ABSTRACT
The United Nations defines human trafficking as the capture, transport, harboring, reception, or delivery of people by means of violence or the threat of violence. In cases of human trafficking, the contact between the traffickers and the victim is a result of deception and abuse, in contrast to human smuggling where the migrant has voluntarily established direct contact with the smuggler. Human trafficking is a crime against individuals that compromises human dignity. According to the diagnostic 'Human Trafficking Assessment Tool' implemented in Mexico by the American Bar Association (ABA), some 47 cartels dedicated to labor and sex trafficking operate in Mexico. Other autonomous public institutions and non-governmental organizations have been carrying out specific actions to fight trafficking and aid its victims. Known today as 'twenty-first century slavery', it is a crime that violates all human rights because it infringes on the very essence of the person: life, liberty, integrity and human dignity.
