Trafficking in Human Beings in Southeastern Europe - Iom

Trafficking in Human Beingsin Southeastern EuropeBosnia andHerzegovinaSFOR: Stabilization Force of the Partnership for Peace. This is the internationalmilitary authority in BiH, currently with some 19,000 troops.OSCE: the BiH mission of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation inEurope was established in December 1995 under the Dayton Peace Agreement.The mandate includes promoting democratic values, monitoring and furtheringthe development of human rights, and organising and supervising elections, aswell as implementing arms control and security building measures.1.1. Migration, prostitution and traffickingDuring 1998, the first reports of trafficking in BiH emerged. These were fromNGOs and from IPTF who were beginning to come across isolated cases. IOMcollates and publishes figures for women it assists to return to their countryof origin each month. The figures from the beginning of December 2001 revealthat a total of 440 women and girls had been assisted by IOM since August1999, and 370 had been repatriated to their home country. There was onecase of resettlement in a third country and the rest were awaiting repatriation.The women were predominantly from the Republic of Moldova and Romania,with others from Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, FRY, Kazakhstan and Hungary.About 10 percent were girls from 13 to 18 years old. Although there is strongevidence that BiH is a destination country for trafficking in women for the purposeof sexual exploitation, there is less evidence that it is a transit or sourcecountry, although some such cases have been informally reported by NGOs,the press and IOM.The UN identified 260 nightclubs throughout the country, which they suspectedwere involved in prostitution. Local NGOs, however, estimated thenumber to be as high as 900, with between 4 and 25 women in each nightclub.The turnover is very high; women and girls are frequently moved around frombar to bar, with an average stay in one bar of one to three months.According to NGO estimates, in the Tuzla area for example, there are overseveral dozen bars with 10 to 25 women working in each bar. The price of sexservices in a bar is from 50 KM (US$ 25) upwards. NGOs also estimate thatup to 90 percent of sex workers in bars and nightclubs are foreign. In RS, traffickingin local prostitutes is reported, as local women and girls are sold andmoved from place to place. Local street prostitution also exists in Tuzla and ischeaper – US$10-25 and in the border area, there are local women who sellsex for as little as 5 KM.The same patterns and forms of recruitment used elsewhere in the region arereported by women trafficked in BiH. They are typically lured into prostitutionthrough promises of work as a barmaid, dancer or housekeeper. The mainroute into BiH is through Serbia and into RS. Border control is weak and corruptionat the local level makes movement of women easier. Many women aresmuggled in, while others have documentation taken from them once theyarrive in BiH. Other women have documents with visas for temporary workand residence; however some of them are forged or not valid.64According to the Federal Employment Institute of FBiH, there were 1,617 workpermits issued to foreigners in 2000. Only 23 work permits were issued towomen from Eastern Europe for entertainment/dancing (22 to women fromRussia and 1 to a woman from Ukraine). In 310 cases the application for awork permit was refused. From 2001, bar owners have stopped requestingwork permits for foreign citizens, as a result of police raids on premises withregistered foreign workers. 74