Human Trafficking in the European Union

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(Written by Steven Douglas, 2004) As we enter this discussion, it is important to remember that the driving factor behind the success of human traffickers and the continued growth of this business is money. The populous of the European Union are a major contributing factor to this problem due to their abilities to pay the prices asked by the traffickers and slave owners of the victims. As noted in the Introduction, human traffickers sell their victims to slave owners in Western Europe as well as the other countries noted earlier. These countries include most, if not all, member states of the European Union, including Greece, Italy, Ireland, Spain, England, Austria and Germany.  The adult entertainment company in Novorosisk (see internet advertisement above) promotes jobs in these countries including strippers (Greece), exotic dancers and nude models (Italy, Ireland, England), go-go dancers and hostesses (Spain, Austria) and escorts (England). All of these job opportunities include airfare, visas, accommodations and salaries paid for by the clubs and foreign employers. To make it seem more inviting they even offer free days off and minimal working hours. What they do not mention is that these are one way trips with no return.

Of the 15 member states all but two, Ireland and Luxembourg are reported to be part of the problem according to the US Department of State 1993 report. This report divides various countries into a three tier reporting system. Tier 1 is the preferred group since it suggests that the countries noted are the most cooperative in meeting the parameters of international cooperation on the fight against human trafficking whereas Tier 3 is suggestive of a lack of cooperation in these regards. Of the remaining 13 countries, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK are all within Tier 1. Both Finland and Greece are rated in Tier 2. Greece was moved from Tier 3 to Tier 2 in September 2003, three months after the conclusion of the 2003 report.

For those 11 countries that are listed in Tier 1, it means that they meet the minimum standards set by the report in their commitment to eliminate human trafficking in their countries. Tier 1 in no way suggests that these countries are innocent in regards to bearing responsibility for their own human trafficking problems. All countries noted in the tier levels are active participants in this global epidemic.

There are four main points, although general in nature, which are considered the minimum standards of being in Tier 1. They include prohibiting trafficking and punishing violators of trafficking; creating sets of punishments and penalties for violators that are found guilty of crimes including forcible sexual assault and the act of organized trafficking (trafficking is noted to include that for sexual purposes, that involving rape or kidnapping, that which causes a death); creating punishments that in fact deter those from committing the crimes set out above; and finally to make serious and sustaining efforts to eliminate trafficking in their countries. The fourth point is further broken out into 7 line items detailing what the State Department refers to as serious and sustaining efforts. Finland is listed as Tier 2 because it does not meet the criteria set in the minimum standards but it has shown a concerted effort to reach this level. Greece on the other hand shows little commitment in this regard. According to the enforcement of the Tier system, Greece is subject to a group of penalties most notably monetary sanctions such as withholding financial assistance from the IMF and World Bank along with exclusion from participation in education and cultural exchange programs. Ironically, Pakistan, one of the worst violators of international human trafficking laws was recently moved from Tier 3 to Tier 2. Many NGOs speculate this was in exchange for favors made by Musharraf to Bush in the fight against terrorism and his willingness to allow the US to use Pakistani airspace for the invasion of Afghanistan. Others speculate that this move was because Pakistan is a nuclear power and the Bush Administration was not prepared to play hardball on a human rights front.

Country Overviews:

Austria (Tier 1)

Tier 1 does not mean innocence from human trafficking. It only refers to the set of minimum standards. Austria is reportedly a point of both transit as well as a destination country. Women are known to be trafficked to Austria from Bulgaria, Romania, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and countries of the former Soviet Union for the purposes of prostitution. As a transit country, Austria is used for transporting trafficking victims to other EU countries, especially Italy.

Belgium (Tier 1)

Like Austria, Belgium is also both a destination and a transit country. Primarily young women are trafficked into Belgium from Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, and Asia. The main purpose of trafficking is for the sexual exploitation. Belgium also has a recent history of trafficking of young Chinese victims (mainly young men) to work in restaurants and sweatshops.

Denmark (Tier 1)

Denmark is a destination country and a transit country for women and children. Victims are trafficked from the former Soviet Union countries, Eastern Europe, and the Baltic States, as well as Thailand, for the purposes of sexual exploitation. From a transit-view, victims are on their way to other European counties.

France (Tier 1)

Like the other countries in Tier 1, France is well known as a destination country for victims of human trafficking. Unlike most other countries in this report, which receive trafficking victims from Eastern and Central Europe and States of the former Soviet Union, France also, has considerable numbers of victims from African countries. This could be reminiscent of the fact that France has a long history of relations within Africa and continues these relations today.  Victims that enter France are predominantly women but there are also thousands of children (3,000 to 8,000) forced into prostitution rings and men in forced labor from Colombia and China. According to the 2003 report by the US Department of State, French police estimate that as many as 90% of the reported 15,000 prostitutes working in France are victims of trafficking.  To a lesser degree, France is also a transit route for the purposes of evading police. Traffickers bring victims in and out of the country from other EU member states.

