Young Bolivian Woman Abducted to Peru Escapes Human Trafficking Gang

(Q24N) A 21-year-old Bolivian girl who had been reported missing for four days was able to escape a human trafficking gang in Peru.

As the girl, named Xiomi, told the Peruvian press, she does not know how she got to Lima; however she remembers that she was on a bus that traveled to the city of El Alto and when she woke up she was inside a truck with other women.

“I woke up in a white cargo truck with a blue canvas tent. There was an Ecuadorian and two other women, I do not know what nationality they were, because they were asleep. The truck traveled several days and we were guarded by a man who covered his face with a brown scarf and a white cap,” she said.

“I thought at the first opportunity I would have to escape, I would not hesitate. And so I did,” she said.

“When the vehicle was parked I took advantage of the men’s negligence and escaped. I came to a house where I asked for support. They gave me a shirt to wear, because I only had a bra,”said the young woman.

Xiomi reported that she lives in La Paz, Bolivia, and that the last thing she remembers before realizing that she had been abducted is that at 2pm she boarded a public bus from the town of Prado bound for her home.

The Peruvian Police is investigating the case in order to find the young women who accompanied Xiomi in the truck.

Human trafficking remains a significant concern to governments throughout Latin America. Experts suggest that it is second to only drug trafficking in terms of illicit profits.

Criminal networks generally traffic human beings for forced labor, or for prostitution rings. The international community has been slow to respond, but has recently taken steps to fight the lucrative trade across border regions.