During my visit to the Brazil-Paraguay-Argentina tri-border area, I met Fr. Nilo who helped me understand the trafficking of Paraguayan women into Brazil for sexual exploitation.
Paraguay’s border city, Ciudad del Este, is quickly improving economically. Due to their trade agreements with Asian countries, the items are much cheaper to purchase in Paraguay compared to Brazil, and in less than a thirty-minute-walk a person from Brazil could buy the latest computer in Paraguay. Brazil, to protect their economy, has designed a strict control so every item that passes into their country pays taxes.
Most of the trafficking happens through this border. Their focus to prevent smuggling of products into Brazil makes them oversee the smuggling of people. Anyone can bring into Brazil several young women, and the border police probably will not questioned them about the passengers. Fr. Nilo showed me that it is easier to trade people than CDs.