The French police have dismantled trafficking rings organized by the Russian mafia, Eastern European transnational crime syndicates and criminal organizations from Nigeria, Romania and Bulgaria. The police also arrested organizers of a Western African prostitution ring. All of these operations have taken place since 2002 when the government passed an anti-child slavery law. It is a positive step forward that the French Government has recently passed laws to combat this practice yet it is too early to predict if these new laws will have a lasting impact on the growing problem. This author asks the question, why did it take so long to pass legislation to protect children.

Germany (Tier 1)

Like the other countries, Germany is both a transit and destination country. Reported victims (usually those who have been arrested for not having visas or work permits and those that have been arrested during police raids on bordellos) come from countries of the former Soviet Union and Central Europe. European countries of origin feeding the German industry include Russia, the Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Poland and Latvia. Germany, like France also has reported prostitution trafficking victims from Nigeria and Thailand. No government statistics have been made available since 2001 at which time they reported a 6.6% growth in human trafficking from the year earlier.

Italy (Tier 1)

The Italian mafia plays a cooperative role with Albanian traffickers who control most street prostitution throughout the country. Victims are mostly young women trafficked from Albania, Bulgaria, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Moldova, Nigeria, Peru, Romania, Russia and the Ukraine.

The Netherlands (Tier 1)

Although a small member of the EU, The Netherlands has one of the worst records for human trafficking over the last ten years. Government reports estimate that the problem has more than quadrupled over this period. Where trafficking is predominantly for the sex trade, there is also growth in labor trafficking. The victims are mostly young women from countries of origin including Bulgaria, The Czech Republic, Russia, The Ukraine, Moldova, Nigeria and sporadic victims from other countries in Central and Eastern Europe and Africa. The Netherlands also acts as a transit center between Eastern and Central Europe.

Portugal (Tier 1)

Portugal like most countries in the EU is a destination point for young women from the Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Romania, Lithuania, Belarus, Brazil, Angola and Cape Verde. They are trafficked for sexual exploitation and minimal forced labor. Men have also been arrested and deported from forced labor through trafficking. It is not clear if trafficking of men was forced slavery. Portugal also has a current crisis regarding pedophile rings domestically that is supplying young children to the sex trade from boarding schools and orphanages. Portugal is also a known transit point for victims going to the United Kingdom.

Spain (Tier 1)

In addition to young women, Spain is also a destination for young boys in the sex trade and forced labor markets. Although sexual exploitation is the predominant destination for trafficking victims, a small percentage is brought to Spain for use in agriculture, sweatshops and restaurants. Countries of origin include (but are not limited to) Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Nigeria, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Bulgaria, the Ukraine, and Russia, with the largest percentage coming from Romania. Traffickers taking victims to Portugal and Italy use Spain as their main transit point.

Sweden (Tier 1)

Not much is reported statistically for Sweden, but trafficking victims used in the sex trade come from Baltic countries, Central and Eastern Europe and occasional victims are arrested for lack of work permits from the Caribbean and Latin America. Sweden is also reported as a transit country for victims en-route to Spain, Germany, Denmark and Norway.

United Kingdom (Tier 1)

The United Kingdom lacks laws against human trafficking but claims to have laws that are similar in nature. The British parliament is expected to introduce new laws this year to directly combat the continued growth of this problem. Being an island nation it is not known as a transit point but rather a destination only. Victims of trafficking to the UK include women for the sex trade and men for the sweatshops, agriculture and other forms of forced labor. There are few known countries of origin not involved in the sex trade of the UK. Reported countries include Eastern Europe, particularly Albania, Kosovo, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Russia. Some also come from East Asia, especially Thailand and China, and from West Africa, particularly Nigeria, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.

As noted earlier, two of the EU member states fall under Tier 2 for not having met the minimum criteria noted above. In almost all instances, countries in Tier 1 are only now starting to consider and implement laws to combat human trafficking. The following countries have suggested that they are planning to implement rules but have not done so.

