A woman who became coerced into Mexico's lucrative human trafficking
industry has spoken out about her torment at the hands of the
country's ruthless organised crime rings.
Karla Jacinto believes she has been raped around 43,200 times after
being forced to sleep with at least 30 men every day for 4 years,
CNNreports.
During her ordeal Ms Jacinto was attacked by her trafficker after he
saw kiss marks on her neck from a customer.
"He started beating me with a chain in all of my body," said Ms
Jacinto. "He punched me with his fists, he kicked me, pulled my hair,
spit at me in the face... he also burned me with the iron."
She also claims a police operation to rescue her and a group of girls
being held at a hotel descended into horror when the officers began
filming the girls, some as young as 10, in compromising positions.
At 12, she recalls being targeted by a trafficker who lured her away
from a dysfunctional home life with gifts, money and fast cars.
The 22-year-old trafficker convinced Ms Jacinto to leave with him to
Tenancingo, a Mexican town in the state of Tlaxcala, known as a major
centre for human trafficking rings and a common place for victims to
be taken before being forced into prostitution.
Ms Jacinto told CNN she lived with her trafficker for three months
before being taken to Guadalajara, one of Mexico's largest cities,
where she was forced to work as a prostitute.
"I started at 10am and finished at midnight," said Ms Jacinto, "Some
men would laugh at me because I was crying."
"I had to close my eyes so that that I wouldn't see what they were
doing to me, so that I wouldn't feel anything."
Countries where sexual violence has become a way of life
There are an estimated 20,000 trafficking victims in Mexico every
year, according to the International Organisation for Migration.
In the US, five of the 10 "most wanted" sex traffickers are from
Tenancingo, which has a population of just 11,000.
According to a 2010 University of Tlaxcala study, one in five children
in the town aspires to be a pimp, while two-thirds know at least one
relative or friend working as a pimp or trafficker, The
Guardianreports.
Ms Jacinto was rescued in 2006 during an anti-trafficking operation in
Mexico City. Now aged 23, she is an advocate against human
trafficking.
CNNhave verified parts of Ms Jacinto's story with the United Against
Human Trafficking Groupand senior officials at Road to Home, a
shelter Ms Jacinto lived in after being rescued.
Her testimonyhas been used as evidence to support HR 515, or Megan's
Law, which requires US authorities to make information available to
the public regarding registered sex offenders.
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