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Human Trafficking in Serbia

Human Trafficking in SerbiaAccording to the U.S. Department of State’s 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report, Serbia ranks as a Tier 2 country, which means “the Government of Serbia does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking [in relation to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000] but is making significant efforts to do so.” The U.S. Department of Justice defines human trafficking as “a crime that involves the exploitation of a person for labor, commercial services or sex.” According to the NGO Atina, “Serbia is [a] source, transit and destination country for children, women and men trafficked for the purpose of sexual and labor exploitation, coercion to commit crimes, forced begging and forced marriage.”

Poverty and Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is more common in countries with higher poverty rates as lack of money/resources is one of its driving factors. Economic deprivation makes individuals more vulnerable to human trafficking as many impoverished people are desperate to find a way out of poverty. Low-income families sometimes resort to sending their children away with seemingly trustworthy people promising to provide the education and resources needed. Serbia is one of those developing countries where the poor state of the economy contributes to the prevalence of human trafficking. The country had a poverty rate of 21.7% in 2019, according to the World Bank, and an unemployment rate of 10.1% in 2021.

Types of Human Trafficking in Serbia

Human trafficking in Serbia involves men, women and children. However, women and children are the most vulnerable, representing the majority of victims. The targets are both domestic and foreign, with Roma children in Serbia being more likely to fall prey to human traffickers. This is a consequence of the discrimination and marginalization of the Roma community. Unfortunately, the majority of the Roma population also faces difficulties accessing social protection, decent housing and other essential resources.

Usually, Serbian women are trafficked in sex work all over Europe, particularly in Turkey, Austria, Germany and Italy. Men, on the other hand, are mainly forced to work in labor-intensive sectors, whereas children are pushed into “sex trafficking, forced labor, forced begging and petty crime.” According to the 2021 TIP Report, “thousands of migrants and refugees from the Middle East, Africa, and Asia transiting through or left stranded in Serbia are vulnerable to trafficking within Serbia.”

According to the 2021 TIP Report, courts and judges are often lenient toward defendants accused of human trafficking and forced labor, with some judges displaying victim-blaming attitudes and prejudices, especially toward vulnerable groups and Roma people.

Serbia Takes Action

Over the last few years, the Serbian government has increased national spending on anti-human trafficking efforts. For instance, the government gave $240,080 to the Center for Protection of Trafficking Victims (CPTV) and the Urgent Reception Center (URC), a sharp rise in comparison to the $31,320 contribution in 2019.

The government has also implemented awareness campaigns and stepped up law enforcement efforts. In 2020, Serbian authorities prosecuted 42 defendants for sex trafficking and forced labor under article 388, a reduction from 47 prosecutions in 2019. Serbia has set penalties of up to 12 years for such criminals and convicted 18 traffickers.

In order to investigate forced labor, the Ministry of Interior founded a new investigation unit in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic had, however, delayed trials and negatively impacted police investigations, which are crucial in the battle against human trafficking.

Atina Fights Human Trafficking in Serbia

Founded in 2004, NGO Atina is committed to fighting human trafficking in Serbia. The organization employs a strategy comprised of five components: victim protection, prevention, social enterprise, capacity strengthening and policymaking/advocacy.

Atina founded the social enterprise Bagel Bejgl as a means of providing girl refugees, migrants and trafficking victims with an opportunity to achieve economic independence. Atina director Marijana Savic said on the NGO’s website that the girls also learned valuable skills while working in the bagel shop to take forward into future employment.

Looking Forward

The Serbian government’s efforts to address human trafficking are a step in the right direction in order to secure a better future for the country’s most vulnerable people. Furthermore, Serbia has seen an improvement in the state of the economy with a GDP growth rate of 7.4% in 2021 in comparison to -0.9% in 2020. A stronger economy may allow the country to provide vulnerable citizens with stronger social safety nets and raise living standards in Serbia. With less poverty, citizens will be less vulnerable to the conditions of modern slavery and forced labor.

– Caterina Rossi
Photo: Flickr

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Human Trafficking in the Maldives

 Human Trafficking in Maldives
The Maldives is a small island nation in the Indian Ocean that is known for its luxurious vacations. Behind its image of pristine waters and resorts, the country fights against the human trafficking of its people and foreigners. Since 2012, when the Maldives became a member of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the government has increased efforts to meet international standards in eliminating human trafficking in the Maldives. In 2013, it built on this initiative by passing a bill that criminalized human trafficking and identified fraudulent recruitment, forced labor and sex trafficking as human trafficking.