Finland (Tier 2)

Finnish laws currently do not officially acknowledge human trafficking as a legal issue. There are no direct domestic programs in place to prosecute traffickers or to levy punishments on those arrested for bringing illegal exiles into the country. The problem of human trafficking is grossly worse than those countries noted in Tier 1 since there are reportedly known isolated and enclosed camps in the northern sections of the country for training newly enslaved victims. Most victims come from Russia and Eastern Europe through organized criminal gangs who entice their victims with promises of marriage to Finnish and other European men. When the victims reach the Finnish border and are trafficked to the northern Finnish side, their documents are confiscated and they are turned over to slave masters who train them in the servitude of the sex trade. Finland acts as a major transit point to all other parts of Scandinavia, Central Europe and to other points in the country. The main points of origin for these unfortunate victims are Russia, Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Ukraine and Moldova as well as Thailand and the Philippines.

Greece (Tier 2)

In 2002 there were 18,000 known victims of trafficking to Greece. The victims came from Albania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, Russia and the Ukraine. Other victims came from Asia and Africa but these were mainly using Greece as a transit point to Cyprus, Turkey and the Middle East. Where women are the predominant victims, Albanian children have also been reported in this growing sex industry. Children are also trafficked into Greece for forced labor, begging and stealing. There is also reported internal domestic trafficking of young children for forced labor.

In order to give a better perspective of the internationality of this global phenomenon, the following graph has been created. The purpose of this graph is to show the large scope country by country. Details include the countries victims originate from prior to their arrival in the EU; clarification if they are imported for the sex trade or forced labor; and which countries they are sent to when the countries are used as transit points. In all cases, criminal elements are involved.

Destination      Origin         Transit            Women         Men          Children        Sex             Labor

Austria	BulgariaCzech RepHungary Romania SlovakiaUSSR*	Italy	XXXXX X			XXXXX X
Belgium	Sub-Saharan Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, AsiaChinaPoland		XXXXX	XX		XXXXX	X
Denmark	USSR Eastern Europe Baltica ThailandEstonia	European Countries	XXXXX			XXXXX
Finland	Russia Belarus Estonia Latvia Ukraine Moldova Thailand Philippines	ScandinaviaCentral Europe	XXXXX X X X			XXXXX X X X
France	Eastern and Central EuropeUSSRAfricaColombiaChina Slovakia	Europe	XXXXX	XX		XXXXX	XX
Germany	Russia Ukraine BelarusEstoniaLithuania Poland LatviaNigeriaThailand	Europe	XXXXX X X X X			XXXXX X X X X
Greece	Albania Bulgaria Moldova Romania RussiaUkraineSlovakia	CyprusTurkeyMiddle East	XXXXX X X		X	XXXXX X X
Italy	Albania Bulgaria China Colombia EcuadorEstonia Moldova Nigeria Peru Romania RussiaLithuania Ukraine Poland  Slovakia		XXXXX X X X X X X X X X X			XXXXX X X X X X X X X X X
Netherlands	Bulgaria Czech Rep Russia Ukraine Moldova Nigeria Central and Eastern Europe AfricaPoland	Eastern and Central Europe	XXXXX X X X X X		X	XXXXX X X X X X
Portugal	Ukraine Moldova Russia Romania Lithuania Belarus Brazil Angola Cape VerdePortugalEstonia	United Kingdom	XXXXX X X X X X X		XXXXX X X X X X X	XXXXX X X X X X X	X
Spain	Brazil Colombia Ecuador Nigeria Guinea Sierra Leone BulgariaUkraine RussiaRomaniaEstoniaLithuania Slovakia	PortugalItaly	XXXXX X X X X X X X X		XX	XXXXX X X X X X X X X
Sweden	BalticaCentral and Eastern Europe Caribbean Latin AmericaEstoniaLithuania	SpainGermanyDenmarkNorway	XXXXX X X	XX	XX	XXXXX	XX
UK	AlbaniaKosovoRomaniaBulgaria LithuaniaRussia Thailand China NigeriaLiberia Sierra Leone		XXXXX X X X X X	XXXX X		XXXXX X X

[1]

Part III: The New Member States

The newest members to join the EU this year include Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. Of the ten new members, only three are known to have met the minimum standards set by the US Department of State report. Five of the States fall into Tier 2 (with Finland and Greece) and two of the countries are suspiciously absent from the Tier reports. Since the Tier system reports come from US State Department foreign diplomats in these countries this could simply mean that there is not sufficient staffing at the US Embassies in Cyprus and Malta to conclude a report on Human Trafficking. It is possible that Malta falls into the same category as Luxembourg and Ireland but Cyprus is noted more than once in this paper as a major destination country and therefore should be listed at least as Tier 1 if no worse.

Cyprus (No Tier rating)

Further research must be conducted to understand the human trafficking situation in this country.

