International Day against Trafficking: Argentina's 1913 precedent and a fiscal statement with no thematic connection

September 23 marks the International Day against Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking in Persons. The date refers to an Argentine precedent: the enactment, on that same day in 1913, of Law 9,143, known as the Palacios Law, promoted by then-Socialist deputy Alfredo Palacios. This is noted in an article by Crónica, which adds that in 1999, during a world conference in Dhaka, Bangladesh, that day was chosen for international awareness.

The material available for this article includes two independent sources: the journalistic article from Crónica and a statement from the Ministry of Economy on the Fiscal Innocence Regime. There is no thematic relationship between the two. The second does not mention trafficking in persons or the September 23 commemoration. Therefore, the contrast is limited to noting that they neither confirm nor contradict each other on any point: they address different matters.

What the journalistic source says about the date and the Argentine law

According to Crónica, Law 9,143 was a global pioneer because it criminalized sexual exploitation and protected victims at a time when almost no State legislated on the issue. The article also distinguishes trafficking from exploitation: the former is the criminal process of recruitment, transfer, reception or harboring for purposes of exploitation; the latter is the situation to which the person is subjected.

The text lists modalities covered by Argentine legislation: sexual exploitation, labor exploitation, reduction to servitude, forced labor and other forms. It clarifies that sexual exploitation is one of the most frequently appearing in judicial statistics, although it does not offer a complete historical series.

Judicial and assistance data reported by the source

The Crónica article cites figures from PROTEX, the Prosecution Unit for Trafficking and Exploitation of Persons of the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Between December 1, 2024 and November 30, 2025, 38 final rulings were recorded: 27 convictions, 6 acquittals, 2 conciliatory agreements and 3 comprehensive reparations. Those rulings resulted in 67 convicted persons: 38 Argentine and 29 foreign; 39 men and 28 women.

In the same period, 213 affected persons were identified. 47.7% suffered sexual exploitation, 19.1% labor exploitation and 33.2% reduction to servitude. By gender, 105 were women and 33 men; in 75 cases that information was not available. By nationality, 28.6% were Argentine, 11.1% foreign and in the remaining 60.3% it could not be determined, partly due to reserved identity. The source itself clarifies that these data correspond only to cases surveyed by PROTEX and do not represent the total universe of victims.

For another period, between January 1 and August 31, 2026, the source reports 506 persons rescued and/or assisted: 145 for sexual exploitation (29%) and 311 for labor exploitation (61%). It also mentions other modalities, such as reduction to servitude, surrogacy and forced marriage. Since the enactment of Law 26,364 in 2008 until August 31, 2026, the agency has accumulated 22,945 persons rescued and/or assisted. The 145 Hotline received 1,818 reports in the first eight months of 2026.

The Marita Verón case and its link to the legal framework

The article recounts the disappearance of María de los Ángeles «Marita» Verón on April 3, 2002 in San Miguel de Tucumán. She was 23 years old, had a small daughter and was studying Fine Arts. She left her home for a medical appointment and did not return. The investigation linked the case to trafficking and sexual exploitation networks. Testimonies from women subjected to exploitation claimed to have seen her in different places in Tucumán and later in brothels in La Rioja. The Tucumán justice system considered it proven that she was held against her will in different addresses and that she was taken to establishments in that province, although it could never be determined what happened afterward.

Her mother, Susana Trimarco, began a years-long search. She toured brothels and places where there could be victims, and her personal investigation made it possible to locate and assist other women. The Argentine State itself acknowledges that her struggle turned the case into a turning point to make trafficking visible, according to the source.

The oral trial began in 2012, ten years after the disappearance. Thirteen people were brought to trial for unlawful deprivation of liberty and promotion of prostitution. On December 11, 2012, the Tucumán court acquitted all 13 defendants. In December 2013, the Supreme Court of Justice of Tucumán reviewed the case and subsequently convictions were established against ten of the accused. Marita remains missing.

The Economy Ministry statement: another topic, with no connection to the commemoration

The second source is a statement from the Ministry of Economy on the Fiscal Innocence Bill. Minister Luis Caputo and the Legal and Technical Secretary of the Presidency, María Ibarzabal Murphy, announced modifications. Caputo stated that «the spirit of the law does not change in absolutely anything» and that the goal is for savings to be formalized in the banking system without penalty. He mentioned that dollar deposits in the financial system reach record levels close to 40 billion dollars, and that there is an amount more than four times that figure in savings outside the banking circuit.

The bill eliminates income requirements: today it requires that income not exceed one billion pesos annually, that assets not exceed ten billion pesos and that the taxpayer not qualify as a «Large Taxpayer» of ARCA. The bill opens the regime to all resident natural persons and undivided estates, with an exception for «Large Taxpayers,» who may adhere to the simplified modality but will not enjoy presumptions or liberating effects. It also introduces a minimum threshold: even if the 15% increase over what was declared is exceeded, the presumption is not broken if the nominal difference does not reach the equivalent of 5% of the amount of evasion provided in Art. 1 of the Tax Criminal Law. In concrete numbers, if the difference does not exceed five million pesos, the presumption is maintained. The taxpayer may file an amended sworn statement and cancel the difference plus interest within up to 15 business days. ARCA must refund contributions paid with interest within a period no greater than 45 business days from notification of the final resolution.

What to follow

For the September 23 commemoration, the data to follow is the official publication of updated statistics from PROTEX and the National Rescue Coordination, with comparable periods, to verify whether the figures cited by Crónica hold or are corrected. For the Fiscal Innocence Regime, the data to follow is the final text of the bill that enters Congress and its parliamentary treatment, since the statement describes proposed changes but does not confirm their enactment.

• Immediate effect: the September 23 commemoration is already established and does not depend on new measures.
• Conditioned effect: the trafficking and assistance figures correspond to limited periods and to cases surveyed by PROTEX; they do not represent the total universe.
• Uncertain effect: the fiscal innocence bill has no relation to trafficking; its impact will depend on legislative enactment and subsequent regulations.

Value module: The journalistic source reports 506 persons rescued and/or assisted between January 1 and August 31, 2026, of which 145 correspond to sexual exploitation (29%) and 311 to labor exploitation (61%). Document: Crónica article citing data from PROTEX and the National Rescue Coordination. Agency and date: PROTEX and National Rescue Coordination, according to the article, with data up to August 31, 2026. Unit: persons rescued and/or assisted. Values used: 145 and 311 out of a total of 506. Operation: 145/506 = 28.66% and 311/506 = 61.46%, rounded in the source to 29% and 61%. No currencies or units are converted because the material does not include exchange rates or conversion factors applicable to these figures.