Rebuilding Lives is a substantial 105 page training and resource document written by Helen C. Armstrong and published by Free the Slaves. Its subtitle is: An Introduction to Promising Practices in the rehabilitioan of Freed Slaves. I purchased it to study so I can be more useful in my volunteer work in this area.   Here are some of the chapter titles: Protection of Clients, A Safe Place To Stay, Physical Health,  Psychosocial Care, Activities that Calm and Heal, Help From Lawyers, Schooling and Training.  And several more.  You can learn more here: www.freetheslaves.net

It is as relevant to those freed from prostitution as it is from those freed from carpet making.  Diane

I see training resources/networks and self care all interlinked. I have been involved with Viva (www.viva.org) in developing and pilotting a training program for practitioners called 'Celebrating Children' (www.celebratingchildrentraining.info) which is primarily for faith-based organizations but can also be accessed by others. It covers everything from trying to understand the context of the child, child participation, risk & resilience, child protection, evaluation & monitoring of programmes and caring for yourself & others. The course encourages networks of NGOs to take responsibility for doing their own training by those in the community rather than relying primarily on outside 'experts' which makes it more sustainable. Many of these kind of programs with children fail quickly if people feel unsupported or untrained or what they are doing isn't evaluated. I will let World Hope tell you about the excellent two level 'Hands that Heal' curriculum which trains caregivers of survivors of trafficking survivors. My colleague Dr. Gundelina Velazcos (gvelazco [at] love146 [dot] org) in Love146 (www.love146.org) also does training for Aftercare workers at a basic level of one or two weeks for networks but has also done a more substantial research training for managers of Aftercare Facilities. The latter is currently on hold but there are hopes that it will be conducted again in 2010.  

The Anti-Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Unit of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has published a Toolkit to Combat Trafficking in Persons. The Toolkit provides useful definitions and legal framework, promising practices and recommended resources. The Toolkit can be useful to inspire and assist policymakers, police and law enforcers, judges, prosecutors, victim service providers and members of civil society to gain better awareness and the need for interconnecting these various spheres towards the common objective of stopping human trafficking. To download the Toolkit use this link: http://www.unodc.org/documents/human-trafficking/HT_Toolkit08_English.pdf

Nancy Pearson, New Tactics in Human Rights Program Manager

This short video The Face of Slavery, produced by Kassie Bracken, is posted on the New York Times website. Nicholas D. Kristof captures in just over 5 minutes the tragic and compeling story of Long Pross, a young woman who was forced into sexual slavery. It also highlights the need for direct assistance to victims and the long term emotional and physical impact of the trauma of trafficking.

I'm interested to know if other video resources are available for both public awareness building but that are also excellent for victim assistance.  

Nancy Pearson, New Tactics in Human Rights Program Manager

Chab Dai Coalition Cambodia and Chab Dai USA are committed to raising the standard of response and care to trafficking through the distribution of resources and research. Our Cambodia office, which is where our international HQ is based, currently houses a resource library of over 2,000 resources divided into 60 categories ALL pertaining to TIP and CSE. (Categories include everything from: advocacy, prevention, violence, drug use, alternative care, boys issues, family/parenting, pornography, poverty, Cambodia specific trafficking, border issues ... and the list goes on).

Developing the resource library has been a tremendous amount of work, but UN agencies such as UNICEF and IOM are now saying that our office most likely has one of the most comprehensive libraries on TIP in the region. THAT to say - that something as simple as putting resources (most of which were all downloaded off of the internet) together in a library has helped our member organizations to have the opportunity and find the information they want/need all in one spot.

We hope to eventually put this all on the Internet as well -

One recommended online site that I would recommend is http://www.childtrafficking.com/Content/Library/ - it has a lot of stuff to download on everything from aftercare practices, to international development, migration, laws, and repatriation.

What have been the experiences of others who have resource libraries?

Tania DoCarmo

U.S. Director of Development, Chab Dai USA

www.chabdai.org

Christians working together to end sexual abuse and trafficking.

A number of years ago, someone from STOP THE TRAFFIK was in the business district of Bangkok. With increasing horror he noticed that inbetween posh hotels, young children and women were up for sale and being targeted at business travellers.

There are hundreds of thousands of people on business trips (stag-dos / hen parties etc) worldwide who see things they shouldn't. Who see things they should report. But in a foreign country, with the possibility of corrupt police forces taking back-handers, who do you tell? 

To try and fill this information void, Phil Lane (STOP THE TRAFFIK Belgium) set up a website resource called Business Travellers against Trafficking. It is an anonymous website where people report what they see. This information is then passed from STOP THE TRAFFIK to the right people (from Interpol to NGOs to local police). 

Examples of this resources success range from a tip-off about a women trafficked to Istanbul and forced into prostitution  to actually getting an NGO to an airport in time to stop a girl getting on a plane with a known  trafficker. Information is coming in with increasing frequency which is fantastic www.businesstravellers.org

If you think you could promote the website among anyone and everyone or distribute the business travellers business cards, please let me know and I will organise some to be sent to you (victoria [dot] kuhr [at] stopthetraffik [dot] org).  

Wishing everybody a fantastic weekendVictoria

I am interested to learn more about the standardized CT
data-management tool developed by IOM. Is this database open for others to utilize and also contribute to? How does this system "map" the victims of experience. I am especially interested in this mapping idea as the New Tactics project also using a "tactical mapping" tool.

This is the information that I read on the IOM website:

..."the Counter-Trafficking Module (CTM), is
the largest global database with primary data on VoTs.

The
CTM facilitates the management of the whole IOM direct assistance,
movement and reintegration process through a centrally managed system
as well as mapping the victim's trafficking experience. In return, it
strengthens the research capacity and understanding of the causes,
processes, trends and consequences of trafficking. It serves as a
knowledge bank, from which statistics and detailed reports can be
drawn, informing research, programme development and policy making on
counter trafficking.

Please contact AVRCTMMS [at] iom [dot] int for more detailed information."

Nancy Pearson, New Tactics in Human Rights Program Manager

Good morning! 

In two days, this online discussion will be over. But in such a short time I learned so much from the very dynamic, interactive, and critical discussion of the group. I am just wondering how else we could continue to connect and forge collaborative interaction beyond the online discussion. Would people be willing, of course with the approval and help of CVT, to form a special group on human trafficking here at the New Tactics Website? We could utilize the space to share resources, provide technical expertise, and request and give feedback.

On my personal files here at New Tactics, I have uploaded two papers I wrote. The first one is entitled "Access to Justice: A Prosecution or a Persecution Process for Filipino Trafficked Persons?" The second paper is "Forensic Videotape Interview of Trafficked Minors: Whose Interest is Best Served?"  Feel free to view them. I welcome comments and feedback. 

Amy A. Avellano

Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow 2008

University of Minnesota Law School

Minneapolis, USA 

I wanted to share a very interesting article that I received through the WUNRN newsletters (http://www.wunrn.com)

LEGALISING PROSTITUTION IS NOT THE ANSWER SWEDISH REPORT, UK VIEWS, ANALYSIS

An evaluation of Swedish law shows that criminalising the purchase, but not the sale, of sex, has been a great success. A new report backs the effectiveness of a Swedish law that criminalises those who pay for or attempt to pay for sex. [For the full article, please use this link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jul/02/prostitution-legalise-criminalise-swedish-law?showallcomments=true#end-of-comments

The article discusses "a comprehensive evaluation of the Swedish law, conducted by an independent commission appointed by the government, and led by the chancellor of justice (the highest legal officer in Sweden) shows that legislation criminalising demand has been a resounding success. The evaluation concludes that, since the law came in to force in 1999, the number of women involved in street prostitution has halved, whereas neighbouring countries such as Denmark and Norway have seen a sharp rise; that there is no evidence of an increase in off-street prostitution; and that, despite a significant increase in prostitution in the neighbouring countries during the past 10 years, there is no evidence of a similar increase in Sweden.

Advertising of prostitution through the internet has increased in Sweden, as it has in other countries. This is not due to the law, the evaluation concludes, but to the development of online technology generally. Again, there is far more web advertising in neighbouring countries. The commission looked at abuse and coercion in the industry and found that, contrary to the opinion of Schaffauser and others, criminalising buyers does not lead women to pimps.

The commission, which took evidence from women currently in prostitution, those who had left the sex trade, police, social workers and other key stakeholders, also found that the law functioned as a barrier against the establishment of traffickers and pimps in Sweden, and had led to a reduction in organised crime.

The law has strong public support among the public in Sweden, has led to a significant positive change in attitudes, and acts as a deterrent for potential buyers. A 2008 study found that only 8% of Swedish men had paid for sex, compared with 13.6% before the law came into force.

Despite misgivings that the law would result in prostitution going underground, no evidence whatsoever was uncovered during the evaluation to substantiate this. Police and prosecutors, many of whom were resistant to the law in the early days, confirm that it has been good for the country and has reduced criminal activity. Importantly, because those selling sexual services were decriminalised at the same time as buyers were criminalised, it has proved easier for the women to leave the sex trade and seek the support available from projects."

