2007 Trafficking in Persons Report - Center for Women Policy Studies

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I N T R O D U C T I O N The Plight of the Burmese Trafficking research around the world has identified populations that are vulnerable to trafficking based on gender, age, and economic conditions. Research has also identified particular ethnic groups or sub-populations within a country that are prone to being trafficked. One that stands out in terms of magnitude and severity is the plight of the Burmese. Burmese girls and women, particularly those from ethnic minorities in the border regions of the country, have been leaving Burma in the hopes of economic opportunities in neighboring countries since the early 1990s. With economic conditions in Burma worsening, this trend has continued and now ethnic Burman females appear to be trafficked in significant numbers both within the country and to neighboring countries. 34 Within Burma, men and women of ethnic groups face forced labor at the hands of the ruling military regime, which is responsible for a significant share of the 2,186,000 victims of stateimposed forced labor in the Asia-Pacific region, as estimated by the ILO in 2005. Pushed by this reality and sustained poor economic conditions in Burma, over a million Burmese have fled in search of better lives. 400,000 Burmese men and women sought low-skilled work in neighboring Thailand; NGOs believe up to 100,000 undocumented Burmese adults work in the Thai seafood and fishing industry alone. From research done in 2006 by the ILO, a significant share of these Burmese migrant workers are exploited in conditions of servitude. Similarly, reports have surfaced of Burmese subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude in construction, agriculture, fishing, and domestic work sectors in countries throughout the region. To date, government policies on refugees and migrant workers have failed to address the needs of Burmese trafficking victims. The UN Protocol on TIP calls on governments to protect foreign victims of trafficking, including legal alternatives to the removal of these victims to countries where they face hardship or retribution. While the hardship and retribution Burmese victims face if they were returned to Burma is readily apparent, no government has granted Burmese trafficking victims long-term residency. Greater government efforts need to be made to protect this highly vulnerable group of victims. l
HIV/AIDS and Trafficking in Persons Approximately 42 million people worldwide are living with HIV/AIDS and sex trafficking plays a major role in spreading the epidemic. The 2005 UNAIDS report states that “across Asia, the [HIV] epidemics are propelled by combinations of injecting drug use and commercial sex.” Thus, both prostitution and sex trafficking contribute to the spread of HIV/AIDS. Globally, women in prostitution and those who have been trafficked for prostitution have a high incidence of HIV. For example, HIV prevalence among women prostituted in Nepal is 20 percent. In South Africa, the number reaches 70.4 percent. Furthermore, according to the World Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, between “50 and 90 percent of children rescued from brothels in Southeast Asia are infected with HIV.” The U.S. Government has strong policies to combat HIV/AIDS and human trafficking. In 2006, the President’s Interagency Task Force To Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons reaffirmed the Administration’s commitment to fighting both. The U.S. Government promotes the rescue and care of victims and seeks to ameliorate the harm suffered by men, women, and children used in prostitution. U.S. law encourages appropriate treatment and care for those trafficked into prostitution as well as those who escape servitude. The U.S. Government is the largest funder in the world of vital HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. The Many Causes of Trafficking: Supply and Demand The causes of human trafficking are complex and often reinforce each other. The supply of victims is encouraged by many factors, including poverty, the attraction of perceived higher standards of living elsewhere, lack of employment opportunities, public and private corruption, organized crime, violence against women and children, discrimination against women, political instability, and armed conflict. In some societies a tradition of fostering allows a younger child to be sent to live and work in an urban center with a member of the extended family, in exchange for a promise of education and instruction in a trade. Taking advantage of this tradition, traffickers often position themselves as employment agents, inducing parents to part with a child, but then traffic the child into prostitution, domestic servitude, or a commercial enterprise. In the end, the family receives few if any wage remittances, the child remains unschooled and untrained and separated from his or her family, and the hoped-for educational and economic opportunities never materialize. “I did not even ask where I was going. I was promised a job and money for food. I was sure I was getting away from trouble. I even thought that I’d make some money, return home and help everyone, including my father.” — Ana, a victim of trafficking, who after running away from home to escape her father’s beatings, was trafficked into Poland and forced to beg on the streets. Demand for cheap labor and for prostituted women, girls, and boys is the primary “pull” factor. Customers for the products of forced labor are often completely ignorant of their involvement with slavery. Sex buyers are far more complicit in the victimization of sex trafficking victims, and thus are logical targets for education on the link between prostitution and human trafficking. Sex tourism and child pornography have become worldwide industries, facilitated by technologies such as the Internet, which vastly expand the choices available to pedophiles and permit instant and nearly undetectable transactions. [See Box on p. 23] Trafficking is also driven by the global demand for cheap, vulnerable, and illegal labor. For example, there is great demand in some prosperous countries of Asia and the Middle East for domestic servants who sometimes fall victim to exploitation or involuntary servitude. I N T R O D U C T I O N 35
Page 1 and 2: Trafficking in Persons Report June
Page 3: Dear Reader: Two hundred years ago,
Page 6 and 7: VICTIM PROFILES The victims’ test
Page 8 and 9: I N T R O D U C T I O N “There re
Page 10 and 11: I N T R O D U C T I O N INDIA Forc
Page 12 and 13: I N T R O D U C T I O N A Western m
Page 14 and 15: I N T R O D U C T I O N To compile
Page 16 and 17: I N T R O D U C T I O N KENYA/ GERM
Page 18 and 19: I N T R O D U C T I O N “Human tr
Page 20 and 21: I N T R O D U C T I O N 18 NIGERIA/
Page 22 and 23: I N T R O D U C T I O N Criminal Pu
Page 24 and 25: I N T R O D U C T I O N Confiscatio
Page 26 and 27: I N T R O D U C T I O N Kyrgyz Repu
Page 28 and 29: I N T R O D U C T I O N UKRAINE/ IT
Page 30 and 31: I N T R O D U C T I O N Children Ex
Page 32 and 33: I N T R O D U C T I O N POLICY APPR
Page 34 and 35: I N T R O D U C T I O N Products Ma
Page 38 and 39: GLOBAL LAW ENFORCEMENT DATA I N T R
Page 40 and 41: C O M M E N D A B L E I N I T I AT
Page 42 and 43: H E R O E S A C T I N G T O E N D M
Page 44 and 45: T I E R P L A C E M E N T S TIER PL
Page 46 and 47: C O U N T R Y M A P S CHINA MONGOLI
Page 48 and 49: C O U N T R Y M A P S MOROCCO TUNIS
Page 50 and 51: C O U N T R Y M A P S CANADA U. S.