Human traffickers in the Maldives target and exploit both domestic and foreign workers. Nearly one-third of the Maldives’ population are migrant workers, mainly from Bangladesh and India, who serve in the construction and service sectors. The fraudulent recruitment of undocumented and documented migrant workers leads to the confiscation of identity and travel documents and debt. These false recruitment agencies work with employers and agents in the Maldives to force migrant workers to work with little to no pay. Other victims of human trafficking include Maldivian children and women. They end up in criminal enterprises in which criminal gangs use them to transport drugs. Maldivian and other South Asian women end up in the Maldives under the false pretense of tourism experience.

The Effects of COVID-19

When COVID-19 hit the Maldives in 2020, the inhumane working conditions and treatment of migrant workers worsened. According to the U.S. Department of State’s 2020 Trafficking In Persons report, there were approximately more than 230,000 migrant workers in the Maldives in 2020. Migrant workers often live in cramped collective living accommodations with limited access to water, sanitation and health care. One of those shared accommodation blocks in the capital of Malé experienced 95 positive COVID-19 cases all at once.

As COVID-19 relief rolled out, the government redirected financial and personnel resources away from anti-trafficking efforts as operations focused on the pandemic. This delayed the prosecution of trafficking crimes and the Maldivian government did not convict any traffickers for the second consecutive year. According to the 2022 Trafficking In Persons Report, 27 recruitment agencies were under investigation by the Maldives Police Service (MPS) and Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). Maldivian authorities are working now with fewer resources due to the pandemic. Hence, foreign and national companies have been called upon to support human rights and stop human trafficking in the Maldives.

A New Action Plan

On March 30, 2020, the Maldives designed the Anti-Human Trafficking National Action Plan to adapt to the reduced resources and accelerate efforts to eliminate human trafficking in the Maldives. The National Anti-Human Trafficking Steering Committee (NAHTSC) oversees the national action plan and focuses on coordinating with the government in its efforts to combat human trafficking. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United States government are both international partners to the NAHTSC. These organizations provided technical assistance and guidance in the formulation of the Anti-Human Trafficking National Action Plan. The action plan’s goal is to achieve three outcomes:

  1. Enhance Anti-Trafficking in Persons Legislation & Policies
  2. Enhance Anti-Trafficking in Persons Sensitization & Awareness
  3. Enhance Anti-Trafficking in Persons Monitoring, Enforcement & Training

Status as of 2022

The U.S. Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking In Persons categorizes the Maldives as a Tier 2 country. This means that although the government is making significant efforts to eliminate trafficking, it still has not met minimum standards. The Government of Maldives’ efforts during the year 2022 includes criminalizing all forms of sex and labor trafficking, increasing prosecutions of government officials and regulating the presence of foreign workers in the Maldives.

The Maldivian government remains dedicated to implementing anti-trafficking and prevention efforts. However, they still have work to do as the number of foreign workers (specifically the Bangladeshi and Indian workers) trafficked to the Maldives remains high. This persists despite a decrease in the number of overall trafficking investigations and zero reported convictions for the second consecutive year. In addition, a shelter for trafficking victims created in 2021 remains inoperable with no official standard operating procedures (SOPs) to refer victims for support and care services.

Moving Forward

In the 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report for the Maldives, the U.S. Department of State laid out recommendations to further reduce human trafficking in the Maldives. Currently, the areas of victim identification and protection remain weak. It recommends establishing a working trafficking victim shelter with consistent protection services and support for foreign victims. Recommendations include anti-trafficking materials and the availability of support in appropriate languages for migrant workers. Other recommendations for 2023 also involve identifying indicators of human trafficking and holding employers and recruitment agencies accountable for labor violations. Some have also asked the government to increase its cooperation with migrant source countries by establishing memoranda of understanding (MOUs) and monitoring resort and guest homes.

The laws that are already in place serve as a solid foundation for increasing preventative, protective and prosecutive measures that the U.S. Department of State recommends. In addition to these laws, the government’s work is also supported by Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) like Mission for Migrant Workers Maldives (MMWM), the first NGO to work exclusively with migrant workers experiencing human-rights violations. With the foundational laws, the incorporation of recommendations and the work of local NGOs, the Maldives can make significant moves toward eliminating human trafficking.

