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fraction of the energy on which the storm thrived -- maybe as much as 10 percent, he said. He said that many of Sandy's odd features, including its large scale, derived from its origin as a merger of two weather systems that converged in the western Atlantic. "My view is that a lot of this is chance," he said. "A |
hybrid storm is certainly one which is always in the cards." Globally, the ocean rose about 8 inches in the past century, and the rate seems to have accelerated to about a foot a century. Scientists say most of the rise is a direct consequence of human-induced climate change. Ocean water expands when it warms, accounting for some of the |
rise, and land ice is melting worldwide, dumping extra water into the ocean. Scientists say they believe the rate will accelerate, so that the total increase by the end of this century could exceed 3 feet. |
Qatar is a destination country for trafficked persons. Women from countries in East Asia, South Asia and Africa have reported being forced into domestic servitude and sexual exploitation. Children from |
Sudan, Pakistan, and Bangladesh have been trafficked to Qatar and forced to work as camel jockeys. The Government of Qatar does not fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination |
of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so. Qatari law specifically prohibits trafficking in persons. Penalties for traffickers include fines and imprisonment. Law enforcement agencies respond to |
complaints of trafficking by investigating them. However, the government has not prosecuted any cases against traffickers. The government strictly monitors its borders as well as its immigration and emigration patterns |
for evidence of trafficking. Regarding protection of victims, the government has made only minimal efforts. The government does not provide services to trafficked victims, nor does it provide funding or |
other forms of support to foreign or domestic NGOs for services to victims. The government does provide assistance to domestics who have suffered from abuse, in the form of payment |
of back wages and repatriation. The government supports public awareness programs to prevent the misuse of children as camel jockeys. The Heir Apparent issued a decree in September 2001 to |
establish a school and a medical center for the camel jockeys. The Republic of Korea is a source, transit and destination country for trafficking in persons. Koreans are trafficked to |
Japan and the United States for sexual exploitation. Persons from the Philippines, China, Southeast Asian countries, Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union are trafficked to Korea or |
transit Korea en route to Japan and the United States. The Government of the Republic of Korea fully complies with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, including making serious |
and sustained efforts to eliminate severe forms of trafficking in persons with respect to law enforcement, protection of victims and prevention of trafficking. Although there is no trafficking law per |
se, a number of provisions in the Criminal Code and the Act on Additional Punishment for Specific Crimes were used to prosecute traffickers in more than 100 cases in 2001. |
Additional law enforcement efforts include judicial and law enforcement training, participation in international and regional conferences on organized crime and trafficking, and cooperation with other governments on extradition. The Joint |
Task Force on Trafficking in Persons, established in December 2001, is comprised of prosecutors who investigate organized criminal syndicates and close businesses conducive to trafficking. Efforts to close loopholes in |
transit procedures and border crossings are being initiated. The government has been active in victim protection, and supports programs to protect victims. The government has also provided funding for domestic |
NGOs for the operation of shelters for victims of trafficking. The Immigration Bureau operates regional centers for foreign workers; these centers provide counseling, medical treatment, and assistance with disputes over |
wages and working conditions. Victims are encouraged to assist authorities in prosecuting traffickers; the government protects victims' privacy and tries to guard against retaliation by traffickers. Although services for foreign |
and child victims have substantially increased recently, assistance measures for returning Korean victims could be enhanced to deter further exploitation. Efforts to prevent trafficking have been developed. An interagency Committee |
for Countermeasures to Prevent Trafficking in Persons was created in July 2001. The government has promoted a public awareness campaign consisting of booklets, posters, media presentations and study camps for |
youth. Funding is also provided to NGOs to help both domestic and foreign women out of prostitution. The government is planning additional information campaigns for foreign workers and those in |
the entertainment industry. Romania is a source and transit country primarily for women and girls trafficked to Bosnia, Serbia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, Greece, Italy, and Turkey for the purpose of |
sexual exploitation. The Government of Romania does not yet fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government |
passed a law criminalizing trafficking in persons in December 2001. The Organized Crime Directorate, the lead agency in the Human Trafficking Task Force, investigated and arrested traffickers, and the government |
prosecuted traffickers under kidnapping and pimping codes, convicting several traffickers. The government cooperates with other governments on investigations. It is strengthening its borders to monitor immigration flow, and the Border |
Police have signed a memorandum with the Organized Crime Directorate on procedures to follow in suspected trafficking cases. Efforts to investigate and prosecute public officials involved in trafficking remain limited. |
In an effort to protect victims, in November 2001 the government began allocating space for the shelter of trafficking victims, and it cooperated with an international organization in repatriation procedures |
for trafficked citizens abroad and non-citizens transiting Romania. Although these current protection efforts are limited, the new law requires the government to grant recovery services to victims and build additional |
shelters, efforts that would strengthen victim protection. Prevention efforts included cooperation with international organizations' programs, including an anti-trafficking school program and a campaign to eliminate child labor. Russia is a |
country of origin for women and children trafficked to many countries throughout Europe, the Middle East and North America for purposes of sexual exploitation. The Government of Russia does not |
