Trafficking in Human Beings in Southeastern Europe - Iom

Trafficking in Human Beingsin Southeastern EuropeFormer YugoslavRepublic ofMacedoniaFormerYugoslavRepublic ofMacedonia1. OverviewAs with other countries in the region, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia(FYR Macedonia) reports an increase in the trafficking of and presenceof foreign women in the country. The problem has been exacerbated over thepast seven years by the transition from a communist system, the Kosovo crisis,an increase in organised crime and a breakdown in border controlthroughout Eastern Europe. An increased international presence has also beenlinked to the increase in prostitution and trafficking, particularly in touristareas such as Ohrid and Struga. However, the police report that the sex marketis still mainly domestic.Since March 2001, armed conflict with the Albanian National Liberation Army(UCK) in the west of the country and the ensuing political crisis has haltedactions against trafficking and made it virtually impossible to obtain informationfrom western FYR Macedonia. As most of the trafficking is taking place inthat part of the country - the area of most unrest and conflict – up to dateinformation on trafficking does not exist at the time of writing this report.Apart from Tetovo and Gostivar, a police presence has not been restored inwestern FYR Macedonia.1.1. Migration, prostitution and traffickingFYR Macedonia is recognised as a transit and destination country for traffickingin women and girls for forced prostitution, particularly in the tourist areasof Struga and Ohrid in the south, and the predominantly Albanian towns ofTetova and Gostivar in the west. This situation has arisen partly as a result ofthe comparative ease with which tourists can enter FYR Macedonia comparedto West European countries, and partly as a result of the presence of a greatnumber of foreign soldiers from UNPREDEP, UNPROFOR, KFOR and other foreignmissions. 117Women enter FYR Macedonia legally or illegally from Serbia (area ofKumanovo, part of Kosovo and the area of Tetovo) and Bulgaria (Kriva,Palanka, Delcevo and Strumica). The illegal channels to exit FYR Macedoniaare from Dojran and Gevgelija to Greece, and from the area of Struga to Albania.The women are coming mainly from the Republic of Moldova, Romaniaand Ukraine. The number of Bulgarian women has decreased and it isexpected to become even smaller with the introduction of a Shengen visa 118for Bulgaria. Because of the change in the situation in Kosovo – new legislationon trafficking, raids on clubs and more police actions against traffickers –there is reportedly a new pattern emerging of removing trafficked womenfrom Kosovo to FYR Macedonia.117.UNPREDEP-United Nations Preventive Deployment and UNPROFOR - United NationsProtection Force; two missions present in FYR Macedonia until 1999, when KFOR- KosovoForce - arrived in Kosovo and Macedonia.118.Visas which permit entry to all the countries of the European Union which signed theShengen Agreement.107