Maduro accused of trafficking Venezuelan women "just like in Cuba"

The regime of Nicolás Maduro is helping facilitate human trafficking of Venezuelan women, said Venezuelan opposition leader Julio Borges claimed on Sunday.

"Nicolás Maduro, just like in Cuba, has led Venezuelan women to suffer the crime of human trafficking. An unprecedented degradation, which has made them the target of mafias that traffic in human needs," he expressed in his Twitter account, citing an article by The Wall Street Journal titled 'Venezuelan migrants fall prey to sex traffickers after fleeing their collapsing country'.

This situation should provoke "greater awareness" of the need for an "urgent political change" in Venezuela and allow Venezuelans to "regain their dignity," added Borges.

Dramas como estos nos deben convocar a generar mayor conciencia sobre la necesidad de un cambio político urgente en Venezuela. Solo esto nos permitirá recobrar la dignidad para todos!

— Julio Borges (@JulioBorges) December 26, 2021

On June 30, the Venezuelan Public Prosecutor's Office asked Interpol to capture three women who had been trafficked, two in Trinidad and Tobago and one in Peru. The three women were rescued along with 26 others.

Since 2017, there have been 468 indictments on human trafficking, 411 indictments against individuals, and 114 arrest warrants that have allegedly been "released," said Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab.

"In this period, there have been 330 cases with 696 victims of this crime that the Public Prosecutor's Office invites to report to be pursued relentlessly," he said.

On December 19, Venezuelan opposition member Miguel Pizarro spoke about the dangers faced by Venezuelans when leaving their country. They travel thousands of kilometers and are exposed to a myriad of challenges as a result of the crisis in Venezuela, he said.

"During the entire migration process, Venezuelans live a myriad of challenges that expose them to human trafficking, exploitation, manipulation, and violence. Women and children are the most vulnerable and most at risk," Pizarro tweeted.