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New regulations establish prison sentences up to 12 years when human trafficking victims are minors, pregnant women, elderly, or disabled people.
El Salvador's Congress on Thursday approved a law against human trafficking, which increases aggravating circumstances and penalties for this crime.
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The new norm applies to people who use communication technologies to promote migration evading migratory controls.
It also increases the penalties to up to 12 years of imprisonment and authorizes the closing of organizations or companies promoting this offense.
Aggravating circumstances lay when the victim is a minor, adolescent, elderly, disabled, mentally ill, or pregnant woman. Public employees or officials who commit the crime will be also disqualified.
Migrants in Tijuana, Mexico, wear "BIDEN, please let us in" t-shirts during a demonstration this month demanding clearer U.S. migration policies. Guillermo Arias/Agence France-Presse — pic.twitter.com/tFVOYOaLAn
— Rachel Roh (@RachelRoh) March 22, 2021
A national plan for human illegal trafficking prevention will include campaigns on migration risks, victims' protection, and a special fund to investigate and prosecute defendants.
Lawmakers will submit the law to El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, who has eight working days to decide whether to sanction it or not.
On Thursday, U.S. President Joe Biden confirmed the allocation of almost US$4 billion to address factors triggering migration from Central American countries.
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