Page 52 and 53: 50 COUNTRY NARRATIVES
Page 54 and 55: A L G E R I A 52 trafficked onward
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Page 58 and 59: A R M E N I A 56 ARMENIA (Tier 2 Wa
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Page 62 and 63: B A H R A I N 60 BAHRAIN (Tier 3) B
Page 64 and 65: B E L A R U S 62 no efforts to prot
Page 66 and 67: B E L I Z E / B E N I N 64 BELIZE (
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Page 70 and 71: B R A Z I L 68 remained lacking. In
Page 72 and 73: B U R K I N A F A S O 70 ing invest
Page 74 and 75: B U R U N D I 72 trials lacking tra
Page 76 and 77: C A M B O D I A success in combatin
Page 78 and 79: C A N A D A 76 CANADA (Tier 1) Cana
Page 80 and 81: C H A D 78 tion, the government als
Page 82 and 83: C H I N A 80 CHINA (Tier 2 Watch Li
Page 84 and 85: C O S TA R I C A 82 The Government
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C R O AT I A 84 and girls are traff
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C Y P R U S 86 American tourists ev
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C Z E C H R E P U B L I C 88 convic
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D E N M A R K 90 including child so
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D O M I N I C A N R E P U B L I C 9
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E C U A D O R abandonment process,
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E L S A LV A D O R to assist in inv
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E T H I O P I A 98 trafficking; how
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F I N L A N D 100 and subsequent co
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G A B O N 102 Prosecution The Gover
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G E O R G I A 104 should: increase
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G H A N A 106 in red light district
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G U AT E M A L A 108 The Government
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G U I N E A - B I S S A U 110 servi
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H O N D U R A S 112 particularly in
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H U N G A R Y 114 ficking. Sex traf
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I N D I A significant problem. Over
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I N D O N E S I A Though states hav
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I R A N medical clinic in its shelt
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I TA LY 122 Prior to passing the ne
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J A P A N 124 Prosecution The Gover
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J O R D A N 126 ing efforts in Thai
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K E N Y A 128 victims to NGOs. In 2
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K U W A I T 130 Equality and Family
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K Y R G Y Z R E P U B L I C / L A O
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L E B A N O N 134 of commercial sex
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L I B Y A 136 suspected trafficker
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L U X E M B O U R G approximately 7
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m a c e d o n i a 140 countries whe
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M A L A W I 142 20 children were se
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M A L I 144 establish a government-
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M A U R I TA N I A 146 The Governme
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M E X I C O 148 15 years’ impriso
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M O L D O V A 150 ing victims, Mexi
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M O N T E N E G R O 152 announced p
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M O Z M B I Q U E 154 result, poten
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T H E N E T H E R L A N D S Protect
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N I C A R A G U A 158 Reform Act fo
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N I G E R I A 160 ing, Niger should
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N O R W A Y 162 The D.P.R.K. regime
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P A K I S TA N 164 anti-trafficking
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P A P U A N E W G U I N E A Protect
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P H I L I P P I N E S 168 The Gover
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P O L A N D 170 referred victims to
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Q ATA R 172 the first government-fu
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R U S S I A 174 to systematically t
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S A U D I A R A B I A 176 governmen
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S E N E G A L 178 removal to countr
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S E R B I A 180 Protection The gove
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S I N G A P O R E 182 investigation
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S L O V E N I A / S O U T H A F R I
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S P A I N 186 Protection Government
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S U D A N 188 in trafficking. There
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S W E D E N 190 The Government of S
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S Y R I A 192 Protection The govern
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TA J I K I S TA N 194 of traffickin
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TA N Z A N I A The Government of Ta
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T O G O 198 has further drawn finan
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U G A N D A 200 complicit in traffi
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U K R A I N E 202 trafficking; howe
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U N I T E D K I N G D O M 204 tempo
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U Z B E K I S TA N UZBEKISTAN (Tier
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V I E T N A M job service centers a
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Z A M B I A 210 months’ to three
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Z I M B A B W E cases against traff
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A new public awareness campaign lau
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S P E C I A L C A S E S Government
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S P E C I A L C A S E S The Governm
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S P E C I A L C A S E S 220 Unlike
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S P E C I A L C A S E S country. Tu
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R E L E V A N T I N T E R N AT I O
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R E L E V A N T I N T E R N AT I O
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T R A F F I C K I N G V I C T I M S
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I n t e r n at i o n a l P e a c e
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I n t e r n at i o n a l P e a c e
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G L O S S A R Y GLOSSARY OF ACRONYM
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Hagar Foundation provides day-care
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2007 Trafficking in Persons Report - Center for Women Policy Studies

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