 – Arden Schraff
Photo: Flickr

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Human Trafficking in Montenegro 

Human Trafficking in Montenegro
Montenegro is a country located in the Balkan peninsula. Montenegro has close ties and relations with Serbia. Along with corruption and organized crime, human trafficking is a very common enterprise throughout the country. Due to the frequency of human trafficking in Montenegro, The U.S. Department of State classifies the nation as a Tier 2 country.

Human Trafficking in Montenegro

Because of the prevalence of human trafficking in Montenegro, everyone living there and in surrounding Balkan countries is extremely vulnerable to becoming a victim. Traffickers smuggle people of all genders and ages into Montenegro from nearby Balkan countries. Trafficking victims often become street beggars and forced laborers.

In 2020, the U.S. Department of State identified 48 victims of human trafficking in Montenegro. This is an uptick from the 39 official victims in 2019. Of those 48 victims, at least 46 individuals ended up in forced labor. Of those 46, seven became beggars. Meanwhile, 17 of the 48 victims were female, 31 were male and at least seven were children.

According to the U.S. Embassy in Montenegro, women and girls from Montenegro are more likely to be victims of sex trafficking. In Montenegro, Roma teenagers have often worked as prostitutes and at least a few of them were sex trafficking victims. Boys and men, on the other hand, are more likely to become forced laborers. Since the construction industry is rapidly growing in Montenegro, traffickers are moving more boys and men from foreign countries to work in Montenegro’s booming industry.

Aida Petrovic, the founder and executive director of Montenegro Women’s Lobby – a non-governmental agency that helps to support victims of trafficking in Montenegro – found that traffickers were forcing girls as young as 13 into forced prostitution. These were not isolated findings, however, as Petrovic also found that the majority of the victims of forced prostitution were underaged.

Addressing the Problem

Since the U.S. Department of State ranked Montenegro as a Tier 2 country, many preventive measures have been put into place to address human trafficking in Montenegro. In 2011, the government established a hotline to support victims of human trafficking. In 2020, the support hotline received at least 1,657 phone calls. About five possible victims of human trafficking also made calls to the hotline. Moreover, the Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare opened a new shelter for trafficking victims in 2020. For this new shelter, the Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare allocated $82,860, including $49,080 in operating expenses and up to $310 per month for every victim living at the shelter.

In 2019, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, U.N. Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, introduced new operational strategies in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration to help identify trafficking victims. She also helped develop “guidance on the implementation of the non-punishment of victims” in collaboration with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Lastly, a fund dedicated to compensating victims also underwent establishment.

The Road Ahead

It is imperative that victims of human trafficking receive psychological, financial and medical support for the trauma they have endured. The government of Montenegro is making strides in helping victims and preventing future trafficking, but it still has a long way to go in its fight against human trafficking.

– Yonina Anglin
Photo: Flickr

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UN Solutions to Human Trafficking in Moldova

Human Trafficking in Moldova
Human trafficking in Moldova is a particularly serious issue that corruption and the coronavirus pandemic have worsened. The U.S. State Department assigns different tiers to countries in its 2021 Trafficking in Persons report, with Tier 1 countries being the ones that have been most resistant to human trafficking through prosecution, prevention and protection for victims. Moldova is listed as a Tier 2 country.

Obstacles

Moldova’s classification demonstrates that the nation has taken steps to address the issues of human trafficking while not being entirely compliant with U.S. State Department guidelines. Moldova has begun “prosecuting more suspected traffickers, developing a new national referral mechanism (NRM), open[ed] a center for male trafficking victims, and commence[ed] construction of a center for child victims and witnesses of crime, including trafficking.” However, while human trafficking has been an interest of the Moldovan government, COVID-19 has severely undermined new prosecutorial programs as many state employees are “working remotely” and “In March 2020, the government closed courts and did not reopen them until June 2020.”

Secondly, corruption has been a significant limiting force to prosecutorial and preventative efforts. Specifically, even though government employees had received accusations of complicity in human trafficking, the government did not investigate or prosecute anyone. Unfortunately, Moldova failed to meet various “minimum standards” that the State Department set, as authorities in Moldova have recently “investigated, convicted, and identified fewer trafficking victims overall.”

UN Aid and the Centre

Luckily, the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration (IOM) has taken steps to protect Moldovan human trafficking victims and to aid them in reassembling their lives. Beginning in 2003, the IOM  implemented a “comprehensive Prevention and Protection Programme.” The primary agent of this mission is the Assistance and Protection Centre, which acts as a refuge center for trafficking victims. The Centre offers an incredible array of services to victims of human trafficking in Moldova, including medical, psychological, social, legal and recreational aid.

