text stringlengths 59 1.12k |
|---|
sexual offense cases. A total of 500 prosecutors, police, magistrates and doctors have been trained in the specialized field of prosecuting sexual offenses, including trafficking. Twenty sexual offenses courts exist |
throughout the country, which are staffed by specialized prosecutors. The courts also direct victims to the appropriate medical and counseling services. The government publishes a quarterly bulletin distributed to all |
prosecutors updating them on the latest legal developments on sexual offenses cases. There have been few trafficking investigations and only one ongoing prosecution in the past year. Regarding protection for |
victims, there are no programs in place to help women who have been freed from a trafficking situation, although three government-funded rape-care centers exist in the country, which link victims |
to a network of service providers. Witness protection applies only to South African citizens. Most foreign victims are immediately deported, and thus cannot assist with prosecutions of traffickers. The government |
has not conducted any public awareness campaigns or other educational programs that would help prevent trafficking. Spain is a destination and transit country for trafficked persons, primarily women between the |
ages of eighteen and thirty trafficked for the purpose of prostitution from Latin America (Colombia, Ecuador, Dominican Republic, Brazil), Africa (Nigeria, Guinea, Sierra Leone), and Eastern Europe. The Government of |
Spain fully complies with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, including making serious and sustained efforts to eliminate severe forms of trafficking with respect to law enforcement, protection of |
victims, and prevention of trafficking. Spanish law prohibits trafficking and alien smuggling, with a specific provision outlawing trafficking in workers. Exploitation of prostitution through coercion or fraud and the exploitation |
of workers in general are also outlawed. The police dismantled many criminal organizations involved in some aspect of trafficking and made more than one thousand arrests. The government vigorously prosecuted |
many cases, notably those that also implicated illegal immigration, prostitution, and criminal organizations making use of false identity documents. Spain cooperates with other governments, especially those from source countries, in |
the investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases, primarily through Interpol and Europol. To protect victims, the law allows temporary residence for undocumented persons who cooperate with law enforcement for the |
prosecution of migrant smugglers. Victims who are granted the right to stay are authorized to work and travel. After legal proceedings conclude, the victim is given the option to remain |
in Spain or return to his or her country of origin. Medical assistance is available from government and NGO sources, although undocumented migrants are ineligible for government assistance other than |
emergency care. The government provides some funding to religious organizations and other NGOs, such as shelters for rape victims or immigrants' health or legal services organizations, that indirectly serve trafficking |
victims. The police also refer trafficking victims to an NGO in Madrid that specifically serves trafficking victims. To prevent trafficking, the government's strategic plan on illegal immigration explicitly recognizes the |
need to fight against trafficking. The Ministry of Labor provided support to an NGO that produced a pamphlet reviewing the problem of trafficking intended to raise the visibility of trafficking |
within Spanish society. The Autonomous Community of Madrid and the European Commission provided funding for a best practices guide produced by a journalists' organization for journalists covering prostitution and trafficking |
in women. Sri Lanka is a country of origin and destination for trafficked persons. Internal trafficking of persons for purposes of sexual exploitation, domestic servitude, and child soldiers also takes |
place in Sri Lanka. In many cases, Sri Lankan women go to the Middle East in search of work, only to be put into situations of coerced labor, slave-like conditions, |
or sexual exploitation. A small number of Thai, Russian, and Chinese women have been trafficked to Sri Lanka for purposes of sexual exploitation. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) |
abduct and hold children against their will for purposes of forced labor, military conscription, and in some cases, sexual exploitation. A ceasefire with the LTTE has been in place since |
December 2001. The government of Sri Lanka does not yet fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The |
Sri Lankan Penal Code specifically criminalizes trafficking in persons, and law enforcement authorities have undertaken some investigations of traffickers. The government has established a Police Women's and Children's Bureau, and |
the National Child Protection Authority, which works closely with the police to combat trafficking. Limited specialized training is provided to members of these units. The LTTE controls territory in the |
north and east of the country and the government is unable to investigate or prosecute traffickers in these areas. The government has undertaken several initiatives to provide protection and services |
to victims of internal trafficking, including supporting rehabilitation camps for victims. Foreign women trafficked to Sri Lanka are sometimes arrested and released upon paying a fine. The National Child Protection |
Authority provides medical and psychological assistance to Sri Lankan victims of trafficking and child soldiers. The government has assigned welfare officers to countries in the Middle East to focus on |
the rights of women who may have been trafficked there. The government's Overseas Employment Bureau works with Sri Lankan embassies abroad to resolve problems that domestic workers encounter. In terms |
of prevention, the government, together with NGOs, has conducted some public awareness campaigns regarding child labor, and created hotlines for reporting child labor abuse. In January 2002, the government signed |
the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Convention on Prevention and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution. Sudan is a country of destination for internationally trafficked persons, |
as well as a country with widespread internal trafficking. Thousands of Ugandan men, women and children, have been abducted by rebel groups to be used as sex slaves, domestic helpers, |
child soldiers, and forcibly conscripted soldiers. Women and children have also been subjected to intertribal abductions for domestic and sexual exploitation in the southern part of the country. There are |
