By Giselle Alzate | 2024-11-07

BOGOTÁ -- At just 19, a lucrative job offer as a wholesale trader lured her away from Colombia, prompting her to leave everything behind and embark on a journey to China.

Upon her arrival in Guangzhou, all her hopes were shattered.

Her hosts took away her passport and told her that she had to repay the debt incurred from her supposed employers, who had purchased her plane tickets, covered her visa fees and paid for other expenses.

She had to repay her debt by providing sexual services in clubs and karaoke throughout the city.

The case of the 19-year-old, whose identity has been kept confidential for her protection, highlights the plight of countless women across Colombia and the rest of Latin America who have fallen victim to human traffickers operating in China.

Human trafficking

At the end of October, the Colombian Prosecutor's Office announced the latest in a series of arrests related to the trafficking of women for sexual exploitation in China.

The owner of a travel agency and one of his employees were arrested on charges of being involved in a transnational human trafficking network.

In a statement on October 20, the prosecution revealed that between June 2016 and October 2019, the two individuals acquired "airline tickets and managed passports, visas and other documents for four women, enabling their travel to Guangzhou (China)."

José Gaona from Venezuela and Angie Araque from Colombia will face prosecution for aggravated criminal conspiracy and human trafficking.

Their victims, aged between 19 and 25, were lured into traveling to China with promises of jobs as wholesale merchants.

Once they arrived in China, their handlers seized their passports and told them "they had to engage in sexual activities at a nightclub to repay the debt incurred for their travel and living expenses," according to the prosecution.

Three of the victims escaped and, with the assistance of the Colombian consulate in Guangzhou, returned to Colombia, where they reported their harrowing experiences.

Physical and emotional abuse

In their statements to authorities, they described physical and emotional abuse designed to break their spirits and compel compliance with the demands of the human trafficking network.

The accused targeted women from underprivileged regions of central Colombia, attracting them with deceptive job offers in China.

The dismantling of this human trafficking network highlights the inadequate controls in China on sex trafficking. Prostitution, though illegal, occurs covertly in karaoke bars and hair salons.

On average, a human trafficking network invests approximately $6,000 to transport a victim from Colombia to China, the University of La Sabana in Bogotá found in a study.

In just three months of sexual exploitation, these networks can generate about $60,000 from each victim.