Personal Stories From the Centre

The IOM also presents a variety of personal stories relating to the Centre and gives examples of how donated funds may help aid victims. For instance, the IOM webpage on the Moldovan Centre relayed the story of Natalia, whose traffickers offered domestic work in Turkey before they kidnapped her and forced her into providing sexual services. The IOM also indicated how funds can help people like Natalia repair their lives, specifically in regard to obtaining copies of documents and relevant records necessary for employment and travel. The IOM also identified how funds can aid victims materially, specifying that “A donation of US $250 will buy clothes and shoes for a victim like Natalia.”

This type of assistance is especially significant considering that many of Moldova’s trafficking victims in the past have been young migrant women lured with fake passports from neighboring regions such as Romania and Ukraine, and the program previously installed to train Moldovan-Ukrainian border checkpoint officials to screen for signs of trafficking ended in 2016. Trafficking victims are not only often victims of poor migration infrastructure but also of prejudice, as “The undocumented or stateless population, including the Romani community,” are especially at risk.

The 2022 Trafficking in Persons report on Moldova concludes that of 312 identified trafficking victims, traffickers trafficked 277 for the purposes of forced labor, and the majority of victims were girls. Despite the limits of Moldovan intervention, the IOM reported fantastic results, claiming that it and the Centre aided 3,403 victims, including 337 children by the end of 2017. This is a noteworthy result as Moldova only reported “341 trafficking victims” in 2019.

Looking Ahead

Evidently, human trafficking in Moldova is a multifaceted issue without simple solutions, however, work that international organizations such as the IOM and its affiliated programs have provided helps victims of human trafficking in Moldova to recover a semblance of stability in their disrupted lives. Corruption and the COVID-19 pandemic have evidently hindered Moldova’s efforts to combat human trafficking, which demonstrates the necessity of international intervention through aid.

– Braden Hampton
Photo: Flickr

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Human Trafficking in Chad

Human Trafficking in Chad
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) defines human trafficking as “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, with the aim of exploiting them for profit.” Incidents of human trafficking are more prevalent in areas enduring high rates of poverty as poverty makes people more susceptible to the lure of trafficking. Human trafficking in Chad, in particular, is a cause of concern due to Chad’s ranking as a Tier 2 Watch List country.

Human Trafficking in Chad

The U.S. Department of State ranks Chad as a Tier 2 Watch List country in 2021 as the nation “does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so.” Due to conflict and instability in surrounding countries, the Department of State said that Chad hosted “approximately 930,000 refugees, internally displaced persons, returnees and asylum seekers as of February 2021.” These groups are particularly susceptible to becoming trafficking victims “based on their economic instability and lack of access to support systems.”

Human trafficking in Chad disproportionately affects women and children. Girls are the most susceptible as some girls are “forced to marry against their will,” making them vulnerable to situations of sexual abuse and “exploitative domestic work.” Human trafficking commonly affects most children in the form of child labor despite government policies attempting to restrict this practice. Based on data from 2019, the Bureau of International Labor Affairs recorded that approximately 45.8% of children ages 5 to 14 engage in child labor in Chad.

Efforts to End Human Trafficking

In 2020, Chad made advancements to end the worst forms of human trafficking. The Government of Chad created a country-wide anti-human trafficking committee to prioritize human trafficking cases. To raise awareness of the issue, the government utilized social media and radio campaigns. The Ministry of Women, Family and National Solidarity, in collaboration with local organizations and a global group, ran “transit centers that served as temporary shelters throughout the country.” These temporary shelters gave “housing, food and education to victims of gender-based violence and other crimes, including potential victims of trafficking,” the Department of State reported.

However, the U.S. State Department reports that the Chadian government “did not report investigating, prosecuting or convicting any confirmed trafficking cases.” The government also did not designate members of the national anti-trafficking committee, leaving the group potentially without authority.

Existing Solutions

Because there are links between human trafficking and poverty, the prevalence of human trafficking in Chad could reduce with efforts to minimize the country’s poverty rate. According to the World Bank, about 43% of Chad’s population lived under the national poverty line in 2018.

