Through her profile on the social network X, Vice President Karin Herrera expressed her conviction that information and prevention are fundamental tools for saving lives.

May the Blue Heart campaign serve as inspiration to continue encouraging youth participation and putting an end to this scourge, the Vice President emphasized, on the occasion of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

An editorial in the state-run Diario de CentroAmérica stated that the victims of this phenomenon represent freedoms stolen and families plunged into uncertainty.

It described the crime as one of the cruelest, especially when its main victims are children and adolescents.

Criminal networks exploit digital platforms, fake profiles, and nonexistent job offers to lure victims, in addition to resorting to forced recruitment into gangs or drug trafficking groups, the report described.

A report from the same media outlet detailed that from January 2025 to last May, authorities recorded 24 convictions for this crime, 24 initial hearings, 21 criminal organizations investigated, and more than one million people informed and warned.

It mentioned the work carried out by the institutions that make up the Inter-institutional Commission coordinated by the Secretariat against Sexual Violence, Exploitation, and Trafficking in Persons.

The head of that entity, Danissa Ramirez, explained that from January 2025 to last May, they recorded 616 investigative procedures, 641 raids, and 32 indictments.

This capital department, along with Quetzaltenango, Huehuetenango, Escuintla, and Alta Verapaz, have the highest incidence of this crime, the official explained.

The United Nations officially established June 30 as World Day Against Trafficking in Persons in 2013 to raise awareness of the dramatic situation of the millions of men, women, and children who are victims of trafficking and exploitation.

abo/arm/ool/znc