reports of Sudanese persons being sold into slavery through Chad, to Libya. The Government of Sudan does not fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is |
not making significant efforts to do so. Sudan does not acknowledge the extent of the problem. Sudan tolerates abductions by government-affiliated militia as a form of remuneration for military services, |
and as a strategy of destabilization of the rebel-controlled areas. There are no laws that specifically address trafficking in persons. Although laws against rape, abduction, torture, and unlawful detention exist, |
the Government has not made an effort to investigate and prosecute any traffickers or abductors. Over the past years, the Government made several promises and outlined several plans to identify |
and release Ugandan children and Sudanese abductees, and to set up civilian tribunal tribunals to prosecute persons involved in abductions. To date, the tribunals have not been set up, no |
related prosecutions have taken place, and only a few hundred Ugandan children have been returned, with an estimated ten thousand still in captivity. In 2002, a Presidential Decree was issued, |
expanding the authority of the Committee for the Eradication of the Abduction of Women and Children (CEAWC), to investigate and prosecute abductions. Records indicating the number of individuals the CEAWC |
has repatriated have not been kept adequately, but the number is small relative to the size of the problem. The Government has made no significant efforts toward the protection of |
victims or the prevention of trafficking. Switzerland is a country of destination for trafficking victims, almost exclusively women, and, to a lesser extent, a transit country. The Government of Switzerland |
fully complies with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, including making serious and sustained efforts to eliminate severe forms of trafficking with respect to law enforcement, protection of victims, |
and prevention of trafficking. The Swiss penal code criminalizes sexual exploitation, forced prostitution, trafficking, and taking advantage of a person's distress or dependency due to employment or other condition. The |
cantonal authorities conduct investigations and prosecutions, and the numbers of cases have increased over time. To protect victims, the Federal Office of Police and cantonal justice and police authorities collaborate |
with NGOs to provide assistance to victims of trafficking. Federal authorities are working with cantonal authorities through a federal-NGO working group to ensure that victims are not deported. Swiss victims' |
assistance laws cover foreigners living unlawfully in Switzerland, and provide for counseling, protections and safeguarding victims' rights. The government supports NGOs that help trafficking victims, notably one that provides services |
to women from Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe. To prevent trafficking, the Federal Office of Police launched a pioneer project several years ago to institutionalize the exchange of information |
with NGOs on commercial sexual exploitation of children. The government funds several prevention programs intended to combat trafficking from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. With NGO participation, the |
government trains its consular officials to educate visa applicants on the risks of falling victim to traffickers and common ploys used by traffickers to lure women into vulnerable situations. The |
government also provided funding to an OSCE project on trafficking. Tajikistan is a country of origin for young women trafficked to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, and countries of |
the Persian Gulf including the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Iran and Saudi Arabia for purposes of sexual exploitation. The Government of Tajikistan does not fully comply with minimum standards for |
the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so. Although there is a growing awareness of trafficking as a problem in Tajikistan, the government has not |
evidenced a willingness to address it and does not have a national plan. There is no law against trafficking, although laws against prostitution, rape, kidnapping, immigration and document fraud violations |
could be used against traffickers. To date, there have been no reported prosecutions of traffickers. Law enforcement officials do not vigorously investigate trafficking. Corruption is endemic. There is no specialized |
training for law enforcement on trafficking. The borders are not controlled or monitored for trafficking in persons. The Government of Tajikistan does not provide protection assistance to trafficking victims, encourage |
victims to seek legal action, or provide restitution. However, the government does encourage NGOs to provide social services to victims. Some victims may be fined for prostitution. Economic and cultural |
attitudes may hinder the reintegration of trafficking victims. There are no resources provided for prevention initiatives with the exception of support for rural education and women's business associations. Tanzania is |
a source country for trafficked persons. Available information indicates that trafficking in Tanzania is most often internal and related to child labor, including child prostitution in the larger cities. Some |
sources also suggest that women and girls may be trafficked to South Africa, the Middle East, North Africa, Asia, and Europe to work as prostitutes. Children are trafficked from rural |
to urban areas within the country for domestic work, commercial agriculture, fishing, and mining. Children in the country's large refugee population are especially vulnerable to being trafficked to work on |
Tanzanian plantations, and some have been transported from refugee camps for training as child soldiers. To a lesser degree, Tanzania is a destination point for trafficked persons from India and |
surrounding African countries. The Government of Tanzania does not meet the minimum requirements to eliminate trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government has acknowledged that |
trafficking is a problem. Severe financial constraints, pervasive corruption, and porous borders and only nascent understanding of the scope of the problem have hampered anti-trafficking efforts, resulting in an inconsistent |
and incomplete framework to combat trafficking. A new section of the penal code criminalizes trafficking within or outside of Tanzania; however the penalty is relatively light. A multi-agency government task |
force coordinates on child labor issues, but does not specifically address trafficking in persons. Law enforcement agencies traditionally investigate trafficking cases as immigration/visa crimes; consequently, there have been no trafficking |
convictions. Tanzania is one of three countries participating in a pilot program to eliminate the worst forms of child labor. The program brings together government agencies, trade unions, and legal |
