Venezuelan women and girls account for most human trafficking cases recorded along the Colombian border

Venezuelan women and girls make up the overwhelming majority of human trafficking victims identified along the Colombia-Venezuela border. According to the report titled Human Trafficking in the Prostitution of Women and Girls on the Colombian-Venezuelan Border, prepared by the Corporación Mujer Denuncia y Muévete, 78 percent of adult women and 99 percent of the girls recorded are Venezuelan nationals.

The findings document 630 cases compiled between 2018 and 2026. Paula Andrea Jiménez, co-director of Laboratorio Migrante, stated that the combination of forced displacement, severe poverty, domestic violence, and territorial control by irregular armed organizations significantly magnifies the vulnerability of this group. Most of the victims recorded are young people between 16 and 29 years of age.

Geographically, the Colombian department of Norte de Santander concentrates the highest share of cases involving sexual exploitation. The phenomenon also affects girls, adolescents, and adult women across border crossings in the Venezuelan states of Táchira and Zulia, as well as victims moved from other regions across Venezuela, with significant activity noted in the Catatumbo area.

The investigation highlights how illicit networks exploit conditions of severe hardship to recruit individuals. Jiménez noted that recruitment under duress often involves acquaintances, friends, or relatives who were previously drawn into these structures. The report links the National Liberation Army and dissidents from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia to these operations in the border zone.

Furthermore, records compiled by the nongovernmental organization included direct support for 280 women seeking access to official protection pathways, identifying that six percent of them experienced forced motherhood. The findings were also reviewed by an expert committee of the Organization of American States.

Corporación Mujer Denuncia y Muévete is a nongovernmental entity led by attorney Alejandra Vera, dedicated to documenting human trafficking and assisting victims of sexual violence across the Colombia-Venezuela border corridor. Laboratorio Migrante operates as an initiative focused on researching and monitoring human mobility and migrant rights in the region, co-directed by researcher and journalist Paula Andrea Jiménez.