Could Tijuana's Legal Prostitution Promote Underage Sex Trafficking? Alejandro Alejandre and Wendy Fry - NBC San Diego
go to original December 14, 2016

UC San Diego Researchers Study Prevalence of Minors in Tijuana’s Sex Trade (KPBS News)

The U.S. Department of Justice has made combating sex-trafficking a top priority, pouring resources into stopping it in San Diego and along the U.S. Mexico border.

But then, just on the other side, about 20 miles away from downtown San Diego, Tijuana is a premier, world-destination for those looking to buy sex.

Teenagers as young as 13 years old are being bought and sold as sex slaves by the hundreds in our region, according to federal law enforcement on both sides of the border, but domestic cases typically stay in the country where they originated.

Only about 20 percent of domestic sex trafficking cases involve the border, according to San Diego County Chief Deputy District Attorney Summer Stephan. The vast majority, the other 80 percent, involve girls from the U.S. being trafficked in the U.S. by gangs and other criminal organizations. The criminal activity generates an estimated $810 million a year for those organizations.

Still, some question whether legal prostitution in Tijuana attracts a dangerous clientele to the region.

Read the rest at NBC San Diego

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