US criticises Mexican response to trafficking
Mexico's response to the ongoing problem of human trafficking has not been sufficient, the US State Department has said.
According to a report from the organisation, funding for victim services has been "inadequate" in recent years, CNN reports.
The US State Department also criticised the length of the sentences being handed out to criminals involved in human trafficking, as well as the number of prosecutions and convictions.
Indeed, it said this is a concern "given the magnitude of Mexico's trafficking problem".
The report also suggested that some officials in the central American country are either active or turning a blind eye to the criminal activity.
However, it acknowledged that some progress in tackling human trafficking has been made in the last few years by Mexico's government.
This comes after US secretary of state Hillary Clinton pledged to offer more support to countries in Central America as part of an effort to curb ongoing violence in the region.
