TRAFFICKING IN WOMEN: A FORM OF SLAVERY

On 19 June 2000, the IHF published the 84-page report entitled "A Form of Slavery: Trafficking in Women in OSCE Member States," prepared for the OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting on Trafficking in Human Beings. The report deals, among other things, with national legislation and government policies – or, as is often the case, the lack of them – against trafficking in women; factors that contribute to and determine the reality of trafficking; and available support services. It covers 29 post-communist countries and is based on a survey carried out within the framework of the IHF "Project to Investigate the Status of Women’s Human Rights" carried out in cooperation with Helsinki Committees and other local non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Trafficking is the cross-border sale of a person, against his or her will, for the purpose of sexual or other exploitation; it leaves victims in a condition of slavery because they are forced into prostitution or other activities and deprived of the freedom to change. In numerous OSCE States, prices paid for women in this state of bondage range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. In many cases, legal systems and local authorities offer no protection or redress to these victims. Although no statistics are available, research by the IHF shows that many thousands of women live under such circumstances.

"Trafficking in women is a new terminology for an old practice that most often represents a form of slavery," said Renate Weber, head of the IHF women’s rights project. "Intergovernmental institutions, and most of their member states, are embarrassed and concerned that it is one of the world’s most profitable businesses decades after respect for human dignity was declared one of the main objectives of the United Nations."

Some states consider trafficking in women as simply a benign or more aggressive form of prostitution, thus disregarding the nature of the problem and the threat it represents. But despite international instruments aimed at stopping trafficking in human beings, numerous states have not taken appropriate measures to deal with the problem. Trafficking in women is not only an intolerable practice that deprives individuals of their freedom, but it also degrades all the countries of origin, transit and destination. It is a major factor in increasing irregular and illegal migration, and is connected to international organized crime, money laundering and other forms of criminality.

The main factors that lead women to fall victim to trafficking include: poverty, unemployment, weakening social security networks following the fall of communism, the decline of traditional family life, and hopes for better work and a better life abroad.

The principal recruiting methods include promises of marriage, well-paid jobs and better living conditions, but many women become victims through physical and psychological violence or pressure by criminal groups that keep the victims in bondage abroad, removing their passports and other documents. In some cases, corrupt policemen and other authorities facilitate this process.

Some examples from the report:

Because of its geographical location, Albania is a country of origin, transit and destination. Criminal groups, comprised of Albanian and foreign criminals, often traffic Albanian girls into Greece or Italy. At the same time, Albania is used as a transit country for women transported from other countries such as Moldova and Bulgaria to Italy or East European countries.

As in many other countries under review, trafficking in women in Bulgaria is not prosecuted as a separate offence in the Criminal Code (1968) and the law does not define it as a special offence. This means that there is still no legal concept of the phenomenon of trafficking in women and its high social peril. According to a 1999/2000 survey, the main factors contributing to trafficking are the lack of choices in life for young women and the marginalization of women as a social group. For these reasons, 32 percent of the respondents expressed a desire and intention to look for a job abroad.

In Greece, the people involved in trafficking in women belong to the lower socio-economic class and their income usually comes solely or mainly from this form of crime. Police officers are often bribed to "look the other way" or even participate more actively. Most of the perpetrators are Greek men who cooperate with foreigners, while most of the victims are foreign women. The offender and the victim often have a close personal relationship. As a rule, very few cases reach the courts: victims do not prosecute either because they are afraid or because they have no residence documents.

In Kazakhstan, little chance for employment (for every 100 unemployed men there are over 160 unemployed women), low salaries (U.S.$15 a month) for those who have a job, and the gradual elimination of social protection services previously offered by the state are the main factors that lead women to participate in migration more actively and, at the same time, become victim of trafficking.

In Uzbekistan, trafficking in and violence against women do not officially exist and have thus not even been recognized as problems. But hundreds of girls and young women are sent abroad illegally (officially as tourists). They are promised employment as nannies, governesses, tutors, etc., but most of them are forced into prostitution instead. No one bothers to notify law enforcement bodies or public organizations and no judicial proceedings are initiated.

Kosovo mainly receives trafficked women, but it is also apparently a transit zone. Informants claim that women refugees have been kidnapped from refugee camps, especially on the Albanian side of the border. The presence of a large international community of sex purchasers contributes to the increase in the number of establishments that are involved in trafficking women and girls into forced prostitution.

In Latvia, serious work against trafficking has been hampered by the inadequate response of law enforcement agencies over the last few years. Despite a highly debated pedophile scandal, no funding for a special police that would deal with prostitution and trafficking in women was allocated in the 2000 national budget. Some governmental and non-governmental sources attributed it to a lack of understanding among MPs about the serious nature of trafficking. At the end of March, a decision was made in Parliament to support the re-establishment of the Vice Squad and the creation of 21 police officer posts to start working from June or July 2000 on trafficking cases.

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Source: IHF

For more information please contact the IHF, Nicole Watson, tel. +43-1-408-8822-32, e-mail

watson@ihf-hr.org; or Renate Weber (Women’s Project Director), tel. +40-1-312 7052, e-mail rweber@buc.osf.ro