2007 Trafficking in Persons Report - Center for Women Policy Studies

to Belarusian law, if government assistance were
provided to a victim, it would be immediately
terminated if that victim did not assist law enforcement
in trafficking investigations and prosecutions.
The government does not punish victims for crimes
committed as a direct result of being trafficked.
Prevention
The Government of Belarus continued its efforts
to raise public awareness and prevent trafficking
in 2006. While government officials spoke out
against trafficking in international fora and state-run
media continued to run anti-trafficking programs,
the government continued to rely most heavily on
NGOs and international organizations to carry out
its prevention activities.
BELGIUM (Tier 1)
Belgium is a transit and destination country for
men, women and girls trafficked for the purposes
of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation.
Trafficking for sexual exploitation is more prevalent
than labor trafficking and the majority of victims
are young women. Women and girls are trafficked
for sexual exploitation to Belgium primarily from
Nigeria, Albania, Bulgaria, Romania and People’s
Republic of China, and through Belgium to other
European countries, such as the United Kingdom.
Male victims are trafficked to Belgium for exploitative
labor in restaurants, bars, sweatshops and
construction sites. Increasingly, traffickers also force
victims to beg in Belgium. In 2006, victim shelters
in Belgium reported an increase in male victims and
victims trafficked for forced labor.
The Government of Belgium fully complies with
the minimum standards for the elimination of
trafficking. The government continued its aggressive
law enforcement approach and financed NGOs to
provide victim assistance. Belgium expanded legal
protections for victims in 2006. To further strengthen
its response to trafficking, Belgium should consider
allowing all victims who assist with law enforcement
efforts against their traffickers to obtain residency
status, regardless of the outcome of the prosecution.
The government should also increase awareness-raising
initiatives and improve efforts to collect precise
trafficking law enforcement data.
Prosecution
The Belgian government continued to make
substantial efforts to combat trafficking through
law enforcement. Belgium prohibits all forms of
trafficking through its 2005 amendment to its 1995
Act Containing Measures to Repress Trafficking in
Persons. The law was strengthened in 2005 to meet
international standards, to prohibit child sex tourism
and forced begging, and to improve victim protection.
The law’s maximum prescribed sentence for
all forms of trafficking, five years’ imprisonment, is
sufficiently stringent but less severe than penalties
prescribed for rape. In 2006, authorities investigated
451 trafficking cases, prosecuting and convicting
at least 45 traffickers, who received sentences from
1 to 10 years’ imprisonment, with an average of 3
to 5 years. Belgian authorities enforce strict regulations
on the employment of foreigners as au pairs,
entertainers, and interns to combat labor violations.
To combat trafficking, special ID cards are issued to
diplomatic household personnel, whose employers
can be tried in Belgium’s system of Labor Courts.
Protection
The government continued to demonstrate strong
efforts to provide care for trafficking victims during
the year. Three local NGOs that rely largely on
federal and regional government funding continued
to provide victims with care. In 2006, these three
NGOs assisted a combined 445 victims. However,
the overall number of assisted victims decreased
in 2006, with many victims of labor trafficking
opting to find new jobs instead of accepting public
assistance. The government also provides specific
shelters for juveniles and victims at particular risk of
harm by their traffickers. Police and customs officials
continued to monitor motorways, airports, and
seaports for trafficking victims. In 2006, lawmakers
revised the 1980 Immigration Act to encourage
victims to participate in trafficking investigations and
prosecutions by providing short-term resident status
to trafficking victims who assist authorities. Such
victims may also obtain permanent residency after
their traffickers are sentenced. If the trafficker is not
convicted, however, Belgian law provides that victims
may have to return to their countries of origin under
certain limited circumstances, and only after rigorous
review by immigration authorities. In practice, no
one has ever been forced to return after a failure to
convict a trafficker. Victims are not inappropriately
incarcerated, fined, or penalized for unlawful acts as
a direct result of being trafficked.
Prevention
Belgium demonstrated modest efforts to raise
awareness about trafficking during the year.
Government agencies continued to maintain agency
Web sites providing information on trafficking
and directing victims toward relief centers. A new
awareness campaign funded by federal and regional
authorities and sponsored by Child Focus and other
activist organizations was started in February 2007.
B E L G I U M
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