The Czech Republic (Tier 1)

Like many of the current member states, The Czech Republic is both a destination and a transit source. What makes this country different than most other countries, other than perhaps Portugal (child internal trafficking), is that the Czech Republic is a well known country of origin for the rest of Europe and perhaps more importantly, the United States. According to available information, no current member states serve as suppliers to the United States.

The Czech Republic is a destination state for victims from Russia, Belarus, and the Ukraine. Moldova, parts of Eastern Europe (including other new member states), the Balkans and parts of the Asian Continent. As a transit-state victims come through the Czech Republic and transfer to other parts of Central Europe and to the United States[2]. The traffic to the United States also includes Czech citizens, both men and women. Czech women are also sold to slave owners in Austria and the Netherlands. The primary form of human trafficking is for sexual exploitation for the women and the men are exploited in the United States for forced labor.

There are also serious reports of domestic human trafficking of children and young teenage girls from poor sections of the country to the main cities. Minors from other countries are believed to be victims of the same crime rings conducting business with Czech children. This child exploitation is sexually related.

Estonia (Tier 2)

Estonia does not adhere to any national or international regulation in the fight to eliminate human trafficking. Estonia is not known as a destination for cross boarder human trafficking but there are illegal aliens in the country from Russia which are picked up and taken by criminal gangs for this purpose as prostitutes in the major cities. At present, Estonian women (and illegal aliens from Russia) are exported to Finland, Sweden, and Nordic countries and to parts of Central Europe including Germany and Italy.

Hungary (Tier 2)

Hungary is first a transit country. Both women and children are shipped through Hungary from countries including Russia, Romania, Ukraine, Moldova and Bulgaria for further transport to countries of the European Union, most notably Austria, Germany, Spain, The Netherlands, Italy, France along with Switzerland and the United States. Men are also trafficked through Hungary for the purpose of forced labor. Predominantly from Iraq, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan these men are sent to other EU countries and to the United States. (See the top of page 22 regarding Bonded Labor practices in Pakistan)

Latvia (Tier 2)

Similar to the Czech Republic, Latvia serves as a source, transit and destination country. As both a source and transit country, women and young girls are trafficked from Latvia and Russia to Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Spain, Germany and Portugal, all for sexual exploitation. The domestic trafficking problem includes women and girls being trafficked from the rural areas to the bigger cities.

Lithuania (Tier 1)

Byelorussian (Belarus), Ukrainian and Russian women and children are trafficked into and through Lithuania for sexual exploitation. They are joined by Lithuanian women and children for sale within the major cities of Lithuania and for further export onto other countries in Scandinavia and Europe, notably Spain, Germany, Italy, Norway and Sweden.

Malta (No Tier rating)

Like Cyprus, this country requires further research.

Poland (Tier 1)

Although Poland is by far the largest of the new states, it is very similar to the other states. Like the Czech Republic, Latvia and Lithuania, Polish women are victimized and exported to other countries including Germany, Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands. The victims are primarily women and girls for sexual exploitation. Poland is also a destination and transit state for foreign victims from the Ukraine, Bulgaria, Romania, Belarus and Russia.

Slovakia (Tier 2)

Slovakia is also a country of origin, transit point and final destination for women from the former Soviet Union and other parts of Eastern Europe. The final destinations that these women reach include Austria, Czech Republic, Germany and other parts of Europe. Women from Slovakia, having been trafficked for sexual exploitation, have been shipped to Spain, Greece, Italy, Switzerland, France and as far away as Mexico, Japan and the United States.

Slovakia is a well-known first-stop for young women traveling to Europe through travel agents from the former Soviet Union. These women do not become victims until they have already arrived in Slovakia and are preparing for their connections to their final destination.

Slovenia (Tier 2)

Slovenia is very similar in scope to Slovakia. Although it is estimated that the victims are small in number, Slovenian women and teenage girls are trafficked to other parts of Western Europe for sexual exploitation. Slovenia also serves as a transit point for women and young girls from Eastern Europe and countries of the former Soviet Union who are then transported to Western Europe, the United States and Canada.

