A Haitian migrant looks out of his rental apartment in Tijuana, Mexico, February 26, At least , migrants arrived in Chile last year from Haiti, the poorest nation in the Americas, according to police figures - more than double the number in The risks were put in the spotlight last month when Chilean authorities charged five people with smuggling dozens of Haitians into the country with false promises of jobs and work visas.
When they arrived, most were abandoned without the jobs and accommodation they had been promised. Haitian Wadner Maignan works for the Jesuit Service for Migrants, which provides support and legal advice to migrants in Santiago. He says Haitian men often end up working on construction sites and in factories where they are victims of labour exploitation and abuse. Last month Chile tightened its rules on migration for Haitians and other nationals, citing a need to stem rising illegal immigration.
In recent years, Chile has also become a leading destination for migrants from the Dominican Republic, a trend apparent since said prosecutor Zarate, who is currently investigating a case of two women from the Dominican trafficked into sex work. Zarate said traffickers made false promises of domestic or retail work to women who were forced into prostitution in the capital's bars and brothels after arriving to find the jobs did not exist and their passports seized. There have been few convictions for sex trafficking and forced labour involving migrants because most victims do not report it, she said.
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