Causes of the imprisonment of migrant women for the crime of human trafficking: gender stereotypes and criminal policies

Abstract

Human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation is a crime that requires a complex structure, which is also strongly capitalized and capable of corrupting the authorities. However, numerous empirical studies carried out in Mexican prisons reveal that the profile of people sentenced for the crime of human trafficking corresponds in many cases to that of poor migrant women, unaware of the Mexican geography, and who also lack the logistical means and contacts to commit that particular crime. The objective of this research, based on an examination of government reports and academic literature on the subject, is to examine what factors contribute to a high number of migrant women being imprisoned in Mexico for the crime of human trafficking. It is concluded that the surveillance of the United States, the neo-abolitionist design of the human trafficking law (Mexico, 2012), and the identifi cation of Central American migrant women with the Malinche's myth -a disloyal and immoral woman who abandons the household role that by nature corresponds to her, to emigrate alone and assume the masculine role of provider, which by nature corresponds to men- turns them into a scapegoat for the crime of human trafficking.