Hello all - just wanted to share this new resources developed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM): Guidelines for the Collection of Data on Trafficking in Human Beings Including Comparable Indicators

Without statistics, it is not only impossible to measure the magnitude of human trafficking, it is alsodifficult to foresee the appropriate policies, operational and legislative responses and efficient implementation of initiatives. Insufficient data and a lack of comparable analyses that are reliable and up-to-date hamper the efforts of almost every agency dealing with trafficking, its victims and perpetrators. Such a challenge contravenes the efforts of policy-makers and other practitioners to respond effectively in assisting and protecting victims, preventing and combating trafficking and monitoring and verifying the implementation of national laws, international protocols and conventions. A serious effort in fighting human trafficking at the European Union level requires a clear understanding of current trends with regards to victims, traffickers, their modus operandi, travel routes and different forms of human trafficking (i.e. commercial sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, organ trafficking, child trafficking, trafficking for forced marriage and internal trafficking).

Greetings from  World Hope International. 

 WHI has been working with survivors of commercial sexual exploitation, one of the many forms of modern-day slavery, in Cambodia since 2005.  I'd like to share a lesson learned from our experience here.

 An initial and limited period of tight security around survivors is necessary when victims are rescued from commercial sexual exploitation.  The obvious reason is that traffickers want their cash source back and will take it by force if necessary.  A shelter needs to be secure from outside attacks.  The less obvious reason is that initially, victims of sex trafficking will try to protect or run back to their captors.  WHI has found that, after a short period of good nutrition, safety and security, a home-like environment, mental and physical health care, and enough sleep, most survivors will begin to relax and reassess their life options.  They begin to see hope for the a different future: a life free from rape, pain, and humiliation.

Human trafficking is a crime that depends on compliance - forced or otherwise coerced - of its victims.  If a worker won't perform, s/he is useless and will not make money for the trafficker.  So the trafficker must convince (groom, break, drug, season, terrorize) the victims to comply.  This can involve different forms of bondage, both physical and psychological.

When girls come to us, they are terrified, malnourished, and exhausted.  They have undergone physical and psychological abuses and manipulation akin to victims of torture.  They've been told they are only worth the price of their bodies for sex.  Their instinct is normally to run back to the brothel or to their captors because of the "convincing" they've endured.  Every girls is different, but it does not take long in a caring and nurturing environment to break many of those psychological chains that keep a victims in bondage.  Without security measures keeping girls from running back to exploitation in those initial traumatic weeks, they would not have an opportunity to break free from the exploiters' domination.      

Kristin Wiebe

Hello from Belgrade,

We would like to share the structure IOM Belgrade together with its NGO partner, NGO ATINA is using for developement of comprehensive social inclusion (we prefer to use this term rarther than reintegration) programme as well as for monitoring of case-by-case social inclusion plans and programmes.

Key areas in reintegration process

1. Legal status
2. Legal issues and court proceedings
3. Family relations   
4. Educational status              
5. Economic status  
6. Professional guidance and employment
7. Security status
8. Discrimination experience – wider social context
9. Health status       
10. Relationships with peers
11. Relationship with partner
12. Self-acceptance

 Activities in reintegration program 

1. Solving acute problems upon the entrance into the program; ad hoc reaction to newly emerged acute problems.
2. Defining the timeframe for assessment of the beneficiary's status and primary objectives in the individual reintegration programmes.
3.  Upon admission to reintegration program assess initial victim’s status in all areas important for reintegration.
4. Creation of individual reintegration plans covering all areas, in close cooperation with the beneficiaries.
5. Follow-up and evaluation of progress achieved in all areas important for reintegration throughout the entire process of reintegration and redefining the reintegration goals as per the assessed reintegration evaluation.
6. Gathering contacts of government and NGO organizations engaged in reintegration program.
7. Evaluating achieved results in each specific case upon the beneficiary leaves reintegration programs.
8. Following-up cases in all the reintegration segments upon reintegration program end.

  REINTEGRATION PROGRAM MONITORING - ISSUES I LEGAL STATUS

Approximately 3 weeks are needed for completion of the needs assessment in order to commence with solving beneficiaries’ legal status and defining the needed steps in this field. The following personal documents’ issue require assistance:

1. Birth certificate
2. Citizenship certificate
3. Residence certificate
4. Residence permit for foreign citizens
5. ID card
6. Medical insurance booklet
7. Registration with the National Employment Service
8. Registration with the local Centre for Social Work
9. School certificates/diplomas
10. Passport or other travel document
11. Other (assistance in obtaining refugee status, tax-payer's certificate, etc.)

 II LEGAL PROBLEMS AND COURT PROCEEDINGS

1. Participation in investigative and criminal proceedingsa

a)       Gathering of relevant information from referral agencies

b)       Defining the timeframe

c)       Contact with relevant authorities: police, public prosecutor, judge, lawyer, social worker (in case of minors)

d)       Submission of property-legal claim

e)       Counselling (legal) during the court proceedings 

2. Family and property-ownership status: divorce, guardianship, financial support, alimony, probate proceedings, family violence...

3. Assistance in acquiring social insurance: regular financial assistance from the center for social work , ad hoc assistance, accommodation in institutions of social protection, pensions, family pensions, help and care assistance...

4. Other

 III FAMILY RELATIONS

1. Primary family status

a)       Number of household membersb)       Marital statusc)       Presence of violenced)       Presence of abuse and neglecte)       Assessment of family relationsf)        Assessment of potential presence of family pathology 

2. Secondary family status

a)       Number of household membersb)       Marital statusc)       Presence of violenced)       Presence of abuse and neglecte)       Assessment of family relationsf)        Assessment of potential presence of family pathology 

3. Other: foster care, accommodation in social care institution, adoption...

 IV EDUCATIONAL STATUS

1. Level of literacy
2. Level of completed education
3. Acquired skills
4. Preferred education and joint assessment of capabilities to achieve it
5. Difficulties in learning
6. Getting within the educational system

 V ECONOMIC STATUS

1. Financial capabilities and assets of beneficiary and her/his primary/secondary family
2. Mediation in achieving right to financial support from the state for the beneficiary and for her/his primary/secondary family

 VI PROFESSIONALNA ORIENTATION AND EMPLOYMENT

1.        Assessment of competitiveness on labour market

2.        Assessment of beneficiaries' capabilities

3.        Job-search

4.        Job placement 

VII SECURITY STATUS – consequences of trafficking situation and prevention of re-victimization

1. Obtaining information from relevant institution
2. Contact with police with the aim to secure prevention and protection in specific cases.
3. Risk grading (subjective impressions vs. circumstances)
4. Experience of violence and relation to the violence

 VIII EXPERIENCE OF DISCRIMINATION – WIDER SOCIAL CONTEXT

1. Beneficiary is part of a marginalized group
2. Assessment of limits in social resilience (basis for marginalization)
3. Experience of discrimination

 IX HEALTH STATUS

1. Right to health care
2. Assessment of health condition
3. Health and hygiene
4. Capacities for caring of one's own health

 X PEER RELATIONSHIPS

1. Assessment of exiting peer network and relationships
2. Assessment of social maturity
3. Usual models of social interaction
4. Specific difficulties in establishing social relations
5. Expanding social network

 XI RELATIONSHIPS WITH PARTNERS

1. Assessment of emotional maturity
2. Usual modes of emotional relations function
3. Sexual orientation
4. Sexual relations
5. Specific issues in establishing and maintaining partner relationships
6. Conscience of potential security risks

 XII SELF RELATION – SELFACCEPTANCE LEVEL

1. Assessment of the level of self-acceptance and self-respect
2. Establishing relation to trafficking experience
3. Establishing relation to violence

 Aleksandra Galonja, IOM Belgrade

Another Hello from Belgrade! Just to share with you our experience in the field of victim assistance. We had a very good regional project that helped us change the legislation in the region i.e. intorducing the legislation providing for temporary residence permits to victims of trafficking identified in the South East Europe. Besides the mere regularization of the temporary stay and decriminilization of the victims, this tool helped the countries in the region to set comprehensive programs  for victims, moving beyond the modest pre-departure assistance. That way we, in close partnership with our NGO colleagues, espailly NGO Atina from Belgrade, could provide for much better options for the victims. You can read more on this initiative at http://www.iom.int/jahia/Jahia/pid/2010. In the course of the project we also had the opportunity to work closely with the NGOs that performed watchdog activities,assessing the overall assistance programs under the TRP scheme and beyond

http://www.iom.hu/PDFs/watchdog%20publicationeng.pdf

In the scope of this 3 years initiative we could see how confidence is being built to the victims once they know that they can move freely, when their status of the victim is reconfirmed even that way. Some of the victims granted TRP helped us and our partners design some of the project's features - leaflets, brochures, in order to pass the message on this tool to others - victims, possible victims, practitioners tasked with victim protection, etc.

Jovana Mihajlovic, IOM Belgrade, Serbia

Janet Nickel

FAAST Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is quite new to anti-trafficking activities.  World Hope International/FAAST has been working in Sierra Leone on anti-trafficking since September 2004 mainly with public awareness, training law enforcement, and in the last two years with immediate assistance to victims and referrals.

World Hope International/FAAST Sierra Leone would like to ask about shelters in your locations (especially in areas which would be considered similar to developing nations or post war). 

-          Are any governments providing shelters for trafficking survivors?  Do NGOs partner or assist with government-run shelters?  In what ways?  Do NGOs/donors provide funds for government-run shelters?

-          Are NGOs providing shelters for trafficking survivors?  Does government partner or assist with NGO-run shelters?  In what ways?

The IOM mission in Sierra Leone received a grant which included funds for an interim care shelter for victims of trafficking that lasted for almost 2 years.  But funds have not been forthcoming for continuation of the shelter.  Now, when Law Enforcement officers, NGOs, or community stakeholders identify a trafficking victim, the referral pathway has washed out at the shelter level.  The problem here has been getting sustainable funds for shelters and aftercare. 

