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Similar to the trafficking and movement of drugs,
human trafficking is controlled by international
cartels and is a form of organized crime. A target
zone for forced prostitution, forced labor, and child
sexual exploitation occurs along the U.S.-Mexico border
region, where the “blurred border” makes these crimes
difficult to prosecute. Part of the problem resides in
victim mistrust of current legal remedies, especially
when past encounters with law enforcement have
resulted in deportation.
(Photo: Prostitution on the
streets of Tijuana, Mexico.) |
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Photo: BSCC Staff (L to R): Lic. Jorge Bedoya, Executive Director (Tijuana Office);
Steven Wagner, Senior Consultant; Marisa Ugarte, Executive Director (San Diego
Office); and Blanca del Castillo, Program Coordinator. |
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| The International Sustainability Fund provides
assistance to organizations working to improve the
living conditions along the U.S.–Mexico border, Baja
California, and beyond. This year, a $20,000 grant
supported BSCC’s work along the U.S.–Mexico
border. The grant focused specifically on assisting
victims to obtain legal status and on the prosecution of
traffickers and trafficking consumers. |
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Grantee: The Bilateral Corridor Coalition
Established in 1997, the Bilateral Safety Corridor
Coalition (BSCC) is an alliance of over 60
government and nonprofit agencies in the United
States and Latin America organized along the
U.S.-Mexico border to combat human trafficking.
The BSCC helps coordinate governmental and
non-governmental organizations as they work to
prevent trafficking, educate social service
providers and the general public, as well as
intervene to protect victims and provide them with
the appropriate care and services.
(A mother and children huddle at the San Ysidro/Tijuana border.) |
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