Child Trafficking

 

Country Child Trafficking Afghanistan GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women reported that there were some cases of trafficking in women and children. There were unconfirmed reports that some Taliban soldiers, often reported to be foreigners, abducted girls and women from villages in the Shomali plains, and these women were taken away in trucks from the area of fighting, and were trafficked to Pakistan and to the Arab Gulf states. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Albania NATIONAL STATISTICS * Around 3,000 Albanian children are trafficked to Italy and Greece and are used for begging and cleaning windows and cars without payment. (CRCA, The Vicious Circle, 2000) * Official Italian statistics reveal that there are approximately 900 child prostitutes in Italy being trafficked from Albania. (CRCA, The Vicious Circle, 2000) * Of the 1,880 to 2,500 minors who worked as street prostitutes in Italy, 1,500-2,300 had been trafficked predominantly from Albania, and Nigeria. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * In Greece, more than 40% of the minors in prostitution are from neighbouring or regional countries, including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Albania and Iraq, which are suffering from conflicts and lack of social cohesion. (ECPAT International, A Step Forward, 1999) * More than 8,000 Albanian girls are prostituted in Italy, and more than 30% of them are under 18 years. (CATW Fact Book, citing G.J. Koja, "8000 Albanian Girls Work as Prostitutes in Italy", HURINet, 25 July 1998) * The Government investigates and prosecutes trafficking, and there were 144 prosecutions in 2000 for violating the trafficking law. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) ADULT STATISTICS * NGOs estimate that there are 30,000 Albanian women currently working abroad as prostitutes. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * The number 30,000 should not be taken seriously and is believed as not being true. (CRCA, e-mail to GMIS, 15 October 2000) * 255 illegal immigrants from Albania and Kosovo were trafficked for prostitution during December 1997. (CATW Fact Book, citing "British note Albanian refugee smuggling", UPI, 7 April 1998) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Most trafficked Albanians increasingly fall into the 14 to 17-year-old age group; according to the AHRG, 25 percent of Albanian trafficking victims were minors. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2001, March 2002) * Trafficking in children is a serious problem. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Albania is a source and transit country for trafficking. Trafficking victims are mostly women from Albania, Moldova, and Romania who are trafficked for sexual exploitation to Italy, Greece, Western Europe, Belgium, and the Netherlands. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Criminals may kidnap children from families or orphanages to be sold to paedophilia rings abroad. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * A few specialised bodies of the Albanian government have reported illegal migration of children to Italy and Greece. (CRCA, The Vicious Circle, 2000) * Many Albanian girls are used as prostitutes on the roads of Greece and Italy. (CRCA, The Vicious Circle, 2000) * Criminals kidnap children from families or orphanages to sell them into prostitution or pederasty rings abroad. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Recent reports from the refugee camps of Albania tell of the frequent disappearances of young women and girls from the refugee camps. It appears that these girls are being trafficked for sexual purposes to Western Europe by criminal gangs. (ECPAT International, A Step Forward, 1999) * Turkey is a major destination and transit country for trafficking in women and girls for the purpose of forced prostitution. IOM and domestic NGOs stated that most trafficked women in the country are from Albania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Algeria GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * There are unconfirmed reports that young Algerian girls are trafficked to Italy and other Western countries. The girls are sometimes forced into prostitution or marriage. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Algerian women are trafficked to Italy. (CATW Fact Book, citing IOM, European Race Audit Bulletin, 25 November 1997) * The country is reported as a place of transit for traffickers. (US Dept of Labor, Prostitution of Children, 1996) Andorra GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * There were no reports that persons were trafficked in, to, from, or within the country. Nor is the country a transit point for traffic in persons. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) Angola GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Angola is a country of origin for trafficked persons. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) rebel forces are alleged to abduct children, who are used for forced labour and in military service, and women, who are used for forced labour, including as sex slaves. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) Antigua and Barbuda - Argentina GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The Directorate of Migration estimates that there are approximately 400 rings of alien smugglers and purveyors of false document operating within the Dominican Republic. These individuals profit by facilitating the trafficking of women to Spain, Netherlands, and Argentina under false pretenses, for purposes of prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Foreign women in 'call girl' prostitution in Italy are from Poland, Russia, Colombia and Argentina and to a lesser extent from Brazil, Hungary, Romania and the Philippines. (CATW Fact Book, citing Migrant Information Programme, "Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation to Italy", IOM, June 1996) Armenia NATIONAL STATISTICS * In Greece, more than 40% of the minors in prostitution are from neighbouring or regional countries, including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Albania and Iraq, which are suffering from conflicts and lack of social cohesion. (ECPAT International, A Step Forward, 1999) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Trafficking in girls is a problem. