Nations and populations around the world, and countries of the Americas are not the exception, experience conditions such as poverty, unemployment, inequality, discrimination, exclusion, lack of a life perspective, among other factors. These hardships can contribute to the possible involvement of these populations with opportunities that seem to lead to a better life. However, what may seem like a great prospect, can turn into a crime that violates the basic human rights of individuals without differentiating among sex, social or economical status, political affiliation, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, to name a few.
The name for this crime is trafficking in persons and governments of the world, including member states of the Organization of American States (OAS) have signed and ratified conventions and protocols condemning the practice of criminal acts manifested in: sexual and labor exploitation, sex tourism, exploitation resulting from the illegal adoption of children, removal of organs, domestic servitude, forced marriages, children in armed conflicts, exploitation by street begging, etc.