Where Can We Go from Here? Dissecting Mexico’s Human Trafficking Legislation

Author: Juárez, Alessa

Abstract: Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, significant legislative action has been taken to address human trafficking around the world. From the United Nations Trafficking Protocol to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in the United States, countries around the world took the initiative in contributing to the global fight to end trafficking in persons. What has remained underexplored is how countries define human trafficking. In 2007, Mexico passed its first anti-trafficking law to federally criminalize trafficking in persons. Five years later, the Mexican government revamped these efforts by passing Ley General para Prevenir, Sancionar y Erradicar los Delitos en Materia de Trata de Personas y para la Protección y Asistencia a las Víctimas de estos Delitos, which has undergone several reforms to date. However, nearly two decades later, Ley General’s definition of human trafficking remains inconsistent with the widely endorsed international definition of human trafficking. The following paper examines the legal progression of Mexico’s human trafficking law, Ley General, and offers recommendations for future anti-trafficking legal reform.

Keywords: legal issues, policy, prevention, prosecution, victim protection, Mexico