Janet Nickel

This is Lucy from New Tactics writing,  in some of the other work that I do with The Center for Victims of Torture, I have learned about the challenges faced helping people seek asylum in the United States.  Have any of you faced this as you work with trafficked people in your countries?

How do you work with lawyers to assist your clients?

Here is a page from the Women’s Refugee Commission that highlights some work they have done with unaccompanied children in the immigration process.  There is a link at the end of the page to a video about U.S. Immigration court.  The video is directed toward children but could be useful for older people as well.  The video is offered in five languages.

http://www.womensrefugeecommission.org/programs/detention/55-detention/8...

-Lucy

Greetings from Sierra Leone,

The Center for Victims of Torture has started work with VoT’s in Sierra Leone in the last year. We provide mental health counseling, training/capacity building of other service providers, and sensitization of local communities.

A challenge has been the lack of referral sources for other areas of after-care/rehabilitation (as Janet from FAAST mentioned, particularly with sustainable shelter).  I’ve noticed that others have mentioned counseling as a part of their services, and would like to hear more about the approaches you are taking.

Is counseling with your agency always provided in tandem with other services?  Is anyone doing counseling with Vot’s who are still in trafficking situations, rather than in post-care programs? 

I would love to hear about any other thoughts mental health providers have on this subject as well.

Thanks for your input!

I want thank Svitlana, IOM Ukraine, for sharing the great work being done there regarding the Economic empowerment program for victims of trafficking that highlights how micro-financing can make a huge difference in empowering victims to change their life circumstances.

I was also struck by her posting regarding the Public Awareness Campaigns that have been directly involving young people. Providing information that is relevant to young people is essential in giving them the information they need to recognize when they may find themselves in risky and dangerous situations.

It reminds me of the innovative work being done by BBA (Save the Childhood movement) in India to combat child labor, illiteracy and trafficking by building Child Friendly Villages.T This is a recognition that those so highly vulnerable are the poor and illiterate. The Child Friendly Villages involve the whole community - especially the children - to build community awareness and commitment to protect children. The process that BBA employs provides excellent ideas for empowering young people to not only give voice to their needs but ensure their participation in addressing those needs. This process not only stops child labor practices in these villages, the village makes a commitment for their children to attend school and develop skills that will empower them to make different choices as they become adults - helping to intervene in the cycle of ignorance and poverty.

Nancy Pearson, New Tactics in Human Rights Program Manager

Bal ashram was established in
1998 to provide rehabilitation to the children liberated from bondage, who have
suffered years of mental and physical trauma and hardship. Bal Ashram gives
them a feeling of cohesiveness, education and vocational training thereby
helping them to become self-supportive, self-confident and to overcome the
traumatic spell of the past. So far 1300 children have been rehabilitated
successfully till 2009.

Bal Ashram imparts training to
freed child workers covering six aspects: 
Social Development, Conventional education, Vocational Education, Health
and Physical Education, Leadership Development and Cultural education.  Bal Ashram also ensures holistic development
of these children through various physical and social education activities.

The Ashram has capacity of 120
freed children in one batch of 6 months. Apart from non formal education, they
also undergo training in different vocations such as tailoring, carpentry,
motor winding, painting, screen printing and welding. Non-formal education
being provided in the Ashram is intended to enable the children to be a part of
the mainstream education after they finish training in the Ashram. Vocational
training empowers them to earn a living for themselves in future when they grow
up.

Bal Ashram is a pioneer
institution for the rehabilitation of children freed from bondage. Every year
approximately 200 children are rehabilitated through this institution.

To Create a child labour free society, where all children receive free,
compulsory, quality and meaningful education.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teV13jrF8k8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOjL_cwUuCk

http://www.bba.org.in/balashram/aboutbalashram.php

Hello,

Thank you to all the practitioners for doing this, the information so far is fantastic! 

 I am wondering if anyone has stories of how new technologies have enhanced their prevention tactics? Does anyone have stories about how social networking tools such as twitter or facebook or video has enhanced their message or helped with prevention? Being a young student in the US I know that not many people are aware of this issue and I also know that new communication technologies can be very helpful.  Thank you for any input you have! 

Alexa Horwart

While we have trained media on its possible role, of awareness raising and acting as a 'watchdog' if you will, I feel it is a challenge to really get media on board in a meaningful way.  I noted that somebody had earlier asked for material or information on media trainings, and if they could clarify what they are looking for, we'd be happy to pass training info/practices along.  Would also welcome information on getting in the media on board in other countries/regions.

work for STOP THE TRAFFIK, an anti-trafficking movement focusing on grass roots awareness and community led ACTion.

One thing which always amazes me about issues like trafficking is that people think they are problems happening far away to other people in other people's towns.

Although trafficking is a huge global problem with geographic, economic, social and political trends it is also a very local issue. In every day life, in every day communities victims of trafficking are suffering - holed up in a flat / brothel / massage parlor. They are down the road working in a chicken factory supplying major supermarkets, they are begging on your high street and to get there, they are brought through your local port, station and airport.

So, although anti- trafficking measures are for high level practitioners and politicians to debate and act on, there is also a massive role for local people who want to make sure human rights are upheld in their community and people in their shared living spaces are not suffering harm.

Chab Dai Coalition in Cambodia is a network of 40+ Christian organizations working against sexual abuse and trafficking. In addition to our coalition, we run some of our own projects and programming, including a prevention & direct intervention program for rural communities, as well as high risk communities in urban areas.

When Chab Dai began in 2005, most faith-based organizations working against trafficking in Cambodia were primarily focused on aftercare efforts, with not much emphasis on prevention. However, Chab Dai staff believed that in addition to caring for survivors, it was crucial to have a strong focus on prevention, especially in vulnerable communities. Today, our direct projects with community leaders not only promote awareness about trafficking and abuse, but equip and empower participants to train others on how to recognize potential perpetrators and intervene when needed.

Our Church & Community Training Program is designed to create sustainabilit within rural communities and small towns across Cambodia by training community leaders (commune chiefs, Buddhist monks, pastors, teachers, government workers, NGO workers, etc.) and empowering them to mobilize others. The training curriculum, which focuses on what trafficking is, what the law says, childs rights, and how to recognize perpetrators, includes a training of trainers aspect that encourages participants to take what they've learned and teach it to those in and around their communities - Chab Dai trainers follow up with volunteer trainers several weeks after the initial training session.

(As of 2009, this program has trained more than 620 community leaders in 12 provinces, who then went on to train over 18,800 individuals within their own communities. More than 30 cases have been DIRECTLY diverted through this program that we know of.)

We also have programs focused on urban areas and vulnerable minority group communities called the Urban Prevention Program. This program similarly focuses on training and educating community leaders in urban areas about issues related to trafficking, rape, sexual abuse, child protection and child sex tourism. There is also a training of trainers aspect, which includes training children who live on the streets and in vulnerable areas. As of Feb 2009, this program has trained 250 community leaders, who then trained 4,600 individuals since 2007.

Our programs have been very successful, and are completely run at a grassroots level - by Cambodian and Vietnamese trainers who have developed a curriculum within the context of Cambodian culture. The program runs on a relatively low budget and does not pay participants per diems - but rather bases teaching on models of social responsibility in Buddhist, Christian and other holy scripture that the communities believe in.

Reports and more information are available on our website: www.chabdai.org.

Tania DoCarmo

U.S. Director of Development, Chab Dai USA

www.chabdai.org

Christians working together to end sexual abuse and trafficking.

World Hope South Africa initiated a partnership with the Girl Guides Association of South Africa (GGASA) in public awareness raising with regards to trafficking. (Note: I believe Girl Guides are known as Girl Scouts in some countries)

 Through our partnership a TIP badge challenge has been developed called: Don’t take us for a ride.

This challenge includes age-appropriate activities for the different age groups and is expected to be implemented by approximately 20 000 girls nation-wide. These tasks include playing awareness games, drama, art and organizing TIP informational workshops. The challenge was launched in 2008. GGASA’s report on 2008 implementation will be available in 3 months time. The aim is to get an awareness message to each of the 20 000 girls but also to spread the message through them to their peers and communities.

World Hope South Africa’s direct involvement so far was limited to interaction with and training for adult leaders. This year we will be more directly involved by attending GGASA Youth camps and trainings and small groups. World Hope South Africa is currently working on curriculum materials for teaching kids and youth on personal safety and trafficking. These are meant to be age appropriate and culturally relevant to the South African context and still need a lot more fine-tuning at this stage.

GGASA, being an influential organization in South Africa has committed to do the following;

Write to the Office of the Rights of the Child and advocate re Child prostitution alert and  re 2010 soccer world cup and bring this to the attention of the media.

We believe in partnerships and have seen powerful results from partnerships in all of our programs. 

Does anyone know of other Girl Scout/Girl Guide or Boy Scout groups involved in trafficking awareness? Or models of hearing kids’ voices heard on this, or teaching children to be aware and protect themselves? Any good curriculum ideas that we can discuss?

Elske Reyneke-Barnard | World Hope South Africa

Link to an advert we created in South Africa about a year and a half ago--it has aired all over Africa and on CNN and BBC--during the periods of airing we see a drastic increase in calls to our helplines.

  http://iom.org.za/site/index.php?option=com_seyret&Itemid=52

 hope the link works, i wasn't able to attach the file in here directly.

I would love to start a discussion on World Sport Events and Human Trafficking. I continually get different messages on the effect of World Sport event on Human Trafficking particularly on the Soccer world cup in Germany – with some sources saying that it had no impact, others saying that the prevention activities were so successful that human trafficking did not increase significantly and others saying that it did increase significantly. South Africa is on the brink of a Soccer World Cup, and organizations are working to build a response and rightly so, I think.