and social welfare organizations to combat child labor and trafficking. The government does not provide training for law enforcement officials in how to investigate and prosecute incidences of trafficking. Witness |
protection is not provided. Little government assistance is provided to protect victims, although some community organizations provide assistance, counselling, and rehabilitation. Foreign victims are routinely repatriated. The government has begun |
to provide free education to primary school children, which may help prevent child labor and child prostitution. There have been some public education campaigns, but the government does not have |
the resources to provide financial or in-kind contributions to social service NGOs. Thailand is a source, destination and transit country for trafficking in women and children for sexual exploitation and |
street begging. Internal trafficking has reportedly declined, however trafficking of foreigners has correspondingly increased . Victims are trafficked from Burma, Cambodia, China, and Laos. Chinese are trafficked through Thailand en |
route to the United States and other destinations. Thai women are trafficked to Japan, Taiwan, the United States, Australia and Western Europe primarily for sexual exploitation. The government does not |
yet fully meet the minimum standards to eliminate trafficking, but is making significant efforts to do so. Thailand has a law against trafficking in women and children, but investigations and |
prosecutions have been limited. Evidence of low-level police involvement in facilitating the movement of trafficking victims, accepting bribes and owning brothels seriously hinders law enforcement. The government has undertaken several |
initiatives to protect victims, including working with NGOs and international organizations to provide shelter and repatriate victims. In-kind assistance is provided to NGOs that work with trafficking victims and limited |
services, such as counseling, food, and medical care, are available. In terms of prevention, the government has entered into cooperative agreements with industry leaders to promote employment of girls and |
women outside the sex industry. Police monitor migration patterns and deny departure to suspected trafficking victims. In coordination with NGOs and international organizations, the government has created a working group |
to combat trafficking in women and children to improve interagency coordination, build law enforcement capacity and draft legislation. Togo is a source and transit country for internationally trafficked persons, mostly |
children. The majority of the victims are trafficked for indentured servitude or domestic labor to Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, France and Germany. Saudi Arabia and Lebanon are also reported |
destinations. The Government of Togo does not yet fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Togo lacks financial |
resources and trained personnel to properly address the problem of trafficking and the needs of the victims. While there is no law specifically prohibiting trafficking, other laws on the illegal |
movement or transfer of children, child labor, and sexual exploitation can be used. Draft laws addressing trafficking, funded last year by the United Nations, are currently under consideration but have |
not been enacted. The government prosecutes and convicts traffickers, though corruption among border security forces and immigration officials remains a very serious problem. The government devotes personnel in the Ministries |
of Social Affairs, Education, and Labor to work on prevention and protection issues. In terms of protection, victims are respected and not treated as criminals by government officials and security |
forces. The government attempts to find the victims' families for reunification, and works with NGOs to provide them with shelter, legal and medical services. Over the past three years, the |
government organized public campaigns on the dangers posed by child traffickers and the legal penalties facing those who engage in criminal practices. Prevention campaigns were also organized for the Prefects |
and the security forces. Togo participates in international and regional efforts to combat trafficking, and is one of the West African countries participating in an international program to reduce trafficking |
in children. Turkey is a minor country of destination, and transit to other European destinations, for women and girls trafficked into sexual exploitation. Most come from countries of the former |
Soviet Union, including Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, and Moldova. The Government of Turkey does not fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant |
efforts to do so. Turkey has no law against trafficking, although draft anti-trafficking legislation is on the Parliamentary agenda. Other laws against organized crime, pimping, child prostitution, and forced labor |
can be used against traffickers. Police in Istanbul report that operations against traffickers have led to scores of arrests. In one case, police freed 15 victims of trafficking in the |
Black Sea region. The Ukrainian government reported that Turkish cooperation led to the arrest of a trafficking ring in Ukraine. Some law enforcement officials tolerate foreigners working in commercial sex, |
but no evidence shows official involvement in trafficking per se. With respect to protection of victims, the government provides no social services or shelters for victims. Foreign trafficking victims may |
use one of the eight government battered-women shelters for Turkish citizens, but in practice have difficulty gaining access. Trafficking victims are generally detained and deported, although they may be held |
longer to give testimony for an investigation. Regarding prevention, the government is working on a National Action Plan to study the problem and offer remedies; however efforts thus far have |
been limited to a few ad hoc public education campaigns at the local level. The government's current prevention strategy involves strict regulations for immigrants, including deporting all foreigners found in |
commercial sex work and prohibiting their re-entry into the country; however, the government makes no effort to screen deportees for possible trafficking victims, and thus to protect trafficking victims. Uganda |
is a source country for trafficked persons, primarily women and children. Over the past fifteen years, a terrorist organization, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), has abducted tens of thousands of |
women and children and forced them to carry stolen goods, to cook, to serve as sex slaves, and to become rebel soldiers. The Government of Uganda does not yet fully |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.