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * There were reports that older girls in local orphanages were approached with offer to engage in prostitution, either locally or abroad. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Armenian women work as prostitutes in the Middle East and there have been reports of trafficking in women and girls in the past. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * In December 1997, a group of Armenians was caught in Belarus trafficking children to Brest under false pretenses; their destination was Poland. (CATW Fact Book, citing Noyan Tapan, "Criminal Group Trading Children Apprehended in Belarus", 10 December 1997) Australia GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Malaysian women are trafficked for sexual purposes mostly to Singapore, Macau, Hong Kong and Taiwan as well as to Japan, Australia, Canada, and the United States. (US Dept of State, Human Rights Report, 1999) * Many Thai girls in their early teens, have been reported at various times in brothels in Sydney, Australia. ("Survival the name of the game", Bangkok Post, 3 July, 1998) * Women are trafficked out from Thailand to Australia, among other countries. (CATW Fact Book, citing European Conference on Trafficking in Women, Trafficking of Women to the European Union, June 1996) * Malaysian children are trafficked into Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia. (Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Action, The Flesh Trade Report, 1995-1996) Austria ADULT STATISTICS * In 1999, over half of the 49 trafficking complaints filed under the law against trafficking for prostitution resulted in convictions. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Of the total 751 trafficking victims found from January 1994 to June 1995 in Austria, 133 were from Czech Republic, 120 from Dominican Republic, 118 from Hungary, 112 from Slovakia, 60 from Poland, 43 from Russia, 23 from Bulgaria, 23 from Romania, 18 from Brazil, 17 from Thailand, 16 from Croatia, 12 Ukraine, 7 from Slovenia, 6 from Austria, 5 from Yugoslavia, and 38 from other countries. (CATW Fact Book, citing IOM Report 1996) * The number of cases of trafficking registered and investigated in Austria in 1994 are 316 and 313 respectively. (CATW Fact Book, IOM Report 1996, citing the Ministry of Interior) * Since 1990, there has been a major increase in the number of women trafficked to Austria from Central and Eastern European Countries. In 1990, the Austrian authorities discovered 50 cases. Figures for 1994 and the first half of 1995 indicate that there were 318 cases, representing 752 women, reported, with the majority concerning women from Central and Eastern Europe. (CATW Fact Book, citing European Conference on Trafficking in Women, Trafficking of Women to the European Union, June 1996) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * A leading domestic NGO reports that the country has shifted from being a transit country to a major final destination, primarily for women from Eastern Europe and the countries of the former Soviet Union who are trafficked into prostitution and other forms of forced dependency. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Austria are major destinations for women trafficked from Lithuania, based on the figures of women subsequently deported from these countries to Lithuania. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * A report issued by the Ministry of Interior of Slovakia on trafficking states that Slovakia is only a transit country for persons being trafficked mainly to Austria, the Czech Republic, and Germany for the purpose of forced prostitution.(US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Nearly all foreign prostitutes are illegal immigrants. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking in Women to Austria for Sexual Exploitation", IOM and the Austrian Minister for Women's Affairs, June 1996) * Women from the Dominican Republic are trafficked to Spain, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands. (CATW Fact Book, citing European Conference on Trafficking in Women, Trafficking of Women to the European Union, June 1996) Azerbaijan GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Azerbaijan is a source and a transit point for trafficked men, women, and children. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Azerbaijanis are trafficked into northern Europe, particularly to the Netherlands and Germany. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Women usually are sent to the UAE or Western Europe, mainly Germany, to participate as workers in the sex industry, for example, in strip clubs, and as prostitutes. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Women from Iran, Russia, and sometimes Iraq, are transported through Baku to the UAE, Europe, and occasionally the United States for prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * There has been an increase in trafficking of women. (CATW Fact Book, citing "UN: High maternal mortality rates among issues addressed by experts on Azerbaijan Report", M2 Presswire, 26 January, 1998) Bahamas - Bahrain GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Bahrain is a destination country for trafficked persons. