2007 Trafficking in Persons Report - Center for Women Policy Studies

cases, up from 386 in 2005. The Government of
Moldova did not provide prosecution data for 2006,
however. Convictions were obtained against 71
traffickers in 2006, up from 58 convictions in 2005.
Sentencing data for 2006 was inconclusive.
Protection
The government made no real efforts to improve
victim assistance and protection in 2006, in part
because of its limited resources. Despite implementation
of a referral mechanism in five counties,
most government officials were not proactive
in identifying victims or potential victims, even
when allegations were made. Police did refer some
underage victims who were repatriated from Russia
to NGOs for assistance. All victim assistance and
protection continued to be provided by NGOs and
international organizations and funded by foreign
donors, although the government did provide
limited in-kind support to some NGOs. The
government in 2006 provided a new building for
the IOM-managed and funded rehabilitation center
for trafficking victims. Victims are granted a 30-day
reflection period. Victims generally do not assist law
enforcement with investigations or prosecutions
because the government is largely unable to protect
victims from retaliation by traffickers. Despite a
2005 law to the contrary, victims continued to be
penalized for prostitution or illegal border crossing.
Prevention
Moldova’s efforts to prevent trafficking remained
weak in 2006. The government continued to rely on
NGOs and international organizations to provide
the majority of public awareness and education
campaigns. Officers from CCTIP met with students
and teachers at several schools in Chisinau and
provided interviews to local media during the
reporting period. Some government officials participated
in radio programs discussing trafficking.
MONGOLIA (Tier 2)
Mongolia is a source country for women and men
trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and
forced labor. Trafficking reportedly has increased
in Mongolia over the last few years but remains
difficult to quantify. Most victims do not file police
reports or approach NGOs. Mongolian girls and
women are trafficked to People’s Republic of China,
Macau, and South Korea for commercial sexual
exploitation. A significant number of North Koreans
contract laborers in Mongolia are not free to leave
their employment, raising strong concerns that
their labor is compulsory. Some Mongolian women
who enter into marriages with foreign husbands
— mainly South Koreans — discovered conditions of
involuntary servitude after moving to their husbands’
homeland. Underage girls are trafficked internally for
the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation.
The Government of Mongolia does not fully
comply with the minimum standards for the elimination
of trafficking; however, it is making significant
efforts to do so. Mongolia should increase its
efforts to combat trafficking in persons, particularly
through law enforcement means. The government
should ensure that it has the legal tools to prosecute
all trafficking offenses, including those which occur
through fraud or coercion.
Prosecution
The Government of Mongolia’s anti-trafficking
law enforcement efforts did not improve over the
reporting period. Mongolia appears to prohibit all
forms of trafficking in persons through Section 113
of its criminal code, with prescribed penalties of 10
to 15 years’ imprisonment, which are sufficiently
stringent and commensurate with those for other
grave crimes. Over the last year, the government did
not prosecute any trafficking offenses or convict
any trafficking offenders, a decline from five cases
prosecuted and one trafficker convicted during the
previous year. Twelve cases of trafficking involving
25 victims were investigated by police during
the year. Prosecution efforts are hampered by the
paucity of victims filing police complaints, as well
as by the fact that State prosecutors do not pursue
some cases presented to them by the police. Legal
changes are under consideration that would help
ensure the effective prosecution of trafficking
crimes. While there were reports that some law
enforcement officials may have facilitated trafficking
crimes, there were no documented cases of such
facilitation and no investigations or prosecutions of
officials for complicity in trafficking.
Protection
The Mongolian government sustained efforts to
protect victims of trafficking over the last year.
Although the government does not run or fund
shelters for victims of trafficking, Mongolian
authorities refer identified victims to protection
services provided by NGOs. Victims are encouraged
to participate in the investigation of traffickers.
The government ensures that identified victims
of trafficking are not penalized for unlawful acts
committed as a direct result of being trafficked.
The government continued to provide assistance
to child victims of commercial sexual exploitation,
through a police program that encourages
their re-entry into school. In 2006, the government
M O N G O L I A
151