yet fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so. There is no law specifically against trafficking. Recruitment for prostitution |
is illegal but not a criminal offense. The government of Russia recognizes there is a trafficking problem and the Duma has asked the United States for cooperation in drafting anti-trafficking |
legislation. Existing laws which can be used against traffickers include border crossing violations, document fraud, kidnapping, forced sexual activity, fraud, organized crime and pornography statues. The government of Russia rarely |
vigorously investigates trafficking cases of adults and only a few related cases have been prosecuted. Given the relatively low age of consent (14 years), it is difficult to prosecute trafficking |
cases when the victims are minors above that age absent threats or acts of violence by the traffickers. Resources for law enforcement are very limited. No specialized anti-trafficking training is |
provided by the government, but officials have participated in international and domestic training programs when available. The government tries to monitor its extensive borders. The government cooperates with foreign law |
enforcement on investigations in their countries, including a recent case successfully prosecuted in Alaska with evidence collected with the help of Russian law enforcement. Victim services and protections of rights |
are available and include compensation awards and rights to participate in prosecuting offenders at trial. Victims are not jailed, prosecuted for prostitution or detained upon repatriation. A new witness protection |
program has been developed but not yet implemented. Consulates in foreign countries have not assisted in repatriating victims. In terms of prevention, in February 2002, the Interior Ministry's Federal Migration |
Services office was established to handle refugee and immigration issues and to serve as the lead agency on trafficking. Although some regional governments are working with NGOs on prevention activities, |
the national government has not been involved in information campaigns or other prevention programs. Saudi Arabia is a country of destination for trafficked persons. Trafficking victims who come to Saudi |
Arabia in search of work are put into situations of coerced labor. Victims come primarily from Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia, and the Philippines to |
work as domestic servants and menial laborers. Many low-skilled foreign workers have their contracts altered and are subjected to extreme working conditions and physical abuse. The Government of Saudi Arabia |
does not fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so. Saudi Arabia formally abolished slavery by royal decree in |
1962; however, there are no laws specifically related to trafficking. The government has an extensive system of labor courts that enforce the terms of work contracts. However, some workers are |
exempt from labor law, including farmers, herdsmen, drivers, and domestic servants. Regarding protection of victims, the government has made minimal efforts. The Ministry of Labor runs a reception center for |
domestic servants. In cases where the Ministry of Labor is unable to resolve disputes with the employer, the domestic is deported. Domestic servants who are victims of trafficking may seek |
assistance from their embassies, several of which provide shelter and refuge where maids may stay while awaiting resolution of their cases or until they are deported. Government activities to prevent |
trafficking in persons have been minimal. Senegal is a source and transit country for women and girls trafficked to Europe and the Middle East for sexual exploitation. Nigerian criminal organizations |
use Dakar as a transit point for women trafficked for purposes of prostitution to Europe, especially Italy. Senegalese children are sometimes held in conditions of involuntary servitude by some religious |
instructors in Senegal's larger cities. The Government of Senegal does not yet fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do |
so. Provisions of Senegalese criminal law prohibit abduction, hostage taking and the sale of persons, but the penalties for committing those crimes are inadequate to combat trafficking. Senegal has had |
some success in law enforcement. A high profile attempt to traffic Senegalese women to Libya was prevented, and trial is pending in the case. This year, the Senegalese police responded |
to the allegations of an escaped Nigerian trafficking victim with several arrests. Land border control is weak and corruption among officials is a problem. The Government supports related prevention programs |
to raise the status of women in society, promote the rights of the child and encourage public education. Over the past three years, the government cooperated with several United Nations' |
information campaigns on child labor, sexual exploitation and sexual exploitation of children. Senegal is actively cooperating with several United Nations' programs, as well as with NGOs, to assess the trafficking |
problem in Senegal. In January 2002, government representatives attended a seminar organized by NGOs to discuss trafficking. Senegal also hosted a regional meeting of experts to discuss trafficking in persons. |
Men, women and children have been trafficked internally in Sierra Leone as pawns in a brutal internal conflict. During the course of a 10-year conflict, to which Sierra Leone's President |
declared a formal end on January 18, 2002, rebels of the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) abducted individuals and forced them to work as laborers, mainly in the country's diamond fields. |
Women and girls who were captured by RUF rebels were used as sex slaves as well as domestic labor. Despite the end of the conflict and the release of some |
victims, the number of girls released was an extremely small percentage of the estimated number of girls used as sex slaves during the conflict. Moreover, it is likely that small |
groups of previously captured individuals are still being held for forced labor or sexual servitude. The Government of Sierra Leone does not yet fully comply with minimum standards for the |
elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Government efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking cases have been severely hampered by the country's internal conflict and |
scarce resources. While Sierra Leone does not have a law specifically prohibiting trafficking, traffickers can be prosecuted for related offenses. In February 2002, a Sierra Leonean court indicted a group |
of rebel defendants for various crimes, including abductions. The Government works closely with international organizations and NGOs to facilitate the reintegration of over two thousand persons released last year by |