Destination      Origin         Transit            Women         Men          Children        Sex             Labor

Cyprus (via Greece)	Albania Bulgaria Moldova Romania RussiaUkraineSlovakia		XXXXX X X			XXXXX X X
Czech Republic	Czech RepublicRussiaBelarusUkraine. Moldova Eastern Europe  Balkans	AustriaNetherlandsUSA	XXXXX X X X	X	X	X	X
Estonia	EstoniaRussia[3]	Finland Sweden Nordica[4] Germany Italy	XX		X	XX
Hungary	Russia Romania Ukraine Moldova BulgariaIraqAfghanistanPakistanBangladesh	Austria Germany Spain Netherlands ItalyFrance  Switzerland USA	XXXXX	XXXX		XXXXX	XXXX
Latvia	LatviaRussia	Finland Sweden Norway Denmark Spain Germany Portugal	XX		XX	XX
Lithuania	BelarusUkraineRussiaLithuania	Spain Germany Italy Norway Sweden	XXXX		XXXX	XXXX
Poland	Ukraine Bulgaria Romania Belarus  RussiaPoland	Germany Italy Belgium Netherlands	XXXXX X		XXXXX X	XXXXX X
Slovakia	Slovakia	Austria Czech Republic Germany Spain GreeceItaly Switzerland France Mexico JapanUSA	X		X	X
Slovenia	Eastern EuropeUSSR[5]Slovenia	Western EuropeUSACanada	XXXX		X	XXXX

Conclusion: Differences between current and new member States

Alarmingly, current members of the European Union are destination states for many women currently being trafficked for exploitation from the new member States. Something different in the new countries from a transit point of view is that they also serve Japan, Mexico, the United States and Canada. Also of concern is that the new member States are guilty of child sexual exploitation and force labor.

When borders will open between the old and new members, traffickers will have access to a much larger area. Traffickers currently using the EU member states will now have access to trade routes well established in the newer states. This is also true for traffickers established in the new member States who will gain free border access to the 15-country EU.

As in the case of the Czech Republic, where soft borders with Eastern Europe allow transit without border patrols, this will ultimately open a floodgate from the major countries of origin into the marketplace. For the customers of human traffickers, this seems like a perfect marriage. With the addition of at least seven new members, all of which are sources for the world’s illegal sex business, business will be much easier to conduct and therefore easier to access. It could ultimately also be less expensive. For the organized criminal groups, this new larger open area will greatly reduce their costs to move their merchandise into and through the region. Where the human trafficking industry is today will be far worse after the expansion.

It appears that human trafficking was not made an issue for new states joining the European Union. In most cases, it would appear that the newer members have greater levels of human trafficking problems, especially when considering the problems with young women and child victims. Where 13 of the current 15 members are guilty of being destination countries for this global slave trade, only a few countries are also guilty of allowing traffickers to enslave their women and children.[6] The averages are much higher in the incoming group of 10 countries where 70% are suppliers of the victims.

It is extremely important to understand that in most parts of the EU, this subject is ignored. It is certainly an embarrassment to any country to have to admit that in the 21^st Century the slave trade still flourishes. One should question if human trafficking was ever made a subject of contention in deciding whether a country should be permitted to join the European Union. The sex trade is centuries old. The US Government and many NGOs around the world have emphasized the existence of this problem for at least the last decade, but in the EU, it has only become an interest in the last several years. Perhaps it will take this perfect marriage for the forefathers of the expansion to see that they have created a tragic situation for furthering the free movement of traffickers and their unwitting and most importantly innocent victims.

---

[1] USSR refers to countries of the former Soviet Union; Baltica refers to Baltic region countries located on the Baltic Sea; Destination refers to country victims are trafficked to; Origin refers to countries of origin for the victims; Transit refers to countries victims are sent to where the destination country is a transit point.

[2] See page 10

[3] Russian illegal aliens in Estonia are victimized by criminal gangs.

[4] Nordica refers to Nordic area countries such as Denmark, Norway, The Netherlands

[5] States of the former Soviet Union

[6] “Allowing” is used in reference to a lack of serious and aggressive plans to eliminate the problem and to punish violators; inevitably giving a green light to traffickers; in essence allowing them to conduct their business.

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Child Abuse as Forced Labor at the Church of Scientology

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(Translated from an email dated 25 June 2000 sent by Araxia (Perm, Russia) to the author (St. Petersburg, Russia)

I, together with my sister, and with my two adolescent children (daughter, aged 17 and son, aged 14) was in Clearwater, Florida at the Church of Scientology, February – March 1998. More than two years have passed but we still cannot forget the horror we experienced there. We are only just starting to release the memories of the terror.

It has taken almost two years but I can now discuss what happened and I would like to go to the American Consulate to meet with the American consul to bring charges against the Church of Scientology for payment on moral grounds. Even though that we understand there is no amount of money or any help that can help to recreate all of our physical power and health that were broken by hard labor in the Church, I decided to apply in court for one reason, to make them stop to recruit people.

