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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 21st 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.
[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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Pfc. Theodore M. Glende, 23, of Rochester, N.Y., died July 27, in Kharwar, Logar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with small-arms fire.