Despite a lack of advocacy-based organizations and NGOs, Chad has developed legislation to eliminate human trafficking. The U.S. Department of State reported that “Law 006/PR/2018 on Combatting Trafficking in Persons criminalized sex trafficking and labor trafficking.” Furthermore, “Article 7 of Law 006/PR/2018 prescribed penalties of four to [30]years imprisonment and a fine of 250,000 to 5 million Central African francs.”

Looking Ahead

Chad, weakened by poverty and ineffective government policies, is facing several difficulties when attempting to reduce the presence of human trafficking. Despite this, there is still hope. Through international funding, the government of Chad can receive assistance to take action against human trafficking violations and develop an effective refugee camp system. Overall, Chad has the ability to fight against poverty and human trafficking.

– Sania Patel
Photo: Flickr

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The Fight to End Human Trafficking in Togo

Human Trafficking in TogoBetween Ghana and Benin lies Togo, a small country in West Africa, composed of 41 different ethnic groups. With a current population of 8.8 million, it is estimated that nearly half of Togo’s population falls below 18 years of age. Unfortunately, Togo is also known as a major hub for human trafficking operations, as a source, transit and destination for victims.

Human Trafficking in Togo

Tragically, the western border of the Plateau region is often used by traffickers because it provides easy access to major transportation routes between Lomé and Accra. Reports indicate that most Togolese trafficking victims are children who become subjected to either forced labor or prostitution. NGOs and government officials report that devissime markets, meaning ‘small girls markets’ or ‘child markets’ exist in Lomé and elsewhere in the country.

The trafficking networks in Togo are predominantly community-based and organized loosely by local actors. Often, the traffickers visit rural areas in the north and central regions of Togo. They usually target impoverished families in need of money. Reports indicate that the traffickers promise the parents employment for the children and offer an advanced payment. Then, they transport the minors to Lomé, where the children become immersed in forced labor and sex markets. COVID-19 travel restrictions economically hindered Togolese families in the service and retail sectors, leaving them even more vulnerable to exploitation. As a result, the majority of trafficking victims are children from economically disadvantaged families.

Fighting Human Trafficking in Togo

In recognizing the prevalence of human trafficking across the globe, Congress passed the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000, establishing guidelines and anti-trafficking policies in order to prevent trafficking, protect trafficking victims and prosecute traffickers. Togo is ranked on the Tier 2 watchlist because the government does not meet the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking.

Unfortunately, Togo’s government has not updated its anti-trafficking National Action Plan NAP since 2008. However, in 2020, Togolese officials finalized Togo’s five-year NAP on child labor which partially addresses human trafficking in Togo. Furthermore, the 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report from the U.S Department of State cites that Togolese authorities have prosecuted and convicted more traffickers than in previous years. Togo’s government has also continued an awareness-raising campaign and established a national anti-trafficking committee to coordinate efforts.

Providing Support to Victims

La Conscience, a humanitarian organization, located outside Togo’s capital city of Lomé in Ahépé Kpowla aims to protect human trafficking victims and prevent trafficking from occurring through an integrated service delivery approach. La Conscience provides housing, psychosocial services, educational and financial support and reintegration programs for young human trafficking victims. In order to ensure enrollment in school, La Conscience organizes mobile court hearings with local leaders and judges to obtain birth certificates. The organization also works closely with police and border officers to rescue children that are trafficked. To date, La Conscience’s consistent efforts have helped more than 40,000 people.

The Togolese government’s efforts to combat human trafficking along with nonprofit organizations’ efforts paint a prosperous picture for a future end to human trafficking in Togo.

– Sophie Caldwell
Photo: Flickr

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Efforts to Tackle Human Trafficking in Benin

Human Trafficking in BeninBenin is a country in sub-Saharan Africa bordered by Togo to the west, Burkina Faso and Niger to the north, Nigeria to the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It has a population of 12.12 million. While in the last 25 years, many intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations have made significant progress in fighting human trafficking, it remains a pressing issue in Benin and around the world. Here are the most important facts to know about human trafficking in Benin.

The Facts

The U.S. State Department ranks the Beninese government as tier 2 in its assessment of its anti-human trafficking efforts. It assigns these rankings based on the country’s level of compliance with the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) minimum standards (tier 1 being in compliance, tier 2 out of compliance but making significant efforts to comply, and tier 3 being out of compliance and not demonstrating significant efforts to comply).