We worked for free the only thing we got was food and bed, from 7 am to 11 pm at night without weekends off. Then they took us to dormitory where we were living in 8-16 people in the room. In addition, they only allowed us 2 minutes for shower after that they turned off lights. Cleaning of rooms also was our responsibilities, the church did not have working persons and all our work was repairing, and cleaning rooms, offices and the hotels for the public was our job. The cleaning of kitchens and washing dishes in the kitchens were also our responsibilities. However, the most horrible thing was that they forced my 14-year-old son to work during two weeks at nights building a stage for a concert hall and then he was engaged in painting pipes with very smelly paint underground without any air conditioning. During the day, he and other men were allowed only 3 hours to sleep and then they were taken away for work. I could not recognize my son; he did not understand what was happening at the rare moments when I saw him. He had a dazed look and did not seem to care. Before our departure, his temperature rose and he could not understand where I was taking him. All 15 hours of our transatlantic flight, my children did not eat and could only sleep because of their exhaustion.

When the Church recruited us in Ekaterinburg they told us that we would live together, the whole family, and they will pay each of us $50 per week and what we will have weekends, holidays and at anytime we would be allowed to leave back to Russia. But what happened in reality until the end of my days, by the laws of the Church’s organization I did not have the right to visit the room of my son and other men, and vice-a-versa. They did not pay us what they promised for the time we were there. I received $23. They did not give me money for the trip back to Russia. Our friend from Perm asked his American friend, a professor living in Clearwater, to lend us money and that man brought us money to the Church about 12 midnight and the next morning we left.

Practically no one has the opportunity to leave from there, because nobody has money. Besides that, they force you to pay for the courses, which you take in exchange for hard labor. Each course cost more than $1000 and to take into consideration that one person takes one course per week then nobody from the newly arrived group could not possibly pay the price. Because every one of us sold out already everything, they had just to come to America to be at the Church.

Therefore, the human being is trapped but the most horrible is that happened to the soul and spirit. Because just before leaving I had been working in my city in the L Ron Hubbard Center for three years and I believed with all of my heart and soul that I was doing the most generous business on earth. Then they told me that they need me at Flag and what I could help all people on the planet with my contribution as a Scientologist. I was ready to make a commitment. The result was a horrible disappointment.

To make my leave less painful I had to go and lie and tell them that I had to leave for sometime because the father of my children did not approve that the children would leave and now he insists that they return to Russia. The Church staff locked me in a special room with security and they forced me to sign a statement in writing what I had committed sins against the Church. I was very scared, horrified because I was separated at that moment from the rest of the world and they could hide me for a couple of years in a punitive detachment center (known as RPF) and my children would never leave the Church. At that moment, I was ready to write and sign anything they wanted. They gave me to sign 15 or 20 pages of documents where I had been told I would never ever be able to talk publicly against the Church of Scientology. Moreover, if I would break that promise then against me they will bring legal action and require monetary payment in return.

Dear Steven, I do not know how better to go to the Consul to speak about this, and if it is possible to do it in Russian language or can, I do this through Internet? If you can help me, I will be very thankful. Goodbye. Sincerely, Araxia 25^th of June 2000.

(Translated from an email dated 3 July 2000 sent by Araxia (Perm, Russia) to the author (St. Petersburg, Russia)

Good day to you Steven. I just found out that you are going to the US Consulate for a meeting with the Consul and I want you to let him know, or ask his personnel, to contact me. I also ask you please give me the email address of the Consul in St. Petersburg because I am going to correspond with him to discuss the terms of bringing legal actions against the Church of Scientology. Tomorrow I will wait for you a detailed letter of your visit to the Consul and about what actions I have to make. If there is the opportunity to bring charges in the USA from my name just to make the process faster then I would be very glad and thankful. I do not want that the crime done against my family, and me especially against my 14-year-old son David would be left unpunished. When recruiters, recruited us they trained my children how my children could answer the questions correctly at the US Consulate interview and what to say if asked what they would be doing in America.

They promised that there would be good schools and that the children will study there. They knew that I wanted to leave David with my mother because I wanted him to finish school in Russia. My mother was crying a lot and she asked me to leave him with her but the recruiters knew that if I would leave him at home then I would come back, which they could not allow and therefore they told me that the school in the United States is better than in Russia. We believed them and for the Consul’s question as to what the children would do in the United Sates, they answered that they will study. However, when we arrived at that place he did not study even one day at school. And when I asked why he is not studying at school they retorted that school in the USA is not necessary because he will study special courses of L Ron Hubbard, also like every adult. Nevertheless, even there he did not study, he only worked. In addition, he worked 18-20 hours per day. In addition, other children who were engaged in this labor were much younger than 14 years. For example, “Andrew” and his little sister “Paisy” who were from the USA.