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * There are reports that some foreign workers are recruited for employment on the basis of fraudulent contracts and then forced into domestic servitude or sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Diplomats and businessmen from Bahrain have been caught with slaves whom they smuggled into the United States. (American Anti-Slavery Group, Jesse Sage, e-mail to GMIS, 6 November 2000) Bangladesh NATIONAL STATISTICS * Human rights monitors estimate that more than 20,000 women and children are trafficked from the country for the purpose of forced prostitution annually. (US Dept of State, Human Rights Report, 2000) * It is estimated that there are anywhere from 100 to over 1,000 underage South Asian camel jockeys currently working in the United Arab Emirates alone; while many come from India and Pakistan, a growing number come from Bangladesh. (US Dept of State, Human Rights Report, 2000) * It is known that 168 children have been trafficked, 369 children have been missing and 295 children have been kidnapped during the year 2001. (BSAF, News Letter, December 2001)   * 20% of the child prostitutes in India come from Bangladesh and Nepal. (BNWLA, Salma Ali, Country Report on Trafficking in Children and their Exploitation in Prostitution, October 1998, citing a research publication by Dr. K.K. Mukherjee, India) * Over the last five years at least 13,200 children have been smuggled out of the country. (BNWLA, Salma Ali, Country Report on Trafficking in Children and their Exploitation in Prostitution, October 1998, citing a joint study by the Ministries of Home and Social Welfare and Women's Affairs) * 27,000 Bangladeshi women and children have been forced into prostitution in Indian brothels. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Women Forced into Indian Brothels", CWCS, June 1998) * More than 9,000 girls are trafficked each year from Nepal and Bangladesh into bondage in India and Pakistan, often with the acquiescence or cooperation of state officials. (CATW Fact Book, citing Amnesty International press release, 22 April 1998) * Over the last decade, 200,000 Bangladeshi girls were lured under false circumstances and sold into the sex industries in nations including Pakistan, India and the Middle East. (CATW Fact Book, citing Tabibul Islam, "Rape of Minors Worry Parents", IPS, 8 April 1998) * More than 15,000 women and children are trafficked out of Bangladesh every year. (CATW Fact Book, citing The Hindu, 19 February 1998) * There are 200 trafficked Bangladeshi women and children in detention centres in India awaiting repatriation. (CATW Fact Book, citing Hindu, 19 February, 1998) * According to estimates, around 25-50 children are trafficked out of the country every month. (An Alternative Report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, submission to the UN CRC, 1997, citing Jarlath D'Souza of BICPAJ) * Different human rights activists and agencies estimate that 200-400 young women and children are smuggled out every month, most of them from Bangladesh to Pakistan. (CATW Fact Book, citing CEDAW Report: Bangladesh, 1 April, 1997) * 10,000 Bangladeshi children are in brothels in Bombay and Goa, India. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Human Smuggling from Bangladesh at alarming level", Reuters, 26 May 1997, citing Trafficking Watch Bangladesh) * 2.7% of prostitutes in Calcutta are Bangladeshi, the largest population of foreigners. The majority of these females are under 18. (CATW Fact Book, citing CEDAW Report: Bangladesh, 1 April 1997) * Between January 1990 and September 1997, there were 2,545 cases of trafficked children reported in the media in Bangladesh, of which 1,262 were boys and 1,283 were girls. During the same time period, 2,212 trafficked children were rescued. (CATW Fact Book, citing Ishrat Shamin, "Trafficking in Women and Children: A Human Rights Crisis) * About 40,000 children from Bangladesh are involved in prostitution in Pakistan. Bangladeshi girls are also trafficked to India for commercial sex trade. (ILO-IPEC, Rapid Assessment of Child Labour Situation in Bangladesh, 1996) * Around 4,500 children are trafficked from Bangladesh to Pakistan. (ECPAT, CSEC Database citing UNICEF and SAARC, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Possibly about 50 to 100 boys, aged about 8 to 15, some even younger, are being trafficked from Bangladesh to the Gulf countries for use as drivers for camel races. Offering sexual favours is a secondary activity in most instances. (CWA, Brother Jarlath de Souza, "Trafficking in Children: Bangladesh", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 12, No. 3, July - September 1996) ADULT STATISTICS * 500 Bangladeshi women are illegally transported into Pakistan every day. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Open sale of little girls at Tanbazar brothel", Daily Star, 2 July, 1998, citing BNWLA) * At least 200,000 women have been trafficked to Pakistan over the last 10 years. (CATW Fact Book, citing CEDAW Report: Bangladesh, 1 April, 1997) * The Indian Social Welfare Board estimates that there are 500,000 foreign prostitutes in India of which 1% are from Bangladesh. 2.7% of prostitutes in Calcutta alone are from Bangladesh. (CATW Fact Book, citing CEDAW Report: Bangladesh, 1 April, 1997) * 30,000 Bangladeshi women are in the brothels of Calcutta, India. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Human smuggling from Bangladesh at alarming level", Reuters, 26 May, 1997) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Bangladesh is a country of origin for internationally trafficked persons, primarily women and children. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Several thousand women and girls are trafficked annually from Bangladesh for the purpose of sexual exploitation, primarily to India, Pakistan, and the Middle East. Boys also are trafficked to the Middle East, where they are engaged as camel jockeys. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Increasing children found begging have come to Thailand from countries like Cambodia, Burma and Bangladesh. These children are usually between 6-10 years or have either travelled to Thailand on their own or were brought by beggar gangs and agents. (ILO-IPEC, Children in Prostitution, Pornography and Illicit Activities, September 1999) * Reports from human rights monitors indicate that child kidnapping and trafficking for labour bondage and prostitution continues to be a serious and widespread problem. