Cuban Woman Rescued from Sexual Exploitation in Mexico

Mexican authorities have dismantled a human trafficking network operating in five bars in Quintana Roo. Among the victims were a Cuban woman, 20 Mexican nationals, and four Venezuelans, totaling 25 individuals, according to the State Prosecutor's Office.

Investigative Police officers, in collaboration with the National Guard and the International Organization O.U.R. Rescue, secured seven women in a bar in the Centro neighborhood. Additionally, 12 women were rescued from a location along the Cancún-Tulum federal highway in the Ejidal neighborhood, the entity reported.

In another establishment in the same neighborhood, three more women were rescued, while in an adjacent venue, another three were freed. All victims received medical attention and gave statements to the Public Ministry.

Breakthrough in Human Trafficking Investigation

These actions were made possible due to a previous operation on May 17, where authorities rescued 17 Argentine nationals who were forced to work in a bar in the Solidaridad municipality and reported the trafficking network.

During the raid on five bars, participants detained a man identified as Enrique Abelardo "N", who is allegedly responsible for coordinating the establishments. Upon noticing the surprise presence of agents at one of the bars, the individual attempted to flee but was apprehended and handed over to the Public Ministry. Initial investigations indicate that the detainee is one of the leaders of the criminal structure involved in sexual and labor exploitation. He managed the supervision of the bars.

In February, the feminist organization Caminantas, which supports migrant women in Mexico, warned of an increase in trafficking cases involving Cuban, Colombian, and Venezuelan women. Many of these women arrive in Mexico under the promise of employment or after establishing romantic relationships online with Mexican men who have financially supported them or their families for months or even years, according to María Ángel Vielma, a member of Caminantas in an interview with the EFE agency.

"The abuser identifies their need to manipulate them, it’s the bait disguised as love," Vielma stated, noting that everything changes once the victims are in Mexican territory, where they are subjected to various forms of violence. Some seek help, but others remain silent and submit, finding it difficult to return as the traffickers often buy their plane tickets or manipulate their families back home.

Vielma explained that these cases are common among women from countries with economic crises or those with stereotypes of female beauty, such as Cuba, Colombia, and Venezuela. Laura Cortés, a member of the collective and a gender issues specialist, added that there is also "selective xenophobia" in the trafficking of women.

"If you are Central American, the treatment and derogatory comments are much worse. If you are Colombian, Cuban, or Venezuelan, you are seen as the sexy, explosive woman they see on TV," Cortés explained. This perception leads to higher numbers of women from these nationalities being trafficked in Mexico and also being among the foreign women murdered.

The agency reported that out of 227 foreign women killed in Mexico from 2015 to 2023, 32 were Colombian and 29 Venezuelan, according to the National Public Security System (SNSP)

In mid-January, a total of 25 women from Venezuela, Colombia, Cuba, and Mexico were detained during a bar inspection in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, according to a note published by the State Prosecutor's Office of that southern Mexican state.