One interesting issue that has been brought to my attention is that of the children’s vulnerability being increased by the fact that there will be no school for the six weeks of the tournament! And how do we address the vulnerability of the whole nation’s children for six weeks. My understanding is that the government is not intending to address this issue. Should we be concerned that children will be more vulnerable to being trafficked in that time? Any thoughts?

Elske Reyneke-Barnard | World Hope South Africa

During the years that I have been working on prevention strategies the one that I found more useful and with a long term impact is the one refer with the work with vulnerable communities. I have been work in Colombia for many years and we started the process pf prevention, through mass media campaigns, then we continue using  the mass media campaigns but also we started  with non traditional media such as theater, workshop with journalists, production of materials according with the specific regions and also a hotline.

These strategies were very useful but at the end the trafficking continue to happen. So we decide to change our approach on prevention, so we decide to work with local communities, in which we know that trafficking ocurrs. 

In partnership with the local goverment we began our work training the community leaders on trafficking: how to identify it, how to prevent it, but also we've  trained (the community leaders, women between 18 and 25 and children between 12 and 17 ) in some aspects such as empowerment, self esteem. For the adults we trained them on skills on how to make productive projects, accountability, IT, etc and with the children we teach them about arts.

These strategy make us confirm that the messages that are transmited by peers have more impact and also allow us to prove that when you make prevention also you have to find a tool to stop the increasing of trafficking so by giving material conditions to the vulnerable people surely will be a reduction of trafficking.

The project end but because of the excelent results right now has the support of the private sector and also the colombian goverment will reply the prevention project in other regions of Colombia in which the trafficking is high.

The demand and supply chain of trafficking can be broadly classified into - the source (from where the victim is procured), the route, (transit route of trafficking) and the market,
(the final destination of the victim). To tackle the problem at the
source, there is need for awareness campaigns to make the gullible
parents and children aware of the hazards of trafficking and enhance
community stake-holding, at the route there may be awareness campaigns
run coupled with some level of intervention like picketing; while at
the market, there may be awareness campaigns run to increase consumer
consciousness, legal interventions such as a raid to physically rescue
children and create a deterrence, public interest litigations, liaison
with the government, social institutions, media, etc.

A march or yatra is a massive grass root
level awareness and advocacy campaign that generates tremendous
orientation in favour of a social cause. From time immemorial marches
have been used to propagate faith, social awareness and independence
struggles. The case against child labor has got enormous support and
help by marches through various marches like the Global March Against
Child Labour in 1998, an 80,000 km spanning 103 countries which led to
vast public opinion against child labour and the formulation of UN
Convention 182 against worst forms of child labour. In Indian
subcontinent region also, physical marches have always had tremendous
success. 

In 1992, BBA organised its first against child labour in the carpet industry from Nagar Utari to Delhi covering the heart of carpet industry.

The Shiksha
March in 2001Marches
have thus been tools for - social change in the world, especially for
problems affecting the marginalised sections of the society.

In 2007 we saw the powerful change through the March , South Asian March Against Child Labour  that brought change in perception of people and making them aware of the traffcking of forced labour . The March along the Indo-Nepal – Bangla border covered more then 5000 km. The March was led by the former bonded child labourers joined by local people while passing through the by-lanes of cities, towns, villages and remote countryside. The vicitims narrated the story of their exploitation the procedure of trafficking which not only resulted in mass awareness but also led to 

•  Awareness on the trafficking of children and vigilance from public in India, Bangladesh and Nepal.
• Increased cooperation between the Indian, Bangladeshi and the Nepalese authorities on checking cross border trafficking.
• Increased
  knowledge and awareness leading to enhanced participation and vigilance
  on trafficking by common people, government enforcement and legal
  fraternity.
• Over time, partners’ efforts resulting in increased enforcement of anti-trafficking laws.
• Over time, partners’ efforts resulting in increased prosecution and convictions of the trafficking culprits.
• People’s groups formed for picketing at the borders, along the routes and at destination points.
• Over
  time, partners’ efforts resulting in increased knowledge of various
  laws pertaining to trafficking in the law enforcement agencies about
  various national and international laws and conventions.

http://www.globalmarch.org/childtrafficking/index.php#aboutthemarch

http://www.bba.org.in/childtrafficking/knowchildtrafficking.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8auFwN6gpo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ujsv4xNBQTM&NR=1

One frustratingly notes that often times, information on TIP exists in countries  though it may not be recognized as the issue it is, and there is sometimes little know how on how to best respond, not only in proactively rescuing victims but also ensuring that cases are pursued in a manner that would lead to successful arrests and prosecution. One of the major acitivities IOM undertakes in this regard, globally, is working with member governments to increase the capacity of its various agencies to respond.  Often times, we conduct inter-departmental trainings to simultaneously address the many 'turf' issues that exist and jointly with civil society to foster necessary linkages and cooperation mechanisms.  

At my current duty station we are training a number of government departments that have a role to play such as Health, Labour, Social Development as well as law enforcement and border guards.  We have similarly trained different such entities in regional countries and the next plan of action is to train regional countries together so that they may be able to form operational partnerships on the issue.  A large part is of course cross border and so must the response be.  This also applies for civil society. 

I am recent college graduate with a degree in international relations and an emphasis in human rights and most of what I have learned has been abstract, which is why I LOVE having the opportunity to talk to practioners who can give more substance to the concepts I have studied.Thank you New Tactics! Here are my questions:

 When studying modern slavery as a human rights issue, the question of how to pursue justice has been a troubling one in my classes.  It is hard to decide who to blame. Is it the mother who sells her daughter for money? The trafficker who brings him/her to another country? The person who buys the person for labor/sex? Leaders of countries who will not enforce laws? And, even if we could decide who is to blame, how can we administer the kind of justice that will prevent future traffickings? Is punitive jusice a realistic approach when the perpetrators are still in the same economic situation as before? How can restorative justice work in this situation?

 I know there are a lot of questions here, but what I am really interested in is how justice can be administered and people held accountable in such a complex issue and if anyone can share stories of how they have seen it work well, or perhaps how it doesnt work. 

 Thank you!!

Because we firmly believe in the power of community action, STOP THE TRAFFIK are currently piloting a new project which will (fingers crossed) hopefully lead to the rescue of women forced into the sex industry.

The ACT project (Active Communities against Trafficking) involves training local community groups to research their local sex industry and plot information they gather against known trafficking indicators. As the project is fairly huge in terms of impact and risk, we have heavily consulted the Serious Organised Crime Agency, the UK Human Trafficking Centre, trafficking experts and legal advisors. On a daily basis we are now getting letters and emails from police forces around the country saying how useful this community led information will be to their anti-trafficking efforts and that they plan to fully support ACT groups.

The project is in the process of being adapted by our wonderful partner organisations for groups in the States and Australia so we are super excited about where this could lead.

Since
1980, more than 76,000 child/bonded labourers have been freed from
brick kilns, stone quarries, domestic labour, hotels/dhabas, carpet
looms, agriculture and allied work etc. BBA could make a tiny
difference in their lives by restoring their childhood, freedom and
dignity.

BBA has triggered a ripple effect in India and the
international community. The tide is turning in favour of the children,
the small lamp has multiplied into galaxies of stars, and the sun is
now desperate to join hands with the children to play with them like a
child. A little more effort is needed... BBA calls you to join hands
now in bringing a smile – the smile of freedom, love and peace on the
face of every child.

Process of Victims' Assistance

Identification

Raid & Rescue

Post rescue shelter and rehabilitation

Repatriation

http://www.bba.org.in/programmes/india_action_week.php

I am writing on behalf of Analia Beliza Ribeiro to talk about the Brazilian Programme to Prevent and Combat the Trafficking of Human Beings (hereafter regarded as the "Programme"). As its name suggests, its a great new organization that is trying to address the issue of human trafficking in Brazil.

According to a report prepared for the UN by Ribeiro, the Programme's implementation includes the involvement and cooperation of the Center for International Crime Prevention of the Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention. It is a pilot project to combat the presence of organized crime overseas.

The main objectives of the "Programme" include:

• studying human trafficking in Brazil
• promoting educational and preventive public awareness campaigns
• installing a data bank which would presumably record incidences of human trafficking within the country but might serve other purposes as well
• increasing the availability of institutions which can provide places for inquiries regarding human trafficking
• the training of law enforcement officials and agents from civil society to deal with human trafficking.

The report speaks briefly about the problem with human trafficking as it is defined today, and suggests that in reality human trafficking is too simplified a term for a phenomenom which is multi-faceted and varies between regions but also in purpose. Ribeiro expresses the need for the distinguishment between trafficking for sexual exploitation and trafficking for forced labour. She also discusses the different expressions of sexual exploitation, which include prostitution, sexual tourism, and trafficking. This I believe reflects the complex nature of human trafficking and this is something that must be taken into account when trying to address the problem.

Ribeira states that sexual tourism is an growing industry which violates human digity and unfortunately is only legally considered in Brazil when it involves violence, deception, and coercion. She argues that we must develop a more specific definition that identifies forms of involuntary and voluntary trafficking, as well as the "wedding market", and migration.

Ribeiro states in her report that prejudice and sexism play an important role in the political and instititutional relations that affect everyday life in Brazil. She adds that the economic and social stability of countries experiencing human trafficking are reliant on these prejudices and sexism to divide workers into select groups, thus creating a lack of solidarity. Without solidarity, it is difficult for minority groups to question or attempt to change the status quo. The report states that sexual exploitation often occurs with the colloboration of the family and as a result of commercialization nets that effect both children and adolescents.