the rebels, many of whom were victims of trafficking. The Police are also actively involved in locating and securing the release of others still held captive, directing minors to United |
Nations' programs, and others to NGOs for assistance. The government has been unable to initiate any prevention programs or anti-trafficking campaigns. Singapore is a destination country for women who are |
trafficked for sexual exploitation, primarily from Thailand, the Philippines, China, India, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. The Government of Singapore does not yet fully comply with minimum standards for the |
elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. There is no omnibus law against trafficking in persons; however, such acts are punishable under laws which prohibit |
the trafficking of women or girls into the country for purposes of prostitution, unlawful custody or control of children, wrongful confinement, and trafficking of illegal migrants. Profiting from prostitution by |
other persons violates the law, and use of fraud or coercion to induce women into prostitution is illegal. In practice, the authorities usually tolerate prostitution, which largely involves foreign women, |
some of whom may be trafficked. The Ministry of Manpower investigates complaints by foreign workers, and prevents employers from terminating workers while an investigation is ongoing. The Ministry is not |
known to have received complaints of trafficking in persons for labor purposes. There is no evidence that government officials are complicit in trafficking. Immigration laws are strictly enforced, which sharply |
reduces the flow of persons potentially vulnerable to trafficking, and adds to the legal jeopardy faced by would-be traffickers. In terms of victim protection, the government provides no assistance, and |
there are no NGOs that assist trafficking victims. In cases involving employer abuse of domestic workers, victims who testify remain in the country and are permitted to work; however, there |
are credible reports that at least some victims experience difficulty in getting permission to work for new employers. On the prevention side, there is no specific campaign to combat or |
prevent the use of fraud or coercion to recruit foreign women prostitutes. The government participates in regional initiatives against transnational crime, which include enhanced efforts against trafficking in persons. Slovenia |
is primarily a transit country for women and girls from Eastern, Southeastern, and Central Europe trafficked to Western Europe, the United States and Canada. Slovenia is also a destination country |
for women and teenage girls mostly from other Yugoslav republics, as well as from Ukraine, Moldova, Romania, the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. A small number of Slovene women and teenage |
girls are trafficked to Western Europe. The Government of Slovenia does not fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do |
so. Slovenia lacks a law specifically prohibiting trafficking. It can prosecute traffickers under the following related offenses: pimping, procurement of sexual acts, inducement into prostitution, rape, sexual assault, bringing a |
person into slavery or similar condition, or the transportation of slaves. In practice, prosecutors find it difficult to get convictions of traffickers under these provisions and, therefore, prosecution is infrequent. |
It is particularly difficult to prove enslavement. Police focus their investigations on trafficking into Slovenia, and have worked in coordination with neighboring country authorities, where appropriate. Police have arrested some |
people for trafficking-related offenses. To protect the few Slovene victims, the government works with an international organization and NGOs to assist returning Slovene victims with reintegration. Also to assist Slovene |
victims, the Foreign Ministry encourages embassies and consulates in key countries to develop relationships with NGOs involved in combating trafficking. With respect to protection of foreign victims, the government works |
closely with NGOs and international organizations, particularly on the reintegration of women trafficked from Eastern Europe to Slovenia. However, there is a reluctance or inability of witnesses to testify in |
court because there are no witness protection programs. There is an absence of shelters, and victims' undocumented status renders them ineligible to work or receive social assistance. To prevent trafficking, |
the Ministry of Interior produces pamphlets and other informational materials for awareness-raising programs to sensitize potential target populations to dangers of and approaches used by traffickers. These materials have been |
used by NGOs as part of a municipality-funded series of workshops in middle and high schools in the largest urban center in Slovenia. The government has made progress in monitoring |
its borders, and consequently has reduced illegal migration considerably. However, when trafficking is suspected, the Ministry of the Interior refuses entry of those involved, but does not coordinate sufficiently with |
neighboring border authorities to ensure prosecution of traffickers. The government named a National Coordinator for Trafficking in Persons and has formed an interagency working group that adopted a national strategy |
to combat trafficking. South Africa is a destination country for women, mainly between 18 and 25 years old, from other parts of Africa, Eastern Europe, Asia, and the former Soviet |
Union. South African women also are trafficked internally. Most of the women are brought to Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria and Port Elizabeth by trafficking syndicates for work in the |
sex industry. South Africa is also a transit point for trafficking operations between developing countries and Europe, the United States and Canada. The Government of South Africa does not yet |
fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government has directed its efforts to countering widespread sexual offenses, |
especially relating to abuse of children. South Africa does not have a law that specifically prohibits trafficking in persons but has other laws that could be used to prosecute traffickers. |
Under the laws that could be used to prosecute traffickers, most perpetrators would not receive jail time. They would be liable for fines of between $1,300 and $9,300 and for |
the cost of tracking, detaining and repatriating trafficked women. The national prosecuting authority conducts programs to improve treatment of victims, streamline prosecutions, and increase the conviction rate of perpetrators of |
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