*EPF305 04/25/01
Excerpt: IOM Figures on Global Scale of Trafficking
(Sections of April 2001 report dealing with Europe) (1800)

Permission has been obtained covering republication/translation of these excerpts by U.S. Embassy Public Affairs/press outside the U.S

On title page, credit INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR MIGRATION (IOM). Reprinted by permission.

(begin excerpt)

International Organization for Migration
Geneva, Switzerland

Trafficking in Migrants
Quarterly Bulletin
Special Issue [Excerpts]

April 2001

NEW IOM FIGURES ON THE GLOBAL SCALE OF TRAFFICKING

In most countries, there are few statistics on the scale of trafficking. The most recent global estimates of the scale of trafficking in women and children were prepared in 1998 by the US Government. It was estimated then that between 700,000 and 2 million women and children are trafficked across international borders annually, although the calculations used to arrive at these figures are unclear.

The reasons for the lack of data on trafficking include:

- The underground and illegal nature of trafficking;

- The lack of anti-trafficking legislation in many countries;

- The reluctance of victims to report their experiences to the authorities;

- The lack of government priority given to data collection and research.

Given this lack of data IOM felt that it would be useful to conduct a quick survey of IOM field offices to collect:

a. Basic statistics on trafficking arising from trafficked person's participation in IOM programmes.

b. Additional data and estimates based on other sources of information.

Our short questionnaire asked about the scale of trafficking in women and children for sexual exploitation, the profile of victims, and current trends in trafficking. We also requested information on the number of trafficked persons who were returned to their country of origin either voluntarily or forcibly. We received 41 responses from IOM's 120 offices in 89 countries.

MAIN FINDINGS

- Given the lack of hard data on the numbers of persons trafficked, the persons who are assisted in IOM's counter-trafficking programmes provide useful indicators of current trends in the scale and pattern of trafficking.

- For example, in 2000, IOM assisted 703 victims of trafficking to return home voluntarily to their countries of origin.

- These victims of trafficking originated from a broad range of countries, but were predominantly women returned from the Balkans to Moldova, Romania and Ukraine and from Thailand to Cambodia.

- Results from our survey illustrate the global scale and growing complexity of trafficking. Many countries in Africa, Asia and Eastern and Central Europe are both sending and receiving countries for trafficking in women.

The results of our questionnaire are presented in more detail below by region according to the information the IOM offices provided. The figures presented below are based on national figures and may not necessarily be comparable with the statistics of other countries.

...

EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA

For many years there have been numerous reports of women being trafficked from Central and Eastern Europe. A recent IOM study highlights that there is also considerable trafficking from the former Soviet republics of Central Asia.

A recent IOM research report on Kyrgyzstan suggests that of the 4,000 women who are estimated to have been trafficked in 1999 from Kyrgyzstan, about one-third were trafficked to or through other CIS countries and the rest were trafficked to the Middle East, China and Europe.

From southern Kyrgyzstan, it is known that women are trafficked primarily to the United Arab Emirates, while from northern Kyrgyzstan, they are trafficked mainly to Russia and Kazakhstan and onward to Europe. From Kazakhstan, the main transit country for Kyrgyz trafficked women en route to the UAE, there are little hard data, yet estimates suggest that at least 5,000 women annually might be trafficked.

In Georgia, IOM's office has undertaken a study on irregular migration and trafficking. One of the preliminary findings of this study was that, of the 39,000 visas issued by the Turkish embassy and consulates, some 31,200 were issued to women. As there is a great deal of cross-border traffic with Turkey, including business deals, informal trade and consensual prostitution, it is unclear how many of these women might have been the victims of trafficking. Nonetheless, the very high percentage of women among the visa applicants is worthy of notice.

FORMER SOVIET UNION: RUSSIA, UKRAINE, BALTICS

In 1998, the Ukrainian Ministry of Interior estimated that 400,000 Ukrainian women had been trafficked in the past decade, although Ukrainian NGOs and researchers believe the number to be higher. In October 2000 alone, 185 Ukrainian women, nearly two-thirds of whom (120) were in their mid-20s, were returned to Kyiv airport by authorities of other countries. These women were returned from Turkey, Israel and numerous European countries, mainly Germany, Italy, Greece and Switzerland.

In 2000, IOM assisted 81 trafficked Ukrainian women to return to Ukraine -- 27 from Bosnia and Herzegovina, 9 from Kosovo, 18 from Germany, 11 from Bulgaria and 8 from Italy, while the NGO La Strada has assisted 44 persons to return in the last two years.

Over the past two years, the Russian Border Guard has intercepted 5,000 Russian women attempting to leave Russia with invalid documents. Their principal intended countries of destination were Turkey, Italy, Germany, Bulgaria and Finland. While these interceptions do not necessarily imply trafficking, Russian women are the third largest group of trafficked women assisted by IOM Bonn (Germany), following Lithuanians and Ukrainians. Fifteen Russian women were assisted to return to Russia in 2000, and 11 in 1999, from just four (of sixteen) states in Germany. In 2000, IOM also assisted 7 women to return from the Balkans to Russia.

