A new report on human trafficking in Venezuela’s Bolívar state shows that forced labor camps and sex trafficking rings are rampant in the region’s illegal mines. Men, women and children are being trafficked in a swath of Bolivar state that is part of the mining region known as the Orinoco Mining Arc, according to the report published by the Center for Human Rights at the Andrés Bello Catholic University in Caracas. Full Text -> InSightCrime

National Security Minister Stuart Young says the number of Trinidadians involved in the Venezuelan human trafficking ring is disturbing. “I have asked the TTPS to institute investigations and charges of the Trinidadian individuals who are involved and caught in these operations,” Young ­stated, in response to questions from the Express ­yesterday. Full Text-> Stabroek

The 19-year-old traveled 22 hours from La Guaira in Venezuela to work in Cucuta. Gabriela was not unaware of the job awaiting her. Like many others working in the sex industry in Cucuta, she’d heard about the opportunity from others who had already made the perilous journey across the border. By Michael Rummel. Full text -> VOA