Dilcya Garcia Espinosa De Los Monteros

She secured the first conviction for Trafficking in Persons in Mexico, a landmark in their fight against modern-day slavery.

After graduating in law, Ms. Garcia held several positions that dealt with human rights issues, including human trafficking. In 2009, she was appointed as a deputy assistant prosecutor in the Attorney General’s Office in the Federal District which included Mexico City. It was there that she really began to fight against human trafficking in Mexico. That year, she brought an indictment against an alleged trafficker, and secured a conviction. It was Mexico’s first, but it would not be their last. Between 2009 and 2011, she drafted indictments against over 100 traffickers, and saw over 250 victims of both sex trafficking and forced labor be rescued. Furthermore, she helped to facilitate cooperation to make sure that these rescued victims had access to appropriate services through various civil society actors. Her advocacy led, in 2011, to the Mexican government making steps towards funding a shelter for victims. Ms. Garcia not only secured the first conviction for trafficking, but also secured the longest sentence against a trafficker in Mexico ever issued: 17 years of incarceration.

In 2011, she was honored as a "TIP Report Hero Acting to End Modern Slavery" in recognition of her efforts to combat human trafficking. In that same year, she was promoted within the Attorney General’s Office, and continued to vigorously prosecute offenders. Since then, she has moved into a new position as the National Commissioner for the Prevention and Eradication of Violence against Women of the Minister of the Interior. Her Commission develops policy, builds partnerships, and attempts to combat violence against women wherever it may be found.

In the 2014 TIP Report, Mexico was listed as Tier 2 country. It is a source, destination, and transit country for both forced labor and sex trafficking. Organized crime, and the complicity of some government officials, continue to be an ongoing problem. There is more to be done at the governmental level.