The Ricky Martin Foundation educates about the existence of human trafficking through research and community initiatives, anchored in the defense of children and youth rights. We perform research on human trafficking in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean to educate and sensitize the public with the hope of preventing more people from falling victim to this crime.
Human trafficking is the second most lucrative crime in the world. Currently, there are approximately 30 million people subjected to forced labor, slavery, and prostitution, of which 56% are women and girls (TIP Report 2015).
We have published two pioneer investigations about this modern scourge in Puerto Rico Trafficking in Persons: An Invisible Challenge (2010) and Trafficking in Persons: A modern form of slavery in Puerto Rico (2014). Both investigations, led by researchers Dr. César Rey and Dra. Luisa Hernandez, portray the existence and modalities of this crime in Puerto Rico. Among the activities for which children are victims of human trafficking in Puerto Rico include: labor exploitation (drug trafficking, domestic work, begging) and sexual exploitation (prostitution of another, child pornography, massage parlors, “mail order” marriages, and explitation for reproductive purposes). We are currently immersed in the third phase of our investigation.
Human trafficking affects all countries and has many root causes, which vary from one country to another. Poverty is a major factor in the human trafficking industry. People trapped in poverty are vulnerable prey for traffickers. They are often duped with better life opportunities and subjected to modern slavery.
We are thrilled to join efforts with World We Want in order to build a better world that is free of modern slavery. World We Want’s efforts to alleviate poverty worldwide are extremely important and will undoubtedly strengthen our mission. We also look forward to bringing human trafficking to the forefront and to open dialogues in the World We Want forum. RMF is commited to keep educating the masses in order to erradicate this crime. Our dream is to end modern day slavery!
If you want to learn more about the Ricky Martin Foundation visit our website www.rickymartinfoundation.org and follow us on social media:
Facebook – Ricky Martin Foundation
Twitter – @RM_Foundation
Instagram – @rm_foundation
If you want to learn more about World We Want visit https://www.worldwewant2015.org