Country Report: Nicaragua

A Victim's Story

Five young Nicaraguan women responded to Janeth Esperanza Rivera's promises of clerical jobs with decent wages in Guatemala. Rivera simply approached the girls in a cantina in Matagalpa, Nicaragua. The women followed Rivera across the border. Upon their arrival, however, the women were promptly forced into a confined room of a house and locked up for 5 days until they managed to escape. Rivera had sold the women to a group of men, who forced them into sexual slavery. The women were only allowed out of the room to satisfy clients. When the women escaped, they contacted the Guatemalan police who captured Rivera. Further investigations revealed that Rivera had been trafficking women from Nicaragua to Guatemala for several months. Despite the success of this particular story, the previous victims of Rivera's trafficking ring have not been found.

Country Background

With a population of about 5.3 million, Nicaragua is located in Central America between Honduras and Costa Rica. Its market-based economy is based on exports including coffee, sugar, seafood, and beef. The economy also relies on tourism. Nicaragua has been largely affected by worldwide drop in coffee prices and subsequent pullout of foreign investors. Large external debt, inflation, and land disputes also characterize Nicaragua's economy. Nicaragua's rate of combined unemployment and underemployment remain between 40 and 50 percent. Nicaragua's government has been inefficient in terms of enforcing laws to protect human rights.

Causes of Slavery

Forced or bonded labor persists throughout the country, especially among children. Although Nicaragua's Constitution prohibits forced labor, it does not explicitly address forced labor by minors. A weak judiciary system impedes the enforcement of laws meant to safeguard labor codes and basic human rights. The Ministry of Labor has reports of children who have been sold or rented by their parents to smugglers and organizers of child beggars. Nicaragua is a transit country for sex traffickers, though children are also victims of sexual exploitation in the capital city Managua. Port cities along the Honduran and Costa Rican borders are destinations for sex traffickers.

The Process of Enslavement

In major cities and towns, both within Nicaragua and other neighboring countries, taxi drivers were found to operate as the middlemen for sex commerce. In rural areas, especially along the Pan-American Highway, truck drivers function as transporters of victims of sexual exploitation. Women and children are especially vulnerable to recruitment into these forced prostitution rings, due to economic desperation, and limited employment opportunities. In addition, general lack of adequate education narrows the flow of information to marginalized social groups, such as women, children, and the indigenous. This is particularly significant because lack of information means that individuals are not fully aware of their human rights. Recruiters from Mexico come to Nicaragua and approach victims with offers of legitimate employment. Victims follow their recruiters into Mexico and find themselves victims of both debt bondage and sex commerce.

Response on the Ground

UNICEF has been compiling information and releasing reports to combat trafficking of children. Quincho Barrilete is a local UNICEF-sponsored organization which aims to help children who are victims of sexual exploitation.

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