The recent arrest of a military officer involved in a human trafficking ring in Venezuela is evidence of the often overlooked and covert involvement of security officials in this criminal economy. 

A sergeant of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) was arrested on August 1 after it was confirmed that he was involved in the transfer of three teenage girls and a woman from the state of Miranda to the border state of Táchira, to be taken to Peru where they would be sexually exploited by a prostitution ring, reported the local Attorney General’s Office. 

This military officer was charged for the crime of trafficking of women, girls and adolescents, and illicit association, being one of the few officers who have been arrested for being part of these illicit networks. 

In December 2022, another member of the National Guard with the rank of lieutenant was arrested and prosecuted for the crime of human trafficking in Yaracuy state for allegedly recruiting three teenagers, reported Últimas Noticias. 

The Committee expressed concern about the lack of a specific and comprehensive law on trafficking in persons and the delay in the publication of the National Plan against Trafficking in Persons.

The Committee recommended combating forced recruitment and trafficking of women and girls by irregular armed groups, particularly in the context of the Orinoco mining arc, and throughout the border territory with Brazil and Colombia, and investigating all allegations of contemporary forms of slavery.

The Committee also called on the authorities to allocate sufficient funds to ensure adequate support services for victims of trafficking, including shelters, psychosocial counseling, reintegration programs and effective access to refugee status determination procedures for those who may be in need of international protection.