The report also states that the nature of human trafficking varies between each Brazilian state, and as a way to address that, the "Programme" aims to adopt a preventative and combative system in each state that reflects the social realities of that particular state. The aim of the program includes political, technical, and methodological support to each state but also on
an international level. The "Programme" combines policy power from a variety of societal actors (NGOs, mass media, and universities) but also from the three branches of the Brazilian government. Ribeiro suggests that in order to fully address the situation of human trafficking, a multitude of actors and partnerships must be realized. This includes actors on both
governmental and public levels. Also, in using a systematic appoach the "Programme" aims to further develop and foster relationships between institutions working in human rights and specifically on human trafficking.

The "Programme" bases its existence and work on the following principles: ethics, compromise, partnership, public transparency, interdisciplinary, legality and respect to human rights. After 9 months of operation, the "Programme" has already been involved in 28 cases and worked with 245 victims (as of the date of the report, 12 November 2002). It has additionally interacted with 288 institutions. The people working on the team for the implementation of public policy are volunteers who give their time, knowledge and experience in order to help construct an effective system to combat organized crime abroad.

For more information on human trafficking in Brazil, here are some links to YouTube videos on the subject (note: they're in Portuguese).

video 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zurEwbjXdEc

video 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO-XfCUz1jM

video 3  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFyf2mjZMCE

I agree with Mariam regarding the importance of engaging traditional and religious leaders. In some places, for example in countries in West Africa sucha as Ghana, where the practice of Trokosi still exists. This is a system of servitude that meets the community need for justice and the
material and sexual needs of fetish priests. Women and young girls are
brought and kept in servitude in fetish shrines to atone for sins or crimes
allegedly committed by one of their relatives. The work to eradicate this practice has created the need to strick a very delicate balance with these traditional leaders and the communities that see them as vital to their community well-being. Engaging these traditional leaders themselves in eradicting the practice of such bondage is critical to transforming the communities themselves. New Tactics has a tactical notebook, Powerful Persuasion that shares innovative ways in which these traditional leaders have been engaged in freeing women and girls.

Nancy Pearson, New Tactics in Human Rights Program Manager

Elaborating on the postings made by Nancy, Mariam (SA) and colleagues from IOM Chisinau  

Faith based organizations maintain significant influence on Ukrainian society, and should take active part in prevention of trafficking, identification of its victims and providing assistance to them. Below are some of the facts from the IOM Ukraine on how to engage religious leaders and communities in the fight against human trafficking.  

417 members of Ukrainian Orthodox Church clergy in 7 regions of Ukraine underwent training on prevention of trafficking in persons and identification and referral of victims based on the previously developed training module.   

October 2-6, 2007 - International Inter-confessional Conference for the first time in the history of Orthodox Church, representatives of Armenian, Belarusian, Russian, Moldovan, Polish, Romanian and Ukrainian churches, state authorities, international organizations (25 persons total) gathered under its auspices to discuss issues related to participation of Churches and faith-based organizations in countering trafficking in persons. The aim of the conference was to establish cross-border co-operation between churches against trafficking in human beings. In a long-term perspective it is to result in a church-based network working against trafficking in human beings. The Conference had a three-fold task: 1) raising awareness and taking stock of the extent and areas of trafficking from and within the countries of ex-USSR; 2) reflecting on the Churches´ commitment against trafficking and its theological and biblical foundation and the specific contribution of the church against modern slavery; 3) highlighting and celebrating the existing commitment and activity of the churches across Europe against trafficking, with a specific focus on churches of the Orthodox tradition. The conference participants adopted an Address to the International and All-Ukrainian Councils of Churches, religious organizations, communities, religious leaders and state authorities, and international organizations on support to church initiatives against trafficking in persons. 

March against Slavery (Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church) As part of its efforts to further engage religious communities into counter-trafficking work, Caritas Charitable Foundation of Sambir and Drohobych Eparchies of the UGCC in cooperation with the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church organized a march against modern-day slavery. 97 persons, including Ukrainian labour migrants returned from abroad and their families, teachers and students, doctors, government officials, religious workers, including those from foreign eparchies of UGCC and others began the march on 1 August, and their number grown to 145 by the end of the event ten days later. The total distance was equal to 270 km.  During the march, its participants disseminated information through lectures, personal consultations, sharing of experience and distribution of thematic handouts on dangers of irregular migration and trafficking among dwellers of local towns and villages that they passed and prayed together for those who suffered of various forms of exploitation abroad.

Hello, we here at IOM Chisinau fully agree with our S.A. colleague! Working on economic empowerment is crucial both to prevention and assistance, and in Moldova especially increasing opportunties available to young people of vulnerable social/economic profile is central to CT work. Building partnerships between national actors that can provide viable employment/training opportunities is a part of CT efforts, e.g. IOM supported shelter is linked with vocational training school and in projects we usually apply for funding for both so that the assistance packages to beneficiaries are complete and sustainable.On FBOs we would like to share an initiative IOM carried out with several religious org.s in Moldova, raising awareness among clerical staff about trafficking and empowering them to prevent but also to deal with cases: identify and refer for assistance. pastoral care has not traditionally been the strong point of Orthodox church in ex-soviets, but with the right attitude and approach there has been chance for some good cooperation in this. A part of the project was (and is) organisation of a National Prayer Day (first Sunday in December). In Moldova trafficking is linked to mass migration and because of this phenomenon, the National Prayer Day addressed all affected by migration: the emotional cost for those left behind, those trafficked, those returned etc. Getting FBOs and the Orthodox church in particular invloved in the migration/trafficking field will help with Vot reintegraton just by hopefully lessening the stigma. Furthermore, the role of FBO staff can be also in actual assistance: if a VoT is for example active in church, reintegration with the help of parish etc. can be an option. However, also eg the attitude to abortion of Orthdox church can also be a big problem for the same group of people who are vulnerable to trafficking due to difficult social situation or to people who have experienced trafficking and return with unwanted pregnancies etc. IOM Chisinau Prevention and Protection Team (Blaec and Elina) www.iom.md   

Susan Atwood, Instructor, University of Minnesota’s Leadership : Leadership for Global Citizenship.

What Marian said in her posting about a multi pronged approach really resonated with me. Awareness is one thing, but unless BOTH traffickers and their victims have economically viable alternatives, this problem will continue. So we need to look at programs such as the Grameen bank, small loans to women program; the Kiva micro credit program; subsidies to enable parents to keep their kids, especially girls, in school.  It is all to easy to take a moralistic stance on trafficking and child labor, but we need to go to the root of the issue - poverty - and engage in creative thinking and partnerships that promote economic empowerment. Taking a multi pronged or holistic approach is more complex but ultimately the only strategy that has a chance of suceeding in the long term to eradicate the curse of trafficking.

This is very interesting. In Ukraine we have the economic empowerment program as a part of victim reintegration. I will talk on this in the following days. However I saw examples of successful economic development initiatives to prevent human trafficking in Moldova and Belarus.

May you please tell more on the activities you undertake, means which you use to implement this prevention initiative in South Africa? 

Ms. Svitlana Batsyukova

Counter-trafficking Program

IOM Mission in Ukraine

During my research for this topic I noticed that one of the most cited problems when combating trafficking is the number of parties that must be involved to combat the whole process.  Because the supply and demand are usually in two seperate countries and each country may have multiple organizations to combat the various parts of the problems. (ie. Immigration, local law enforcement, etc.. in the United States).

Have their been any attempts at cross-border initatives to combat such a problem? If so I would enjoy hearing about them.   

Why is it that birth registration isn't happening in these places? As far as I know, birth registration is a given in the United States. I don't know what the process is, but I am wondering why it is a problem in Sudan. The process is a key element to any situation and maybe that can help in solving this problem.

What about when a minority is despised? For example in Cambodia for those who are Vietnamese birth or alien registartion could provide information of their whereabouts to a potentially hostile administration.  This is a genuine question of concern. Is it a good idea in this kind of environment? 

Dr. Glenn Miles, Director of Prevention, Love 146

www.Love146.org is involved in aftercare and prevention primarily in Southeast and South Asia

I agree that interrupting human trafficking at entry points can help to stop the practice.  I have been working on a birth registration campaign in Southern Sudan, and in my research I have found that in several Asian countries, and particularly Vietnam, there have been efforts at the border to halt trafficking.  These efforts include measures so that police can request a child's birth certificate from adults traveling with a child at any time, and that a lack of birth certificate can serve as an obstacle when pursuing or punishing traffickers.  Indeed, this certain requires that NGO workers will have to station their staff at bordres and get involved in the monitoring process. In addition, it might be helpful to train other border workers so as to have more wide-reaching effects.  As is generally the case, the stabilization of the economic and political situation will allow for more to be done in cases of human rights abuses, and will also provide the opportunity to make laws tougher in terms of preventing and cracking down on humn rights abuses.  The problems are systemic and must be addressed as such.

Addressing the socio-economic problems of people in the country of origin is a major tool to help to stop human trafficking. But, as underdeveloped countries that many of us are, we know how dificult is empowering people and reducing their demand of basic needs. It is a non stop effort for many many years , our history tells us about. We may have many projects, very helpful and effective, but they can not address  all the needs of the poor polutation, they can not take care of tmillions of youngsters that are looking for a chance, for surviving, for helping their families.  This is why  the complexity of the human trafficking needs integration of many diferent agencies and people, community leaders, and time, and hope.  The absence of this integration and a common strategy  means trowing away resources and time.  Slavery,  child labor, crime, accepting sexual explotation still being considering an opportuniy, a chance in many countries. It is very sad, but we know that that many  families accept this situation to one of the child because they need this money to feed  the siblings and the elders. 

