Immigration and police officials with whom researchers...

Immigration and police officials with whom researchers consulted did not deny the presence of official corruption. Some countries have installed disciplinary measures to be used against corrupt officers. The numbers, however, seem to suggest that these procedures are ineffective. For example, Belizean immigration authorities reported disciplinary proceedings against six agents implicated in migrant smuggling. All were disciplined but kept their jobs. Similarly, Belizean police authorities attempted to dismiss two officers for alleged corruption involving illegal entry of immigrants. Their dismissals were reversed. Guatemala has reportedly attempted to curb large scale corruption along its northern border by rotating police officers every three months. Such efforts appear not to have had much impact; one diplomatic officer observed that the rotations are only succeeding in sharing the wealth obtained through corruption.

An immigration representative in Guatemala confided that one of his agents specifically requested to be transferred to Tecun Uman (a heavy trafficking area) due to emergency financial needs. According to a police official in Nicaragua, Chinandega has one of the highest corruption rates in the country. It is also a recognized area of recruitment. Sources in Nicaragua cited the ease of "repositioning" identities through obtaining birth certificates misrepresenting ages and identities. A majority of these documents are likely to have been obtained through legitimate processes, because national and local institutional weaknesses create opportunities for abuse. In Honduras, a Casa Alianza study reported the suspected involvement of employees of the National Registry of Persons in providing falsified documentation to minors.

Clients
The root cause of trafficking is demand for commercial sexual services, without which trafficking for purposes of sexual exploitation would dissolve. The demand connected to trafficking in the region is predominately for prostitution and stripping. While some advocacy groups, most notably Casa Alianza, have investigated and denounced pedophiles, child pornography rings and internet sites promoting the sexual exploitation of minors, the information available does not yet draw a clear line of connection between trafficking activity and the production of pornographic materials in the region. Demand within the region is concentrated in "zones of tolerance", tourist areas, ports, along international trucking routes, and in certain agricultural areas where migrant laborers are predominantly male. The growth of the tourism industry and the increasing number of gambling establishments in the region have also opened markets for the industry. Varying forms of prostitution also occur in public markets and border areas. Bar owners, taxi drivers, hotel managers, market vendors and independent pimps all serve the demands of clients.