tiny lemmy 

Amazon illegal gold mines drive sex trafficking in the Brazil-Guyana border

c/world · u/Pro@programming.dev · 79 points

Open external link

- Poverty and poor border controls have allowed young women to be trafficked into the sex trade catering to illegal gold miners in Brazil’s border areas with countries like Guyana and Venezuela.

- Research by the Federal University of Roraima identified 309 people who were victims of human trafficking between 2022 and 2024.

- In the Guyanese border town of Lethem, young women, mostly from Venezuela but also from Brazil, are trafficked into bars from across the border in Brazil, seemingly without restriction.

- Organized crime networks associated with illegal mining use elaborate recruiting tactics and exploit the vulnerability of victims, who often don’t recognize themselves as trafficked or are afraid to speak out.

Comments

u/RedditAdminsSuckIt@lemmy.world · 6 points

Which is funny because I remember when Amazon launched and I thought, “Really? Like the rainforest??”

I’m ashamed

u/lupusblackfur@lemmy.world · 6 points

It really is something that a corporation name has become the "first thought" rather than the 7M sq km Amazon basin of So. America... 🙄

u/tal@lemmy.today · 6 points

The World Bank tried to put a value on the Amazon rainforest as part of a process of estimating how much it would be appropriate for the world to rationally pay Brazil for not clearing it.

https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/latinamerica/how-much-should-we-pay-preserve-amazon

>...which corresponds to a total stock value of $1.4-3.3 trillion.

https://companiesmarketcap.com/amazon/marketcap/

Amazon's market capitalization is at $2.2 trillion, so they're in about the same ballpark, I guess.

u/lupusblackfur@lemmy.world · 27 points

I find that it comments much on our current society that my first thought on reading this headline was:

"Bezos has gold mines that are somehow involved in sex trafficking...??" 🤷‍♂️ 🤡

u/DMCMNFIBFFF@lemmy.world · 9 points

>They lure girls and young women with invitations to business trips and promises of high pay, using expensive clothes, jewelry and perfumes as a draw for these poor young people.

Stay away from these groomers, young ladies: it ain't worth it.

u/aeronmelon@lemmy.world · 3 points

So if we stop illegal gold mining it’ll automatically reduce sex trafficking? That’s a two-for-one deal!

u/rhythmisaprancer@moist.catsweat.com · 2 points

I live in an area that has gold mining and brothels. After reading this, I now wonder if trafficking is an issue in my place. Not a lot of opportunity for locals, but there are young folks 😐