Warning: This article discusses sexual violence, which some readers might find distressing.
Mixi Cruz was just 13 years old when her mother died. At first, she lived on the streets, then she turned to her elder stepsister for help. Once there, she was forced to manage household chores and pressured into sexual exploitation.
"The hardest part was accepting that none of that happened simply because I was naive or stupid," the young woman, now 33, tells DW. "It happened to me because there are bad people who sell other people. And there are bad people who buy other people."
In Mexico human trafficking has become one of the most lucrative economies in organized crime. According to the 2025 Global Organized Crime Index by the Swiss-based Global Initiative organization combating transnational organized crime, criminal synidicates are becoming more and more involved. These include the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (Cartel de Jalisco Nueva Generacion, CJNG) and the Sinaloa Cartel.
Within just one year, the number of incidents reported to authorities spiked by 45%. India's lost children at risk in rail stationsTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