I already wrote to you that a mother has no right to visit a son’s room, this was written in an instruction letter of Hubbard, and we did not see each other for many days. The only chance we had to see each other was when we came together for meals. About leaving the place and going somewhere else was forbidden. Everything was done according to schedule and my son and I had our own separate schedules.  Each thing we did was watched by security. The circumstances of this horror are obvious. David became reclusive, touchy and dexterous. We lost job, money, respect from our family and friends, a desire for work, belief in our future and health. We received a visa in Ekaterinburg on 2 February 1998, control # —————- (contact the author) Visa R-1 and R-2 ————-.

Therefore dear Steven we need your help. You can send me correspondence through fax or email. That is all. Good luck. I wait for your answer.  Sincerely, Araxia 3 July 2000.

Child Abuse as Forced Labor at the Church of Scientology

The story of Araxia’s son David and his sister are not the only known reports of child abuse at the Church of Scientology. In the International Religious Freedom Report (October 7, 2002) they quote a report from FACT Net (Fight Against Coercive Tactics Network) about two sisters Beth and Kristi, daughters of Scientologists who entered the Church at the ages of 9 and 8, respectively. The report reviewed an interview with Beth, then 25 and a former member of the Church who described what it was like as a child member of the Church of Scientology. A number of things noted in the interview are shared in the comments made in Araxia’s two emails mentioned above.

Beth was 11-years-old when she signed her first “billion year contract”. She recalled that when she was in her early teens she worked every night until at least 10:30 pm including school nights. She noted that when she first went to Clearwater she lived in the same room as her father at the Fort Harrison Hotel (on the Flagship compound). The room itself was very small and infested by cockroaches. Soon after moving to Clearwater she was separated from her father and moved into a larger room with 20 other girls, also under 18 years old. She said that a typical weekly schedule required her to work Sundays from 8 am until 10:30 pm, Monday through Friday from after school until 10:30 pm and noon to 10:30 pm on Saturdays. She figured that her work hours came to at least 50 hours per week in addition to the time she spent in school.[1]

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[1] F.A.C.T. Net, Inc. is a non-profit computer bulletin board and electronic library. (Golden, Colorado)

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DoD Senior Executive Service Announcements

U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release

On the Web: http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=14161 Media contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132 Public contact: http://www.defense.gov/landing/comment.aspx or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1170-10 December 21, 2010

Senior Executive Service Announcements            Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced the following Department of Defense Senior Executive Service, senior leader, and scientific and professional appointments and reassignments.             Edward R. Koucheravy has been appointed to the Senior Executive Service and is assigned as director, Naval Forces Division, cost assessment and program evaluation, Washington, D.C.  Koucheravy previously served as operations research analyst, cost assessment and program evaluation, Washington, D.C.             Manuel A. Cardenas has been appointed to the Senior Executive Service and is assigned as director, C4 and Information Programs Division, cost assessment and program evaluation, Washington, D.C.  Cardenas previously served as operations research analyst, cost assessment and program evaluation, Washington, D.C.

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“This treaty stands on its merits, and its prompt ratification will strengthen U.S. national security.”

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U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release

On the Web: http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=14159 Media contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132 Public contact: http://www.defense.gov/landing/comment.aspx or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1169-10 December 21, 2010

Statement by Secretary Robert Gates on the New START Treaty             “I strongly support the Senate voting to give its advice and consent to ratification of the New START Treaty this week.             “The treaty will enhance strategic stability at lower numbers of nuclear weapons, provide a rigorous inspection regime including on-site access to Russian missile silos, strengthen our leadership role in stopping the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and provide the necessary flexibility to structure our strategic nuclear forces to best meet national security interests.             “This treaty stands on its merits, and its prompt ratification will strengthen U.S. national security.”

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Fallen But Not Forgotten – Pfc. Conrado D. Javier Jr., 19, of Marina, Calif., died Dec. 19 in Kandahar province

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U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs) News Release

On the Web: http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=14160 Media contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132 Public contact: http://www.defense.gov/landing/comment.aspx or +1 (703) 428-0711 +1

 

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 1172-10 December 21, 2010

 

DOD Identifies Army Casualty             The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Pfc. Conrado D. Javier Jr., 19, of Marina, Calif., died Dec. 19 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.  He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany.

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F.C.C. Is Set to Regulate Net Access (NY Times)

By BRIAN STELTER

Published: December 20, 2010

The Federal Communications Commission appears poised to pass a controversial set of rules that broadly create two classes of Internet access, one for fixed-line providers and the other for the wireless Net.

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The chairman of the F.C.C., Julius Genachowski, introduced his net neutrality proposal at the beginning of the month.

