 |
|
Mexico City, August 19, 2005 – U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Tony Garza and Foreign Relations Under Secretary for North American Affairs Geronimo Gutierrez are pleased to announce an agreement to implement cooperative programs against trafficking in persons, which are crimes of sexual exploitation and forced labor against women and children.
According to Ambassador Garza, “This agreement is part of the work that both countries developed within existing bilateral mechanisms, such as the Plenary Group for Law Enforcement, through the Subcommittee on Trafficking in Persons. And it complements the objectives of the Security and Prosperity Partnership for North America, which the Presidents of Mexico, the United States and Canada announced last June.”
Under Secretary Gutierrez noted that “these programs are directed towards providing comprehensive attention for victims on our common border, as well as in southern Mexico; fighting sexual tourism involving minors; creating awareness about the risks of trafficking in persons and related crimes; and deepening the exchange of information and intelligence that will allow us dismantle, apprehend and prosecute criminal organizations, while strictly applying the laws of each country.”
Under the agreement, the United States will allocate over three million dollars to fund two government-to-government projects to establish trafficking in persons investigation groups, and technical assistance and a trafficking in persons technical sub-group. Mexico will exchange information with U.S. officials regarding the identification of offenders and investigations underway in Mexico. The sub-group, composed of officials of both countries, will define priorities and develop compatible strategies in the areas of prevention, information, education, intelligence, and law enforcement. The United States and Mexico will also work collaboratively on other assistance and information projects related to trafficking in persons, using separate funding from the U.S. President’s Initiative Against Trafficking in Persons.
The implementation of these programs between our two countries will complement actions already in place. The Mexican institutions involved are: the Governance Secretariat through the National Center for Investigation and National Security (CISEN) and the National Migration Institute (INM); the Attorney General’s Office (PGR); and the Secretariats for Public Security, Tourism, and Health. Other Mexican institutions involved in the fight against trafficking in persons include the Institute for Children and Family Care (DIF); the Institute for Women (INMUJERES); and the Federal Preventive Police. The U.S. institutions involved are: the Departments of State, Homeland Security and Justice, and the Department of Health and Human Services. Non-governmental organizations may offer assistance and shelter to the victims.
Both countries recognize the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Sanction Trafficking in Persons Especially of Women and Children under the United Nations Convention Against International Organized Crime, signed by both governments on December 13, 2000.
These measures demonstrate bilateral efforts in a spirit of collaboration and shared responsibility to fight trafficking in persons, particularly on the U.S.-Mexico border.
|
