper has found a constant flow of female migration to informal sector, though there was a decline trend during 2000 and 2002, but after that it again starts increasing significantly. Whereas the socio-demographic profile of these migrants states that they are elder in age that is to say they are more than 20 years. Very few women found less than 20 years in informal sector; this may be due to as they are young, so still they have good chances to get employment in sector formal. Moreover young populations do not have any economic pressure to sustain the family livelihood. When we compared these migrant women with their education and marital status it gives a clear picture that most of them who are occupied in informal sector are have little education and are married. However, result indicates that women in sector informal basically occupied in sellers, street vendor, craft women, working in manufacturing sector and domestic servants.

Poverty and Trafficking of Indigenous Women in Mexico: Some Evidence from Chiapas State

The main objective of this paper is to explore, how poverty and economic difficulty in Mexico especially in indigenous communities that causing trafficking in persons especially of women. For the present study forty indigenous trafficked women were interviewed in Tapachula city of Chiapas. Results indicates that trafficking of women in Chiapas especially in indigenous community is connected to poverty, lack of employment opportunities and the agrarian conflicts which occurred in the state. Many women forced into prostitution by their parents, husbands or boyfriends – or as lured by the false promises of employment. They were also trapped into prostitution by the mail-order bride agencies with the promises to find out a husband and a job in USA or in Mexico City or in Monterrey.

Post Trafficking Victims in Mexico and Their Reintegration Process: An Analysis of the Government’s Response

This chapter presents a detailed description of the government’s response on the reintegration process of trafficking victims. The reintegration of trafficked victims is a central theme on protection of human rights. The government of Mexico has signed and ratified all the important international and regional conventions promoted by international and regional agencies such as the Organization of American States. In 2012, Mexico adopted new anti trafficking law, which was also reformed in 2014. During the last three years, with the cooperation of civil society, the Mexican government has tried to develop effective programs on the reintegration process of human trafficking victims. A lack of coordination at different government levels, including insufficient funding and a poor implementation of the law on trafficking, has weakened the government’s response on prevention, prosecution, and protection of human trafficking victims in the country.

Violence against Elderly Migrants and Its Consequences on Their Health: Experience from Monterrey, Mexico

Abstract In this paper, an attempt has been made to analyse how the violence and abuse against elderly migrants in Monterrey, Mexico affects their health. For this research, 257 elderly Mexican migrants were surveyed in the Metropolitan Area of Monterrey during 2012 through 2013. The study found that the majority of elderly people migrate to urban areas in search of a better economic opportunity. Once in the city, they are absorbed into the informal economic sectors. Results indicate that most of these elderly people suffer physical, sexual and psychological violence, as well as neglect and financial abuse from their employer, relatives, clients and pedestrians, which has an adverse effect on their health. Elderly migrants reported numerous health problems, where many of them were suffering from different types of injuries, stress and depression, among others. This paper concluded that violence suffered by elderly migrants has a significant impact on their health.

“Violence is Common and a Daily Event; in this Place Her Dog Has More Respect than us”: A Study on Cycle of Violence Faced by Women in Mexico

Abstract This paper sets out to explore the violence against women is a new form femicide taking into consideration the case of trafficked women. Once women arrived at their destination, suffer various kinds of never-ending violence and exploitation. Thus, in this article we have defined and demonstrated how the trafficking of women constitutes a new form of “femicide”. The analytical section of the paper is based on interviews with one hundred and ten trafficked women in Mexico. The results indicate that trafficked women are experiencing a wide range of physical and sexual violence, where they face a constant threat to life.

Tourism and environmental education in the Mayan Riviera at the beginning of the twenty first century.

Abstract The paper presents an overview on the development of tourism in the Mexican Caribbean from its origins as the “Cancun’s Integrally Planned Nucleus” and its extension along the Mayan Riviera, showing analogies between theoretical geographical models of the Caribbean destinations and the spatial structures present there, explaining the urgent need for environmental education of the population linked with sustainability of the development. An analysis of the general education levels of the population reveals the baselines to develop an awareness process of environmental education. The application of polls allowed an understanding of the social interaction with their environment, and their environmental perception linked to attitude and the actively participating in the territory’s development. Conclusions about the relations of social practices as the origin of macro-spatial structures in the corridor, along with the possibilities of improve changes in habits and attitudes through environmental education of those involved in the Mayan Riviera’s tourism development at the beginning of the twenty first century.