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The proposed rules of the online road would prevent fixed-line broadband providers like Comcast and Qwest from blocking access to sites and applications. The rules, however, would allow wireless companies more latitude in putting limits on access to services and applications.

Before a vote set for Tuesday, two Democratic commissioners said Monday that they would back the rules proposed by the F.C.C. chairman, Julius Genachowski, which try to satisfy both sides in the protracted debate over so-called network neutrality. But analysts said the debate would soon resume in the courts, as challenges to the rules are expected in the months to come.

Net neutrality, broadly speaking, is an effort to ensure equal access to Web sites and cutting-edge online services. Mr. Genachowski said these proposed rules aimed to both encourage Internet innovation and protect consumers from abuses.

“These rules fulfill a promise to the future — to companies that don’t yet exist, and the entrepreneurs that haven’t yet started work in their dorm rooms or garages,” Mr. Genachowski said in remarks prepared for the commission’s meeting on Tuesday in Washington. At present, there are no enforceable rules “to protect basic Internet values,” he added.

Many Internet providers, developers and venture capitalists have indicated that they would accept the proposal by Mr. Genachowski, which Rebecca Arbogast, a regulatory analyst for Stifel Nicolaus, a financial services firm, said “is by definition a compromise.”

The companies have said the rules would provide some regulatory certainty. In private, they have acknowledged the proposal could have been much worse. If approved, they “will give some assurances to the companies that are building Web applications — companies like Netflix, Skype and Google — that they will get even treatment on broadband networks,” Ms. Arbogast said.

But a wide swath of public interest groups have lambasted the proposal as “fake net neutrality” and said it was rife with loopholes. One group, Public Knowledge, said that instead of providing clear protections, the F.C.C. “created a vague and shifting landscape open to interpretation. Consumers deserved better.”

Notably, the rules are watered down for wireless Net providers like AT&T and Verizon, which would be prohibited from blocking Web sites, but not from blocking applications or services unless those applications directly compete with providers’ voice and video products, like Skype.

F.C.C. officials said there were technological reasons for the wireless distinctions, and that they would continue to closely monitor the medium.

Citing the wireless proposal, Senator Al Franken, Democrat of Minnesota, said over the weekend that the F.C.C. was effectively allowing discrimination on the mobile Net, a fast-growing sector.

“Maybe you like Google Maps. Well, tough,” Mr. Franken said on Saturday on the Senate floor. “If the F.C.C. passes this weak rule, Verizon will be able to cut off access to the Google Maps app on your phone and force you to use their own mapping program, Verizon Navigator, even if it is not as good. And even if they charge money, when Google Maps is free.”

He added, “If corporations are allowed to prioritize content on the Internet, or they are allowed to block applications you access on your iPhone, there is nothing to prevent those same corporations from censoring political speech.”

Mr. Franken and other critics say the rules come with major caveats; for instance, they would allow for “reasonable network management” by broadband providers. And they would discourage but not expressly forbid something called “paid prioritization,” which would allow a media or technology company to pay the provider for faster transmission of data, potentially creating an uneven playing field.

The F.C.C. officials also said that the order would require transparency about those network management practices. “That sunshine will help deter bad behavior,” one of the officials said. They spoke only on the condition of anonymity because the F.C.C. order has not been made public.

President Obama has repeatedly indicated his support for net neutrality principles, and his chief technology officer, Aneesh Chopra, said on Dec. 1 that the F.C.C. proposal was an “important step in preventing abuses and continuing to advance the Internet as an engine of productivity growth and innovation.”

The two Democratic commissioners, Michael Copps and Mignon Clyburn, acknowledged on Monday that the order was not as strong as they would have liked. But they said it had been improved this month in discussions with Mr. Genachowski, and they said they would not oppose it.

Their votes along with Mr. Genachowski’s would be enough to approve the order at the F.C.C. meeting on Tuesday.

Two Republican commissioners, Meredith Baker and Robert McDowell, are expected to oppose it. Republicans have suggested that the net neutrality rules are an example of government overreach; in an opinion piece on Monday in The Wall Street Journal, Mr. McDowell asserted that “nothing is broken that needs fixing.”

In a statement Monday afternoon, Mr. Copps strongly disagreed. He said he wanted to ensure that the Internet “doesn’t travel down the same road of special interest consolidation and gate-keeper control that other media and telecommunications industries — radio, television, film and cable — have traveled.”

“What an historic tragedy it would be,” he said, “to let that fate befall the dynamism of the Internet.”

A version of this article appeared in print on December 21, 2010, on page B1 of the New York edition.

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