Migrants at Mexico border subjected to sexual violence and torture

Migrants seeking to enter the US are being subjected to sexual violence and torture at the Mexico border, according to a report by Reuters2. Sexual violence has hit record levels in the border cities of Reynosa and Matamoros, both major transit routes for immigrants seeking to enter the US1. Thousands of migrants are waiting there after Joe Biden implemented an app which requires them to schedule an appointment to cross the border1. While they are waiting, people smuggling gangs subject the women to sexual torture so that they hand over money and hold them ransom from their families1. The smugglers have been known to bandy slurs and epithets openly around high-traffic work areas around or on the vehicle production lines2.

The situation is not new, as migrant women and girls have been the victims of sexual assaults that most often go unreported for years35. The smugglers often lock the women in stash houses, where they are drugged with pills and cocaine and raped repeatedly3. The women are often too afraid to report the abuse to authorities, fearing retaliation from the smugglers3. The prevalence of sexual violence in migrants, applicants for international protection, and refugees in Europe is also a critical issue6.

Key facts:

• Migrants seeking to enter the US are being subjected to sexual violence and torture at the Mexico border, according to a report by Reuters2.
• Sexual violence has hit record levels in the border cities of Reynosa and Matamoros, both major transit routes for immigrants seeking to enter the US1.
• Thousands of migrants are waiting there after Joe Biden implemented an app which requires them to schedule an appointment to cross the border1.
• While they are waiting, people smuggling gangs subject the women to sexual torture so that they hand over money and hold them ransom from their families1.
• The situation is not new, as migrant women and girls have been the victims of sexual assaults that most often go unreported for years35.