To stop people at the borders is necessary; to be sure they are part of the family (and here comes the birth certificate issue again); to have access to data about who is who; to be able to 'feel' the special suspect in these cases. And to have laws, good police work, the awareness of local leaders, teachers, judges.

Hello from IOM Chisinau. Congratulations on your partnership with the NGO and in tackling demand side in your area. We would like to underline, however, that prostitution and trafficking are by no means the same thing: not all prostitutes are victims of trafficking, and not all trafficking victims end up in prostitution.

From a developing country perspective law enforcement approach is also very untenable, as officials are sometimes even partial to the crime, and in best case scenario untrained/unaware/under resourced to deal with the issue. Also in developing countries, however, it is clear that the classical 3 Ps are all needed: prevention, protection and prosecution. Often in developed countries, however, the emphasis is on the last one, and not least because of the US State Dept GTiP report many governments look to prosecution only as the true indicator. However, trafficking by nature is very hard to tackle from the LE approach only, and as it is often linked to irregular migration it is often beyond the reach/capacity of official bodies and the role of non-state actors is therefore crucial.

 It is an interesting question how the demand for commercial sex could be influenced and what kind of effect this could have on trafficking. So far, there is only Sweden where all buying of sex is criminalised, but unfortunately there are yet no substantial reports on the effect this has had on trafficking for sexual exploitation. In Moldova, and in very many other countries like it, unfortunately those providing sexual services for money are treated as criminals: while the Sedish model is based on the idea of protecting vulnerable women/children from exploitation, in some countries the same people are still punished, i.e. the law on prostitution/pimping is not aimed at protection of the weaker party. However, simultaneously trafficking victims in prostitution are victims - between these two extremes there certainly are people who fall into the wrong category. 

IOM Chisinau Prevention and Protection Team (Blaec and Elina)

www.iom.md

Hello from snowy Minnesota!

Thanks to John Bandemer
for his comments on the prosecution of patrons.  I wanted to add a bit to his comment
about the “John
Schools.”  If a patron is brought before a judge in
the metropolitan area of Minneapolis/St. Paul, that judge will typically fine a
patron and may also order the patron to “stay away” from the area
where they were arrested.  They may
also sentence patrons to diversion programs, or “John Schools”
that address the impact of prostitution on persons in prostitution, on communities,
on the patron’s family, and on the patrons themselves. Typically, such
programs discuss the health, emotional and community effects that prostitution
has on a family, a neighborhood and a city.  If patrons do not complete the course in Minneapolis, they must
return to court and will have a conviction on their record.  For an example of a neighborhood program
which includes a “John
School,” see http://www.ppna.org/node/21.

It is unclear what added deterrent effect
these programs have beyond the interaction with the criminal justice system (See
Scott and Dedel, Community Oriented
Policing Service (COPS), Street Prostitution 22 (2d ed. 2006)). Whatever
the consequence, we found that in the experience of the interviewees for our Sex
Trafficking Needs Assessment for the State of Minnesota, most patrons do
not re-offend after being arrested. 
However, it is not clear whether patrons stop buying sex via street
prostitution, or whether they adapt and purchase sex in off-street prostitution
venues instead.  Regardless of where
patrons buy sex, focusing resources on prosecuting patrons would contribute to
reducing the demand for commercial sex, and thereby reduce the numbers of
trafficking victims.  

Mary Ellingen
Women’s Program Staff Attorney
The Advocates for Human Rights
650 South Third Avenue, Suite 550
Minneapolis, MN  55402-1940  USA
Tel:  612-341-3302, ext. 132
Fax:  612-341-2971
mellingen [at] advrights [dot] org
www.theadvocatesforhumanrights.org \ www.StopVAW.org

Pronab Mohanty

Superintendent of Police, Central Bureau of Investigation, India,

Currently attached to University of Minnesota as a Humphrey International Scholar.

The course of legal enforcement described by Sgt. Bandemer is, to an extent, followed in India as well. Additionally we may have the sex worker booked for practising her trade in a public area. Usually the sex worker in India is a trafficking victim and has little or no control on her actions. In a sense she gets penalized twice over. Additionally, after being booked in a 'petty' case she is back on the streets again. To this extent, there is a significant degree of recidivism. To counter this there has been a new focus amongst the police in India to take a more holistic view of things and try and rehabilitate the sex worker in a more sustainable profession by networking with NGOs or social activists.

   India also has anti trafficking laws targeting the customers. But, as a police officer I must admit the results have not been as heartening as in Minneapolis/St. Paul described by Sgt. Bandemer. Perhaps this approach will bear better fruits if we combine the penalization with some sort of education for the 'customer' offender.

Thanks for your comments Jovana and also Dr. Miles. Jovana, your reference to the Model Law on the Procedure for Recognition of Persons Before the Law was very interesting and I'm exited to do more research about the implications it might have in other countries.  As you mentioned the Roma community, I thought of a tactic which might be helpful which is based on human rights abuses within the Roma community living in Hungary.  The tactic is called Testing for Discrimination: Indentifying and Prosecuting Human Rights abuses, and essentially involves testing for discrimination against a minority group.  The link is:  http://www.newtactics.org/en/TestingForDiscrimination, and I think it might help to respond to Dr. Miles question about whether registration is a good idea in communities where minorities are discriminated against.  The concept is that in creating a network of volunteers to monitor compliance with international human rights commitments at a local level, the international community can effectively demonstrate that they are aware that discrimination is occuring -- which would in turn encourage the cease of discriminatory practices. 

The Model Law is definitely a step in the right direction in terms of making sure that minorities can be registered without the fear of persecution by the government. The Model Law stipulates that persons who are legally invisible (not registered at birth) are prevented from exercising their basic human rights such as the right to health care, social welfare, education, labor, etc.  This has the implications that the state cannot effectively counter things such as protecting children who are trafficked, the problem of girls being forced into marriage before they are legally eligible etc.  Thus, these rights are integral to the human rights and well-being of a child.  This demonstrates just how important the registration of a child is, and there are many more reasons I haven't listed here.

The Model Law has not been passed, but would provide smooth access for birth registration and calls for proactive measures to be applied by the state in order to counter some of the reasons why parents haven't been registering children. While birth registration has the potential to put minorities at risk in some places, I believe that with the proper legislation, oversight, and enforcement, the international community can help in preventing this from happening.  Although I don't know much about the case in Cambodia other than that the Vietnamese community is discriminated against, after doing some research it seems that there are some ways in which the international community could effectively prevent birth registration from resulting in discriminatory practices. 

Paradoxically, while some minorities have avoided being registered out of fear, there has also been a deliberate element to the lack of birth registration of particular groups which are excluded due to discriminatory policies that are intended to minimize the size of ethnic minorities for both political reasons and to avoid provisions of assistance to immigrants.  So the issue is very complicated, especially when there is the involvement of minorities that are historically persecuted within a country.  Here are my thoughts on the matter, and I'd love for people to comment on what they think.  First of all, birth registration requires trained staff with necessary equipment.  I think that the training methods must integrate the importance of the privacy of records, and the importance of making sure the records are not used for the wrong purposes.  Because in many of the places where birth registration isn't occuring NGO's are helping with the training, these same NGO's could make sure to integrate anti-discriminatory practices into training.  Secondly, Nancy had brought up the issue of WATCH and their red clipboards and whether their tactic might be effectively adapted to address the issue of human trafficking.  My thought is, what if in places in which the government had been known to persecute minorities, the process of birth registration was accompanied with a WATCH-like organization who might make groups aware on both sides that the process was being watched or monitored and there were people making sure that the information was being used for the correct purposes.  This would require networking of both governmental and non-governmental groups, but could provide one solution to the problem of information being misused.  I'd like to hear more about what people are doing in terms of registration or government practices which might put minority populations and risk and how to prevent it.

Thanks for your comments Jovana and also Dr. Miles. Jovana, your reference to the Model Law on the Procedure for Recognition of Persons Before the Law was very interesting and I'm exited to do more research about the implications it might have in other countries.  As you mentioned the Roma community, I thought of a tactic which might be helpful which is based on human rights abuses within the Roma community living in Hungary.  The tactic is called Testing for Discrimination: Indentifying and Prosecuting Human Rights abuses, and essentially involves testing for discrimination against a minority group.  The link is:  http://www.newtactics.org/en/TestingForDiscrimination, and I think it might help to respond to Dr. Miles question about whether registration is a good idea in communities where minorities are discriminated against.  The concept is that in creating a network of volunteers to monitor compliance with international human rights commitments at a local level, the international community can effectively demonstrate that they are aware that discrimination is occuring -- which would in turn encourage the cease of discriminatory practices. 

The Model Law is definitely a step in the right direction in terms of making sure that minorities can be registered without the fear of persecution by the government. The Model Law stipulates that persons who are legally invisible (not registered at birth) are prevented from exercising their basic human rights such as the right to health care, social welfare, education, labor, etc.  This has the implications that the state cannot effectively counter things such as protecting children who are trafficked, the problem of girls being forced into marriage before they are legally eligible etc.  Thus, these rights are integral to the human rights and well-being of a child.  This demonstrates just how important the registration of a child is, and there are many more reasons I haven't listed here.

