The border of Paraguay allows for the sale of illegal and counterfeit products including women.

Ciudad del Este’s surrounding Tri Border Area–where Paraguay meets Brazil and Argentina–has over the past five years attracted notoriety as a major hub in international people-trafficking.

Many of the women exploited start out as seeking work as domestics and end up virtual sex slaves or drug mules. Over a third of the population earns less than $1 a day and the possibility of work means the possibility of sending money back home.

Eighty-five percent of trafficking in Paraguay is for sexual exploitation, the International Organization of Migration estimates.

The average age of the girls/women is between 10- 20 years old. Activists in the area trying to break the cycle by teaching the women skills, such as hairstyling, in order to earn a living have faced death threats.

Via / Women’s enews

Image Via / Wikipedia