Desperation, Lack of Donors Drives Organ Trafficking in Latin America

In Sight | Edward Fox


Latin American is taking increased measures to counter organ trafficking, with a group of states recently agreeing on minimum penalties for the crime. However, so long as a gap exists between waiting list candidates and donors, along with an endemic level of poverty in the region, the opportunity will continue for organized crime to profit from the trade

At a meeting of judicial officials from Central America and the Dominican Republic last month, representatives from all countries agreed to set a minimum penalty for the crime of organ trafficking, reported La Prensa. While the agreement doesn't set limits on the sentences each country can hand down -- Honduras, for example, recently passed a revised human trafficking law that sets the minimum penalty for organ trafficking at 15 years -- it lays out that anyone guilty of involvement in the illicit trade should be punished with no less than five years in prison.

The accord marks a significant step in tackling organ trafficking, an often overlooked facet of human trafficking and one that has long afflicted Latin America.

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