The Model Law has not been passed, but would provide smooth access for birth registration and calls for proactive measures to be applied by the state in order to counter some of the reasons why parents haven't been registering children. While birth registration has the potential to put minorities at risk in some places, I believe that with the proper legislation, oversight, and enforcement, the international community can help in preventing this from happening.  Although I don't know much about the case in Cambodia other than that the Vietnamese community is discriminated against, after doing some research it seems that there are some ways in which the international community could effectively prevent birth registration from resulting in discriminatory practices. 

Paradoxically, while some minorities have avoided being registered out of fear, there has also been a deliberate element to the lack of birth registration of particular groups which are excluded due to discriminatory policies that are intended to minimize the size of ethnic minorities for both political reasons and to avoid provisions of assistance to immigrants.  So the issue is very complicated, especially when there is the involvement of minorities that are historically persecuted within a country.  Here are my thoughts on the matter, and I'd love for people to comment on what they think.  First of all, birth registration requires trained staff with necessary equipment.  I think that the training methods must integrate the importance of the privacy of records, and the importance of making sure the records are not used for the wrong purposes.  Because in many of the places where birth registration isn't occuring NGO's are helping with the training, these same NGO's could make sure to integrate anti-discriminatory practices into training.  Secondly, Nancy had brought up the issue of WATCH and their red clipboards and whether their tactic might be effectively adapted to address the issue of human trafficking.  My thought is, what if in places in which the government had been known to persecute minorities, the process of birth registration was accompanied with a WATCH-like organization who might make groups aware on both sides that the process was being watched or monitored and there were people making sure that the information was being used for the correct purposes.  This would require networking of both governmental and non-governmental groups, but could provide one solution to the problem of information being misused.  I'd like to hear more about what people are doing in terms of registration or government practices which might put minority populations and risk and how to prevent it.

Blaec and Elina,

Your examples of cultural sensitivity are really useful. In Cambodia I was involved in helping develop a karaoke video training pack for youth and children that helped youth to understand that different forms of abuse and trafficking are wrong in the belief that it would help them gain confidence if they heard from outside what they often seemed to know instinctively themselves. We found karaoke to be a culturally appropriate medium. But I think we are often working with 2 sub-cultures at the same time; one that values virginity and another which values the right to have sex and of course these can be contradictory. How do we challenge the latter sub-culture of many men?

Dr. Glenn Miles, Director of Prevention, Love 146

www.Love146.org is involved in aftercare and prevention primarily in Southeast and South Asia 

Excellent questions, John!

Your points were also articulated by the FBI  at Downtown Minneapolis. They asked us (the University of Minnesota Law School Humphrey Fulbright Fellows) why there is a great disparity between the statistical report of NGOs and FBI/local police.  We answered that there are many factors but the most glaring one is the different interpretation -- or I dare say, framework -- use to understand the definition of "trafficking in persons."  There are operational, legal, and internationally-set standards in defining trafficking.  I think the NGOs  always attempt to reconcile the definitions of the domestic law and the international trafficking in persons protocol. 

I guess the question is not a matter of modifying domestic definition to fit the NGO's purpose, thus, increasing the reported number of clients. For NGOs, it's a matter of providing the widest range of direct services to these prostituted/trafficked women and children and respecting later the trafficked person's opinion that s/he does not find her/himself "fitting within the box." Having worked with trafficked persons, I find it extremely helpful if the woman or child personally identifies herself as 'prostituted' or 'trafficked.'   

As service providers, it is not for us to determine who is or who isn't a victim. I'm even uncomfortable with the word "victim" because I see it as a disempowering term to call them.  I'd rather use the label "trafficked person," "trafficked woman/child." But I understand your difficult predicament especially so that a case begins with police investigation and for purposes of filing a case it is a standard operating procedure to identify a victim (or a complainant.) However, I also want to emphasize that most  anti-trafficking laws do not aptly and categorically put within the definition of 'victim'  the "prostituted person-turned-pimp-turned trafficker." But does that make that individual less of a 'victim' and more of an 'offender?' 

Prostitution is systemic in any cultural and racial context. If a once-prostituted person eventually graduate to the role of a pimp, a mama san, a nightclub manager, a wife of a bar owner, an illegal recruiter, or a trafficker, it is because of the total failure of the family, the community, the State to provide her a chance to get out of that exploitative situation. There might be a wide array of reintegration, educational, and alternative livelihood programs available for prostituted/trafficked persons. But we still have to work more on family and community education to prepare them so they could help ensure that a prostituted/trafficked person's coming home would not feel ostracized and condemned -- and eventually pushed back to the world that preys on human flesh. 

Hello from Chisinau! Just a few points to clarify our earlier comment that not all prostitutes are victims of trafficking and in light of what John you write here:

- Frist of all, the fact that not all prostitutes are VoTs does not mean that they should not be considered first and foremost in need of supportive social measures, and not as criminals! That is the point of eg the Swedish legislation: selling sex is never a crimial act as the premise is that it is either an individual choice, and/or that choice is based on a false 'freedom' (poverty, being a VoT etc). The point that prostitutes are not necessarily trafficked does not mean that their needs are that different. A very small precentage of prostitutes globally are not victims of trafficking/pimping/exploitation/violence - so the point of these NGOs you mention could be to offer needs-based support, which might not diffrentiate a prostitute and a VoT, because the needs of the person can be exactly the same. But yes indeed, all exploited people/prostitutes etc. are not VoTs. The matter of historical victims is indeed difficult, and as we mentioned, in Moldova it seems some of the recrtuiters convicted are former victims.

- Secondly, victims or suspected victims should never be arrested! Going into a brothel etc LE should be accompanied by social workers, NGO representatives etc. who offer eg medical services and other support - this would be the way to reach out/identify VoTs among prostitutes, not arresting them!

- Thirdly, on the question who decides who the victims are - all countries have their own legislation, usually based on Palermo protocol. However, if we also actually did enforce international human rights agreements (and in Europe e.g. the CE convention of trafficking) it would be the experience of the person which is the defining factor. So it's really a matter of interpretation and to get the relevant info a real human-rights based approach is needed, which can be very time consuming.

IOM Chisinau Prevention and Protection Team (Blaec and Elina)

www.iom.md

Svitlana, thanks for your patience.  First of all, we also provide victims with comprehensive assistance, which includes within reingetration or intengration the establishment of business plans and associated businesses, schooling etc , whatever the victim chooses under a grant of usd 2000 to help them rebuild their lives and prevent retrafficking from occuring.

 My earlier reference was made to economic stabilization of persons perceived as vulnerable to TIP, and at this stage is focused on women, based on our understanding and experience in this region of who gets trafficked--most.  Please find hereunder the details and please come back to me with any further questions that you may have. 

TARGET GROUP  The target group of the employment assistance programme (income generating), are particularly vulnerable women, for whom the access to information and employment opportunities are the most limited.  The target group is unemployed women aged 16 to 30 particularly from the border areas within Southern African region. These potential beneficiaries are not only in a deprived socio-economic situation, but they are also a group at high risk of being lured into trafficking networks. Additionally, these individuals experience gender inequality in their communities and in the labour market, adding to their economic and social instability.In particular, the programme will focus on beneficiaries selected according to high vulnerability factors including: single parent mothers, victims of domestic violence and low skilled women.  

identification of Beneficiaries

 The beneficiaries will be selected according to their vulnerability and the viability of their income generating project proposals.  Vulnerability will be assessed based on their age, marital status, education and qualification levels, socio-economic condition and place of residence. Priority will be given to single parent mothers, victims of domestic violence and other abuse, women earning below minimum wage and low skilled women.  The viability of their proposed business ideas will be based on: economic viability; operational feasibility; potential for employment creation and sustainability; the applicant’s relevant working experience or proven skills in the area of proposed business activity.The selection process will be carried out by IOM in collaboration with selected partner NGOs with proven experience in community development or related field.

Development and Selection of Business Ideas:

Micro-grants assistance will be provided to selected beneficiaries aspiring to become entrepreneurs with business ideas found to be potentially viable. An Information Sheet outlining the eligibility criteria and basic conditions for receiving grant assistance and a pre-designed Business Plan will be developed and distributed locally by the respective partner NGOs to the selected beneficiaries.  The detailed Business Plans will include a description of the proposed service/product, the targeted market, a needs assessment and the projected cash flow. Constant assistance will be provided by the partner NGOs in collaboration with the IOM staff in the development of business concepts. Once completed by the applicant, the Business Plan will be received by the partner NGOs and submitted to IOM staff. IOM staff in collaboration with the respective NGO will assess the applicants’ business proposal and give a preliminary verification that the eligibility criteria have been met.  The appraisal process will include verification visits to determine economic, operational and technical viability of the proposed business activity. Following a positive appraisal of an applicant’s proposal and the assessment of the candidate’s character through individual meetings, IOM staff will approve the project.   

small business establishement

 Prior to the commitment of the grant, an agreement will be signed outlining the terms under which the grant is being given. The maximum value of the grant will be USD2, 000. Grants will generally be used for: ·        The purchase of equipment and machinery; ·        The purchase of start-up raw materials. IOM/NGO partner will be responsible for procuring the needed materials or equipment.In the course of project implementation, IOM staff will be available at scheduled intervals to provide additional business advice to beneficiaries. IOM staff will encourage programme beneficiaries to take advantage of networking possibilities with new and existing businesses in the target region and beyond by linking them with business associations.  

monitoring  Up to 3 unannounced visits (including the final evaluation visit) will be made by the responsible programme staff to ensure enterprise success and provide a maximum amount of support and advice for the start-up businesses. These visits will further ensure compliance with the terms of the agreement.Two months following the provision of materials and equipment, the beneficiary’s enterprise will be visited for a final evaluation to determine its success and sustainability prospects.   

