In another case, 13 Paraguayan women were found in conditions of forced prostitution in a brothel in La Paz, Bolivia.
[1] In 2009 the Government of Paraguay did not fully comply with the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking; however, it was making significant efforts to do so.
[5] Article 129 of the 1997 penal code prohibits the transnational movement of persons for the purpose of prostitution, prescribing penalties of six years’ imprisonment.
Although Paraguayan law does not specifically prohibit internal trafficking, prosecutors can draw on the exploitation of prostitution and kidnapping statutes, as well as other penal code provisions, to prosecute cases of trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation or forced labor that occur entirely within Paraguay.
Authorities did not employ a formal system for proactively identifying trafficking victims among vulnerable populations such as women in prostitution, domestic servants, or street children.
The government could not, however, meet the demands for services, and most victim assistance is funded at least in part by NGO's and international donors.
Paraguay offered temporary or permanent residency status for foreign trafficking victims on a case-by-case basis.
The Women’s Secretariat conducted 12 regional workshops highlighting the local government response to human trafficking, with a total of 1,000 participants.
The government sponsored an anti-trafficking expert to train Paraguayan consular officers in Spain, Italy, and Argentina on how to handle human trafficking cases.
Paraguay was not a well-known destination for child sex tourists, though foreign citizens from neighboring countries are reported to engage in commercial sexual exploitation of children in Ciudad del Este.