Jhinna Pinchi

Jhinna Pinchi survived being trafficked for sexual exploitation, and took her traffickers to court in Peru. Two of the three are now in prison.

She was trafficked in 2007 from a village in the Amazon where she had grown up. Lured from her home by the promise of a job, once she arrived in the town in Northern Peru she was sold to a strip club and forced to provide sexual services to clients. She was locked in a room, and only allowed to come out when she had clients. She was drugged, beaten, and continually exploited for sexual purposes. She was kept in the facility through force, through an alleged debt, and because many of the officials of the town would come to the night club where she worked, so she did not believe they could help her. It was in 2010 that she escaped, and it was then she went to the authorities. She brought a case before the courts, alleging that she had been trafficked. Over the course of four years she fought to get her traffickers convicted, despite all that was against her. Two key witnesses died under suspicious circumstances. Still, she persevered, and in 2013 a Peruvian court handed down the first sentence ever of human trafficking as a crime. Two of the three traffickers are now in prison, one on a 12 year sentence and the other on a 15 year sentence. Unfortunately, the lead defendant in the case is still free. Ms. Pinchi's incredible courage and determination have inspired many, and she is often asked to speak. Her life has been put into a documentary, and she continues to build awareness about this crime. She was given a Hero Acting to End Modern Slavery award in 2014. 

In the 2014 TIP Report, Peru was listed as a Tier 2 country. It is a source, destination, and transit country. Many Peruvian women are trafficked inside Peru for sexual purposes. Some Bolivian girls are found in major cities, and Peruvian girls and women are sometimes trafficked outside of Peruvian borders.