In the Baltics, IOM's return data suggest that there is considerable trafficking from Lithuania. A quarter of the trafficked women assisted by IOM Bonn to return home in 2000 were from Lithuania. Figure 1 shows that Moldovan and Romanian women make up the majority of trafficked women assisted to return from Western Europe and the Balkans, followed by Ukrainian women. These figures underline the inter-regional nature of trafficking in Central and Eastern Europe. Trafficking does not just occur from East to West, but also from North to South.

IOM assisted return statistics suggest that the pattern of trafficking to Western Europe is different. Neither Moldovans nor Romanians are found in significant numbers among the trafficked returned from Western European countries. Only Ukraine is a significant sending country for both Western Europe and the Balkans.

THE BALKANS AND CENTRAL EUROPE

In Eastern and Central Europe and the Balkans, IOM has a number of assisted return programmes specifically for victims of trafficking; consequently, much better data is available. The return data below, even if not indicative of the absolute numbers trafficked, indicate the relative significance of various sending countries.

For the Balkans, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine are clearly the three most significant sending countries in terms of scale. IOM return data, as well as anecdotal reports, have confirmed this. Kosovo and Bosnia Herzegovina are primarily receiving countries, while Albania is primarily a country of origin. In Albania, the victims are becoming younger, and the numbers are increasing.

In FYR Macedonia, during just the last five months of 2000, 60 trafficking victims were assisted by IOM Skopje. In Romania, IOM Bucharest reported that, in 2000 alone, it had assisted 205 Romanian women returning to Romania, all of whom had been trafficked to the Balkans. They had been promised jobs as waitresses, but were forced into prostitution. The conventional wisdom is that young, na��e women and girls, generally from very rural surroundings, are the most at-risk group. In this respect, it is very interesting to note that, of the 130 women assisted by IOM Pristina from February 2000 to February 2001, 93 were from urban areas or from the capital cities of their countries (80 were from Moldova, 25 Romania, 12 Bulgaria and 10 from Ukraine).

Another questionnaire administered by IOM Skopje to 56 trafficked women revealed similar results: 66 per cent were from either a big city or capital city. Of those assisted in Kosovo, nearly half (48) had been recruited into trafficking by a woman. Well over half (63) believed they were leaving their homes to take up well-paid employment and some 12 per cent were kidnapped. Some 79 per cent of the IOM Skopje group had been promised a well-paid job.

In Hungary, the available figures are based on information from Hungarian consulates abroad. In the first 11 months of 2000, eight Hungarian consulates had requested IOM assistance in helping 97 Hungarian trafficked women. From these figures, the widespread scale of trafficking in Hungarian women becomes evident. In 2000, 33 trafficked women were assisted in Mexico City, 32 in Madrid, 12 in Barcelona, 9 in Bern and 8 in Bonn, Germany.

WESTERN EUROPE

In Western Europe the pattern of trafficking is different from that in Central and Eastern Europe with victims of trafficking coming from a much wider range of source countries. For example, Nigerian women are trafficked to Italy, Belgium and the Netherlands, Thai and Brazilian women have been trafficked to Great Britain, Ukrainian women to the Balkans and Germany, and smaller groups of women have been trafficked throughout Europe. In Italy, IOM Rome reports that of the estimated 20,000-30,000 irregular female migrants who are believed to enter the sex industry each year, 10-20 per cent (2000-6000) are believed to be trafficked. In Greece, few data are maintained, yet one study showed that slightly over half of trafficked women are from Russia and Ukraine, with about one-third from the Balkans and just a few per cent from Asia and Africa.

In Belgium, of the 334 persons identified as victims of trafficking in one of the three assistance centres in 1999, the largest group were Nigerians. 20 per cent of victims were men. Table 5 shows the country of origin of victims of trafficking in Belgium.

During 1999 and the ten first months of 2000, IOM Brussels assisted 19 trafficked women to return to their home countries. Returns were organized to a wide range of countries including Nigeria, Ukraine, Thailand and the Philippines.

In the Netherlands, according to data from STV (Stichting tegen Vrouwenhandel -- Foundation against Trafficking), there were 288 female victims of trafficking in 1999 and 205 in 1998. Of those, the majority were from Central and Eastern Europe.

In Germany, IOM Bonn assisted over 100 victims of trafficking in 2000, from just four states in Germany. Ninety-nine of 107 assisted victims came from the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.

CONCLUSION

This brief review of data on the scale of and recent trends in trafficking demonstrates once again the paucity of reliable data on trafficking across the world. In the absence of such data IOM's counter-trafficking programmes provide an important source of current information on trafficking flows. These programmes clearly indicate, for example, some of the most important sending countries and receiving countries involved in trafficking.

(end excerpt)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
NNNN