Trafficking in Human Beings in Southeastern Europe - Iom

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Trafficking in Human Beingsin Southeastern EuropeIntroductionand OverviewIn conclusion, while poor economic conditions and the uncertain social andpolitical situation of the countries in transition are the main factors persuadingmigrants to seek a better life abroad, restrictive migration regimes combinedwith discrimination against women, lack of even basic economic resources andlack of information about and exposure to the West, are additional factorsmaking women and girls vulnerable to trafficking.7. Prostitution and traffickingTrafficking of women and girls for the sex industry is a significant part of traffickingin human beings. In the Balkans, due to the difficult economic situationand lack of employment, the sex industry is the only known area of work forwomen and adolescent girls trafficked from other countries.Women who work in the sex industry in their home country are much morevulnerable to being trafficked. Some of the women working as prostitutesdecide voluntarily to migrate and work abroad but the majority are trafficked.The prostitution markets in Bulgaria, Moldova and Romania have a similar pattern;local prostitution is controlled almost entirely by pimps and is based ona system of internal trafficking. Prostitution is located in big cities, in coastalresorts during the summer, and in border areas. Women working in the sexindustry in these areas come from the poorest parts of their countries. Theywork for pimps, are moved from place to place, sold to other pimps or kidnappedby them. In the process, some are trafficked abroad.The growing market for prostitution is one of the side effects of the progressionfrom conflict to post-conflict and transition in all SEE countries. The internationalmarket for sex services as well as local demand has expanded,particularly in countries where there is a large international presence. Womenfrom the poorer countries in the region provide a constant supply of cheaplabour. There is a well-organised trafficking system, operated by organisedcriminal groups, aided and abetted by corrupt local authorities and a lack oflegal provision against trafficking (or difficulties with the implementation ofthe existing regulations) in most of the countries. Poorly functioning legal andlaw enforcement systems make trafficking less risky for perpetrators in SEEthan in the EU countries, even if not as profitable. This low risk and high profitare combined with a large demand for sexual services, created in part by theinternational community based in the Balkans.Due to political and military instability, the presence of the international community,including the peace keeping forces, the deficient legislation and corruptionat local authority level, the countries of the former Yugoslavia havebecome a very attractive destination for trafficking women and girls into thesex industry. The major countries of destination in SEE are BiH, FRY (particularlythe UN administered Province of Kosovo) and FYR Macedonia. It is interestingto note that Croatia, in which the economic situation is relatively betterand where there is no large international presence, does not appear to be amajor country of origin or destination for trafficked women and children.8Since prostitution is illegal in SEE, except in Bulgaria and FYR Macedonia, thethreat of being exposed as a prostitute, i.e. being involved in an illegal activity,in the country of destination, next to the fear of violence and debt and beingin the country illegally, are the most effective means of control used by thetraffickers. These are also the major reasons why women do not try to contactthe authorities. Corruption of the local police and other authorities and theirlinks with the traffickers is another reason. There is anecdotal informationabout women who after a raid on a sex club in Sarajevo and an arrest, werehanded back to the traffickers by the police, before IOM was informed about
Trafficking in Human Beingsin Southeastern Europethe action. There is also information about Bulgarian border police who firsttook money from women to take them safely back to Bulgaria only to deliverthem back to the traffickers for additional money. Stories about local andinternational police frequenting bars, using the services of women and beingon good terms with the owners and traffickers are legion.Introductionand Overview8. Traffickers and trafficking routesFrom the information gathered from trafficked women, it appears that themajority of traffickers are men. There are, however, a growing number ofwomen, including those who used to work as prostitutes, who travelled abroadseveral times themselves and in the process started recruiting other women.Traffickers work as part of an organised network and are well aware of therisks and gains connected with their activity. There are no reliable estimatesabout the traffickers’ profits, although, reportedly, the price of one woman onthe market in Timisoara, Romania, is approximately US$50-US$200, and theprice in the country of destination will be ten times higher. A study made by aBosnian NGO LARA states that the average monthly income from prostitutionfor the owner of a nightclub that employs five women is US$10,000 minimum.15The trafficking routes run from Moldova, Ukraine and other former SovietRepublics - the main countries of origin - via Romania, which is also one of themajor countries of origin, and Bulgaria to the countries of the former Yugoslavia,Italy, Turkey, Greece and Western Europe. Women usually cross bordersin groups, organised by traffickers, usually using mixed channels, legal andillegal. Corruption of the border police in transit countries, who co-operatewith the traffickers, and indirectly with criminal groups operating at the border,is reportedly commonplace rather than the exception.9. HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections(STIs)Across SEE, trafficking for the purpose of sex work and HIV/AIDS areconnected to a vast number of transition and development issues: conflict;poverty; social inequality; migration; refugee and internally displaced status;gender; domestic violence; labour and employment; legal issues; education;rights and health. As a large number of people in this region are unemployedor living below the poverty line, the population is highly mobile as people seekopportunities to improve their living conditions.There are no estimates about how many trafficked women are currently HIVpositive and how many more are at risk of contracting the disease. At present,awareness on trafficking and vulnerability to HIV/AIDS in the arena of prevention,protection, recovery, repatriation, reintegration, care and support is notpresent either in the countries of origin or destination. There are very feweducation or information campaigns targeting either sex workers or clientsregarding safe sex or harm minimisation for intravenous drug use.The health issues surrounding trafficking and prostitution are at present notreally being acknowledged or addressed. The main areas of concern for traffickedwomen and girls are reproductive and general health, the use of andaccess to barrier and other forms of contraception, access to counselling andsupport on reproductive health, pre- and post-abortion counselling, and theeffects of physical violence and STIs, including HIV/AIDS.15.“Trafficking of Women as organised Crime”, Conference Materials prepared by LARA,Bjielina, 28-29 September, 2001.9
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Trafficking in Human Beings in Southeastern Europe - Iom

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