The government increased victim protection efforts but identified fewer victims for the second consecutive year. MITP identified 21 trafficking victims during the year (17 women and four men, 11 for labor trafficking, and 10 for sex trafficking), compared with 23 trafficking victims in 2016 and 65 in 2015. All but one victim were foreign. The MITP’s protocol on victim assistance, developed in 2016, provided assistance to all 21 victims. The services provided by government agencies included safe housing, health services, psychological services, legal assistance, employment assistance, and regularization of migratory status. Provision of victim services remained uneven across the country and NGOs reported funding was inadequate to provide necessary services, especially shelter. The National Service for Women and Gender Equality allocated 133 million Chilean pesos ($216,530) to fund the NGO-operated shelter for women victims of trafficking, smuggled women, and their children, an increase from 92.2 million pesos ($150,110). The shelter facilitated health, immigration, and employment services. In 2017, the shelter housed 10 women (six sex trafficking, three labor trafficking, and one child victim), including four foreigners. The shelter was at full occupancy and all other victims were referred to non-specialized shelters for victims of domestic abuse. The government did not fund most NGOs that provide victim assistance. The National Service for Minors (SENAME) provided services to child sex trafficking victims through its national network of 18 NGO-operated programs—opening one additional program during the reporting period—for children, including boys, subjected to commercial sexual exploitation. SENAME assisted 1,350 children in 2017, compared with 1,341 in 2016; authorities reported 493 of those children assisted were new in 2017. SENAME increased funding to 2.95 billion Chilean pesos ($4.8 million) in 2017, compared with 2.717 billion Chilean pesos ($4.4 million) in 2016. There were no shelters for adult male victims or victims outside the capital. The Social Action Program of the Ministry of Interior had a separate fund to assist vulnerable migrants that can be used for trafficking victim services.
In 2017, MITP’s interagency group published a comprehensive referral guide for all agencies involved in the group to highlight social services and programs offered for victims. Law enforcement officials lacked guidelines for dealing with potential trafficking victims detained or placed in protective custody for alleged criminal acts, such as children involved in illegal activities. Reintegration services such as education and job placement assistance were insufficient, and officials reported access to quality mental health services was expensive and limited. The government increased training efforts outside the capital and maintained robust efforts to train first responders, including health workers, public officials, and victims. Authorities provided training on victim assistance and identification to more than 450 government officials, including labor inspectors, SENAME staff, border officials, and first responders, and collaborated with an international organization on training for health workers on victim identification. The Department of Migration continued to provide no-fee visas for foreign trafficking victims and issued nine in 2017. The visa is valid for six months, renewable for up to two years if the victim reports the crime to the prosecutor’s office. Foreign victims received the same victim services and methods of participation in court—such as teleconference and video testimony—as Chilean victims. The government did not report granting any victims restitution through civil or criminal cases in 2017.