From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Mon Feb 11 2002 - 09:34:43 EST
Trafficking in women is a problem for Tajikistan - paper
Every year, thousands of Tajik women, who want to earn good money abroad and
so help their families, become enmeshed in the criminal business of
trafficking in women, the Tajik newspaper Leninabadskaya Pravda reported on
9 February.
"The trafficking in women and girls from Tajikistan for sexual exploitation
is currently a problem. There are cases in which some employment agencies,
'offering good jobs abroad', actually buy young women in order to sell them
to foreign partners as prostitutes. These young women are turned into sex
slaves once they arrive in another country. The new 'owners' take their
passports away to prevent them from escaping. The women are raped, beaten
and starved. Some women are paid for their sex services, others are given a
chance to buy their freedom, while some are not paid at all," the report
said, without giving any figures.
"For criminals, trading in women is less dangerous than selling weapons or
drugs. Moreover, it is a trade that is much more profitable, since a woman
can be sold several times. Fighting this criminal business is no easy task.
Imprisoning criminals is difficult because such crimes are committed in
different countries," the newspaper added.
Source: Leninabadskaya Pravda, Khujand, in Russian 9 Feb 02, p5
BBC Mon CAU 090202 kr/uu
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