Because of insufficient identification and data collection, exact statistics on human trafficking in Benin are unknown. According to the U.S. State Department’s most recent estimate, however, the number of trafficking victims sourced or transported through Benin is 40,000 annually. Additionally, its central location makes it a common transit location in illicit trade routes throughout the region. The U.S. government estimates that criminals traffic 600,000 to 800,000 people annually across borders in West Africa.

Though some human trafficking victims in Benin are not Beninese citizens, the vast majority are. One UNICEF study estimated that 93% of Benin’s trafficking victims are internally sourced. Most trafficking victims in Benin are children. It is common for traffickers to leverage high levels of poverty and illiteracy as a way of coercing parents into sending their children away under the pretense of employment or education opportunities. However, traffickers also often involuntarily detain their victims under threat of violence. Traffickers in West Africa most often use victims for unpaid labor, but it is also common to use victims for sexual exploitation and warfare. UNICEF estimates that 46% of the Beninese youth population work and 86% of trafficking victims are underage girls, indicating a high level of sexual and labor exploitation in Benin.

Solutions and Progress

While human trafficking in Benin is still prevalent, the U.S. State Department reported that the Beninese government is increasing anti-trafficking efforts in the four most recent Trafficking in Persons reports. According to the 2021 report, it increased attempts to identify and protect child trafficking victims and made efforts to prevent trafficking in persons. Additionally, it created a child protection hotline, which provided more than 500 tips regarding child trafficking. Local Beninese people have also been indispensable in combating human trafficking by creating more than 700 “Village Committees” whose “function is to provide ‘social surveillance’ or social control of the activities and movement of the village’s children.”

However, it is crucial to remember the connection between rates of human trafficking and rates of poverty, illiteracy and the absence of adequate parental supervision. Reducing poverty and the amount of crime, and increasing the number of skilled laborers, may improve low-income parents’ abilities to send their children away for school and improve their livelihoods, which could subsequently help eliminate human trafficking. Some NGOs recognize this and are combating human trafficking in Benin by providing education, health care and employment opportunities to Beninese youth.

About Bornefonden

For example, Bornefonden, an NGO that runs Denmark, assists “60,000 children and youth in creating their own future in Togo, Mali, Cape Verde, Burkina Faso and Benin.” Its services include contributing to essential needs in Beninese communities such as constructing schools, facilitating contact between Beninese citizens and health care organizations and constructing wells in villages with water scarcity. Bornefonden’s goal is to provide long-term solutions and operates by “working in a community for a period of 15-20 years, after which all facilities will be handed over to the local authorities and citizens of the local community.” Terres des homes, another NGO operating in Benin, provided just under 1,000 children with vital health care operations in Benin in 2021, including psychological consultation.

Efforts like these, though not explicitly dealing with the issue, are instrumental in decreasing the rate of human trafficking in Benin.

– Xander Heiple
Photo: Flickr

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Human Trafficking in Croatia

Human Trafficking in Croatia
In 2017, the International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated that almost 25 million cases of human trafficking existed across the world. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the most common form of human trafficking is sexual exploitation, mostly among girls and women. Southeastern Europe, which includes countries such as Croatia, Albania and Bulgaria, has a high prevalence of trafficking for purposes of sexual exploitation. In terms of human trafficking in Croatia, the 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report by the U.S. Department of State ranks Croatia as a Tier 2 country, meaning “Croatia does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so.”

The 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report

The government of Croatia created the Independent Monitoring Mechanism (IMM) to oversee the conduct of police authorities at the country’s borders and ensure that human rights are upheld at all times. The IMM “may help potential victims self-identify to authorities and reduce future opportunities for traffickers to exploit migrants and asylum-seekers,” the TIP 2022 report said.

However, Croatia had inadequate screening processes in place for undocumented migrants and asylum seekers. A few judges also required several testimonies from trafficking victims, leading to re-traumatization. Furthermore, the legal system charged some traffickers with less serious crimes.

Preventative Measures

The Croatian government has taken a series of steps to raise awareness of human trafficking and increase prevention measures.

  • Holding monthly virtual meetings to oversee the implementation of Croatia’s 2018-2021 national action plan (NAP) to combat trafficking.
  • Hosting awareness campaigns in high-risk areas and targeting at-risk groups.
  • Running an anti-trafficking hotline that received 678 phone calls, which led to six human trafficking investigations.
  • Croatia prompted labor inspectors to conduct inspections in several fields of work to ensure there are no legal infringements.
  • The law mandates that employers cannot charge recruitment fees to workers and implements fines in this regard.
  • Labor inspectors in Croatia are able to issue fines or impose criminal charges against employers who withhold salaries from workers.

