"Crimen Organizado Sigue Reclutando Adolescentes"

The article highlights a troubling reality in which adolescents are increasingly exploited by organized crime for drug trafficking, shifting the focus from juvenile delinquency to the recruitment of adults and structural vulnerabilities. Experts argue that minors involved in these activities must be recognized primarily as victims of trafficking and systemic exclusion, rather than solely as offenders. This perspective emphasizes that their involvement is driven by a lack of opportunities, school dropout, and exposure to normalized violence in their communities, necessitating a human rights-based approach over punitive measures. From the standpoint of open data, this discourse underscores a critical gap in current statistics: while authorities record the number of prosecuted minors, they largely fail to track or publish data on the adult perpetrators who recruit them. This imbalance prevents a comprehensive understanding of the crime’s structure and hinders the design of effective public policies. There is an urgent need for more granular and complementary datasets that map recruitment networks and identify high-risk geographic zones, allowing for targeted interventions rather than generic responses. The relevance to open data lies in the demand for transparency that exposes these hidden dynamics. By advocating for the publication of detailed metrics on exploitation and regional risk factors, advocates aim to hold institutions accountable and empower communities. Open, accessible data on victimization and recruitment patterns is essential for validating expert claims, fostering evidence-based debates, and driving preventive strategies that address the root causes of youth exploitation in the drug trade.

Source: elorbe.com
Published on 2023-07-25