In response to our colleague from the Philippines, who currently is enduring a really
cold Minnesota
winter (sorry about that!) I wanted to highlight a
good practice that we found when researching our report Sex
Trafficking Needs Assessment for the State of Minnesota.  With regard to the understandable reluctance
of a trafficked person to testify in court due to threats and pressure from
multiple sources, independent evidence-based prosecutions, which rely on
evidence other than the trafficked woman’s testimony to secure a
prosecution, are a good practice alternative for prosecutors.  The United
Nations Recommended Principles and Guidelines on Human Rights and Human
Trafficking advocates for states to “encourage and support the
development of proactive investigatory procedures that avoid over-reliance on
victim testimony.”  Also,
independent evidence-based prosecutions have been promoted in domestic violence
cases as a way to take pressure off the battered woman in the batterer’s
prosecution.

While these types of prosecutions require
more complex investigative work by law enforcement, they enhance the likelihood
of successful prosecution in all cases, particularly those in which
victim-witnesses cannot testify.  Author
Fiona David said the following about the application of this practice to
trafficking cases: 

Some law enforcement
agencies have gone further by adopting proactive approaches to detecting and
investigating trafficking.  The objective
of a proactive approach is to investigate, arrest and
prosecute traffickers without having to rely on the cooperation and testimony
of the victim.  The intention is not to
disenfranchise the victims but to respond to the fact that a victim’s
testimony will not always be forthcoming or available.  It relies on intelligence gathering, human and
technical surveillance, undercover deployments and standard investigative
techniques.

This approach was
developed by the United Kingdom Metropolitan Police and has been incorporated
into police training around the world.

For more information, see Fiona David, Law Enforcement Responses to Trafficking in Persons:  Challenges and Emerging Good Practice, Trends
& Issues in Crime and Criminal Justice, Dec. 2007, available at http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/tandi2/tandi347.html.

Mary Ellingen
Women’s Program Staff Attorney
The Advocates for Human Rights
650 South Third Avenue, Suite 550
Minneapolis, MN  55402-1940  USA
Tel:  612-341-3302, ext. 132
Fax:  612-341-2971
mellingen [at] advrights [dot] org
www.theadvocatesforhumanrights.org \ www.StopVAW.org

Amy Avellano wanted to share this article that she has written on the use of the Forensic Video Tape Interview as a way to protect minors who have been trafficked while providing evidence for prosecutions. 

She writes:

This [paper] attempts to see how forensic videotape interview can be used to protect trafficked minors.

This paper is intended to open a discussion among key players who are involved in conducting forensic videotape interview of trafficked minors. It concentrates on the issue of internal trafficking of children. It focuses on girl-children since they are the subjects that the author often encounters.  

Nancy Pearson, New Tactics in Human Rights Program Manager

John, thank you for sharing your experience regarding video taped evidence as an excellent tool to obtain critical information for investigating cases while keeping the needs of victims paramount in that process.

Obtaining forensic evidence in cases of human trafficking will most certainly have their own unique aspects. I want to offer some excellent tools that have been developed by those working with surivovrs of torture. These tools may be helpful for those working in the area of human trafficking as well.

The Istanbul Protocol (this link is to a downloadable PDF version) is the first set of international
guidelines for documentation of torture and its consequences and set down in the Manual on Effective Investigation and Documentation of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment
(known as the "Istanbul Protocol"). It became
a United Nations official document in 1999 and is available in a number
of languages on the United Nations web site. The Istanbul Protocol
provides a set of guidelines for the assessment of persons who allege
torture and ill treatment, for investigating cases of alleged torture,
and for reporting such findings to the judiciary and any other
investigative body.

The International Rehabiliative Council on Torture, located in Demark, has developed a series of practical guides for lawyers, medical doctors and psychologists that are available for free download from their website.

For those practicing in the United States, the Physicians for Human Rights has developed a helpful guide: Examining Asylum Seekers: A Health Professional's Guide to Medical and Psychological Evaluations of Torture. This document
includes detailed US immigration policy information and sample
affidavits, as well as specific guidelines for evaluating torture
survivors.

Nancy Pearson, New Tactics in Human Rights Program Manager

I want to expand on what Sergeant Bandemer wrote about the effectiveness of forensic
videotape interviews of young victims of trafficking.  Not only can these important safeguards
be useful in the initial investigation of a case, but the State of Minnesota has enacted a
law which allows for the use of pre-recorded and simultaneous closed-circuit
testimony in court of some juveniles:

When a child under twelve years old
testifies about crimes of violence, physical abuse, sexual contact or sexual
penetration, a state court:

may, upon its own motion or upon the
motion of any party, order that the testimony of the child be taken in a room
other than the courtroom or in the courtroom and televised at the same time by
closed-circuit equipment, or recorded for later showing to be viewed by the
jury in the proceeding, to minimize the trauma to the child of testifying in
the courtroom setting and, where necessary, to provide a setting more amenable
to securing the child witness’s uninhibited, truthful testimony.
(Minnesota Statute Sec. 595.02, subd. 4(a))

In criminal proceedings, only the judge,
defense attorneys, prosecutors and “any person whose presence would
contribute to the welfare and well-being of the child, and persons necessary to
operate the recording or closed-circuit equipment” may be present during
the child’s testimony.  In
such cases, the court may take measures to ensure that the defendant can see
and hear the testimony, but the child witness cannot see or hear the defendant.
 For example, the defendant may
watch a simultaneous broadcast of the child’s testimony from another
room. (Minn.
Stat/ Sec. 595.02 subds 4 (b) and (c).

Mary Ellingen
Women’s Program Staff Attorney
The Advocates for Human Rights
650 South Third Avenue, Suite 550
Minneapolis, MN  55402-1940  USA
Tel:  612-341-3302, ext. 132
Fax:  612-341-2971
mellingen [at] advrights [dot] org
www.theadvocatesforhumanrights.org \ www.StopVAW.org

Hi Blaec and Elina, am very impressed with the work of IOM Moldova. I would like to know more about the guards trainning program. Would you like to send me more details, the issues you cover, the number of hours, criterias of choosing wich borders, and others? Thank you very much.

A very successful example of cooperation between the NGO and the State Border Guards Service, was set in Odessa (South Ukraine) in recent years. The NGO and specially trained border guards successfully identifies 750 victims among the deportees from Turkey. The victims were identifies in Odessa seaport and airport. All victims were referred for further assistance.  

In 2008, 96 victims were identified among the returnees from Poland, in the cooperation between the NGO from Volyn (border with Poland) and State Border Guards Service

Ms. Svitlana Batsyukova

Counter-trafficking Program

IOM Mission in Ukraine

Dear Amjad Ali

Thank you for sharing this info from the USG TIP report.  I worked extensively on TIP in Pakistan up until three years ago and was involved in the creation of the ordinance and its rules, followed by training of the FIA and establishment of Anti-tip units in various parts of the country. We also wrote a national plan of action.

You are very right that trafficking is a big issue, however more so for women than most others.  The issue of camel jockey children, which was a key concern of mine was i thought for the most part taken care off.  I remember there was a special programme funded by the UAE under which most of the children were brought back and eventually reunited with their families, mostly based in the Rahim Yar Khan area. My question is do you have information of children still being trafficked for this purpose? If you have concerns on trafficking you should get in touch with the Migration Management Cell of the Ministry of Interior--they have a lot of information and can provide any information that you may have to the right people to follow up.

thanks

i have not worked in Pakistan for sometime but can tell you from my experience there that we did not come across any such instances as described in your question.  we conducted the first research on trafficking in Pakistan at the time as well, but nothing of this nature was documented.  That may also be because we covered the issue of trafficking for the purpose of organ removal, however organ trafficking by itself is not for our purposes considered Trafficking under the Palermo Protocol.  If a person is trafficked for the purpose of being exploited by the removal of organs, we would consider that trafficking.

I do know however that there were  rare instances outside of the ambit of our work, where one would hear of instances of malpractice in relation to transplants.  In such instances, organs donated for particular cases of assistance or those that were 'next in line' for a donor, were sold or awarded instead to persons who would be able to pay an extra amount for those organs.

i hope this helps

Svitlana, you brought a very important point.

In a research conduct in the larger city in Brazil (Sao Paulo, population about 16 millions), with people returning to the country for not being accepted in airports, or being sent back by the justice of other countries, more than 80% were transgender or men. All these were going out of the country to work at the sex activities outside, and by their free wish. 

The trafficking aimed to forced labor or to exploiting labor is most diretcted to men. In Brazil , in the rural areas, forests, mines,  is almost exclusively composed by men recruited from diferent regions of the country. The exploitation in small industries at the cities is aimed to both, including very young teens, many of them smuggled from Bolivia, China and Korea or other disempowered people. 

Further to our Ukraine colleague's comments here's a link to IOM publication titled  

 Trafficking of men - a trend less considered : The case of Belarus and Ukraine

 http://www.iom.int/jahia/Jahia/cache/offonce/pid/1674?entryId=20571

IOM Chisinau Prevention and Protection Team (Blaec and Elina)

www.iom.md

Hi, Svitlana, cold you please tell me if this research was about different kinds of male trafficking? Or about trafficking for labor explotation, or for sending illegal migrants abroad? Thank you for the information.