The U.S. Department of State indicated that although efforts supporting the elimination of trafficking have increased, the government still falls short of meeting the minimum standards.

From the Perspective of Croatia’s Youth

The majority of the victims experiencing human trafficking in Croatia are women and children. Adolescents are susceptible to trafficking due to their vulnerabilities and lack of knowledge. A study led by Zora Raboteg-Šarić and others in 2007 utilized a survey to test the human trafficking knowledge of 950 students.

The results differed between different parts of the country. Students from larger towns had more knowledge of human trafficking than those from smaller towns. Slightly more than 50% of respondents believed that human trafficking in Croatia is not a major concern. Females and older students generally see human trafficking in Croatia as a more serious issue than males and younger students.

On the Right Track

Despite several setbacks in reducing human trafficking in Croatia, the Croatian government has made several efforts to improve. With commitments to raising awareness and supporting preventative efforts, the prevalence of human trafficking in Croatia can reduce.

– Madison Stivala
Photo: Unsplash

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Human Trafficking in Tajikistan

Human Trafficking in Tajikistan
The U.N. Trafficking Protocol defines human trafficking as “the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation.” Human trafficking in Tajikistan is a pertinent issue — The U.S. State Department’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report of 2021 lists Tajikistan as a Tier 2 country, joining the ranks of Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone and Panama.

Tajikistan’s TIP Ranking

A Tier 2 ranking means “Tajikistan does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, but it is making significant efforts to do so.”

The TIP 2021 report highlights that instances of human trafficking in Tajikistan itself are less common. Rather, traffickers exploit Tajikastini people who have migrated to other countries for financial reasons. In particular, “Labor traffickers exploit Tajikistani men and women in agriculture and construction primarily in Russia, UAE, Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia, as well as in other neighboring Central Asian countries, Turkey and Afghanistan,” the report said.

Additionally, women who lost their husbands to armed conflict and are struggling for money are more vulnerable to “coercive local marriages” containing elements of forced labor or sex trafficking. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread job losses and income cuts, exacerbating the financial stability of Tajikistani families and making them more vulnerable to the lure of traffickers.

In the 2021 report, Tajikistani “authorities identified 24 trafficking victims during the reporting period, compared with 53 in 2019.” However, authorities did not supply “information on victims’ nationalities, genders, ages, locations or types of exploitation.”

In terms of prevention efforts, while the government ran a 24-hour trafficking hotline for victims, the government did not note the number of phone calls that led to trafficking victim identifications.

In previous years, the police force has used a registry of names of sexual minorities to blackmail these individuals into “sex trafficking and forced informant roles.” While same-sex relationships are legal in Tajikistan, sexual minorities face discrimination and stigma from both the authorities and the public. Tajikistan created an “official list” of LGBTQI+ citizens in 2017.

The TIP report says that the government of Tajikistan has achieved “a significant increase in trafficking convictions” as well as provided “shelter to more victims than the previous year.” However, the report also highlights “allegations of possible official complicity in some localities” but Tajikistan did not report any investigations or arrests regarding the matter.

Creating Change

The report recommends creating “standard operating procedures for identifying trafficking victims and referring them to care.” It also encourages the government of Tajikistan to focus on vulnerable groups at risk of trafficking such as “LGBTQI+ individuals [and]foreign and returned Tajikistani migrant workers,” among others.

U.N. human rights expert Siobhán Mullally recommended that the Tajikistan government increase protections for refugees from Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. Mullally also says the nation must address the stigma and discrimination that female sex trafficking victims face when seeking help.

The government should also provide financial support to female-headed households and female informal workers as these groups are more susceptible to trafficking due to their generally impoverished economic circumstances.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) plays an important role in combating human trafficking in Tajikistan. In 2019, one day before World Anti-Trafficking Day (July 30), the IOM held a national youth debate tournament centering around human trafficking. This aims to raise awareness of human trafficking in Tajikistan. In 2019, the IOM also gave “direct assistance” to 17 human trafficking victims in Tajikistan and “prevented eight other cases of potential trafficking.”

While Tajikistan is progressing in the right direction in terms of efforts to reduce human trafficking, the government must make more concerted efforts to provide greater support to the most vulnerable groups.

– Priya Maiti
Photo: Flickr

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Everything You Need to Know About Human Trafficking in Kazakhstan

Human Trafficking in KazakhstanAccording to the 2021 U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report on Kazakhstan, the country currently has a tier two trafficking rating. However, the government has shown a fair amount of effort in combating domestic and international human trafficking in Kazakhstan, working alongside non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The Initial Abduction

All groups are at risk regardless of gender or age. Forced sex work, labor, coercion into criminal behavior and child adoption are the primary motivators for human trafficking in Kazakhstan, and the strategies these traffickers use are very organized. Strangers, acquaintances, friends, lovers, employers or family can be responsible for luring victims. Traffickers often lure victims in rural areas to large cities with promises of employment, only to deceive them once they reach their destination.

The offer of waitressing, modeling, or nanny work in the city for women and young girls is a ploy many sex traffickers will use before forcing them into commercial sexual exploitation.

Traffickers often coerce vulnerable men and women into labor and export them to countries like Russia and Brazil. Additionally, some adults and children perform criminal activities for their traffickers. At-risk children who do not end up in forced labor or sex work beg on the streets or are “sold” for adoption in other countries.

Amendments to Increase Criminal Penalties

An essential first step to combating human trafficking in Kazakhstan was the rescindment of article 68 of the criminal code which “allowed defendants to pursue settlements by paying monetary compensation to the victim in exchange for having the criminal case withdrawn.” In addition, laws at this time did not see aggravated circumstances such as force, fraud or coercion as significant elements in human trafficking.

With the implementation of six new articles to the penal code that criminalized sex trafficking and labor trafficking, human trafficking offenders now face more severe penalties. Human traffickers can face four to seven years in prison for adult trafficking, five to nine for child trafficking and five to seven years for related crimes. These penalties could increase to 18 years in prison, depending on the aggravated circumstances.

Improved Case Investigations

According to the U.S. Department of State, police in Kazakhstan evaluated 72 cases of human trafficking and continued to investigate 23 open cases in 2020. The government prosecuted 45 investigated cases in 2020, convicting 11 traffickers. There has been a lack of labor trafficking convictions, but the Kazakhstani government held three traffickers responsible for their labor crimes for the first time in three years. Overall, this represents progress in addressing human trafficking compared to 2019 when police investigated 45 human trafficking cases.

The Kazakhstani police have recently examined the organized crime activity of a transnational trafficking organization. Working with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, police forensics were able to link eight individuals who may be responsible for the trafficking of a group of Kazakhstani women to Bahrain. Additionally, police implemented “Stop Trafficking” operations to investigate human trafficking and close down commercial sex businesses and organizations such as brothels or pimps over a few days.

Developed Victim Identification Guidelines and Training

The Kazakhstani government has worked to strengthen their teams with guidelines and victim identification training. The Ministry of Internal Affairs Trafficking in Persons Training Center worked with 168 police officers regarding the investigation approaches to human trafficking cases in 2020. Police officers, judges, prosecutors and labor inspectors received training to identify and effectively persecute labor trafficking cases. Attorneys received training on proper legal protocol when assisting human trafficking victims. Labor inspectors’ responsibilities extended to include mandated reporting of identified victims of human trafficking to law enforcement. The government funded this training, whereas NGOs partially funded previous years’ training programs. The government administered training online due to the coronavirus pandemic.

NGOs’ Contribution

NGOs working to stop human trafficking in Kazakhstan believe the government must address the problem within the system. There are rarely investigations into government officials or police officers suspected of collusion with human traffickers. NGOs reported that traffickers would bribe officials to avoid persecution for their crimes, and some officials would facilitate labor and trafficking organizations.

NGOs play an essential role in the fight against human trafficking in Kazakhstan as they work to increase awareness of the issue. Organizations, such as the Sana Sezim Center, provide shelter, food and transportation for those who have escaped trafficking situations. The Sana Sezim Center has helped 208 victims of human trafficking find legal counsel through its “Safe Migration in Central Asia” program. Another NGO, Zhan Zholdas, offers psychological and medical help and safe sex education. Zabota, the Legal Center of Women’s Initiatives and Megapolise are a few other NGOs fighting human trafficking in Kazakhstan.

Looking Ahead

In July 2022, the Kazakhstani Ministry of Internal Affairs stated that a draft anti-trafficking law would be in development in April 2023. The government revisits and updates anti-trafficking prevention and response procedures every three years in an effort to be more proactive when it comes to tackling human trafficking in Kazakhstan.

– Mikada Green
Photo: Unsplash