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * There is an extensive trafficking of children, primarily to India, Pakistan and destinations within the country are also largely for the purposes of forced prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Bangladesh and Nepal are the main sources of trafficked children in South Asia. (CATW Fact Book, citing Masako Iijima, "S. Asia urged to unite against child prostitution", Reuters, 19 June 1998) * Traffickers lure people from China, the Philippines, Bangladesh and other nations to the Northern Mariana Islands, a United States territory promising lucrative work. Instead, many are forced into slave labour and prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing Laura Myers, "Sen. Panel Hears of Marianas Abuses", AP Online, 31 March 1998) * Nepalese, Bangladeshi and Pakistani women are trafficked to India, and through India they are trafficked to Eastern Europe and Saudi Arabia. (CATW Fact Book, citing Meena Oudel, Oxfam Nepal, 18 March 1998) * There are significant numbers of young girls who are abducted for the slave trade, to be employed as domestic servants in the Middle East and Pakistan. (An Alternative Report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, submission to the UN CRC, 1997) * Reports indicate trafficking of children into Pakistan from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. (US Dept of Labor, Prostitution of Children, 1996) * Bangladeshi and Burmese women and children are trafficked to Pakistan. (Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Action, The Flesh Trade Report, 1995-1996) Barbados - Belarus ADULT STATISTICS * 1,000 Ukrainian and Belarusan women are in prostitution in Poland. (CATW Factbook, citing Piotr Bazylko, " Poland, Ukraine to fight sex slave industry ", Reuters,16 July 1998) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The country is both a source and transit point for women and girls being trafficked to Central and Western Europe for purposes of prostitution. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Information from such scattered destinations as the Netherlands, Lithuania, and Bosnia, refer to Belarus among the source countries for women being trafficked to or through their countries, and other anecdotal evidence suggests that the Russian Mafia is active in trafficking young women, who end up as prostitutes in Cyprus, Greece, Israel, and Western Europe. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Russian criminal organisations actively may try to recruit and lure women into serving as prostitutes in Western Europe and the Middle East. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001 citing Ministry of Internal Affairs)    * Although previously Slovakia was primarily a source country, increasingly women from less prosperous eastern countries (including the Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, and Bulgaria) find themselves trafficked through and to Slovakia. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * In December 1997, a group of Armenians were caught in Belarus trafficking children to Brest under false pretenses; their destination was Poland. (CATW Fact Book, citing Noyan Tapan, "Criminal Group Trading Children Apprehended in Belarus", 10 December 1997)   Belgium NATIONAL STATISTICS * Nearly 2,000 unaccompanied minors requested asylum in 1999, most from the former Yugoslavia and central Africa. Because of the difficulties involved in travelling to Belgium from those areas, the International Organisation for Migration believes that many of these unaccompanied minors were brought in by traffickers or assisted by professional smugglers. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001 citing statistics compiled by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees) * Child Focus, the government-sponsored centre for missing and exploited children, reported that it handled 1,503 cases in 1999 and 722 cases in the first 4 months of 2000. Nearly 12% of the cases reported from January to April involved sexual exploitation. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001, citing Child Focus) * 45 children from 26 countries were trafficked during 1998. The highest number of children, i.e. 8, were from Macedonia. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) ADULT STATISTICS * In September 1999, the three government-designated non-profit organisations involved in assisting victims of trafficking in persons reported 185 active cases of trafficking in women from over 30 countries. The largest numbers of victims were Albanian. Cases on 28 children from 7 different countries also were active; the largest numbers were from Albania and Macedonia. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * According to various reports, some 3,500 Bulgarian women are trafficked to Poland, thousands to the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, while others are trafficked to Germany, Belgium, Canada, Serbia-Montenegro, Romania, Hungary, TFYR Macedonia, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Turkey. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * In 1993, 40% of the trafficked women, assisted in Belgium by an NGO, were from Central and Eastern European Countries, most from Poland and Hungary. (CATW Fact Book, citing STV and Payoke, "The Growing Exploitation of Migrant Women from Central and Eastern Europe", IOM, May 1995) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Belgium is both a transit point and a destination for trafficking in children. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * A Dutch study by Terre des Hommes indicates that many children are trafficked into the Netherlands for purposes of abuse through prostitution. Many of these children, mostly girls, come from Africa. They are sold again to Belgium and other European countries where they are forced to provide sex. (ECPAT International, A Step Forward, 1999) * Prostitution trade networks provide Colombian women for the markets in Spain, Britain, Germany, Belgium and the United States. (CATW Fact Book, citing Gustavo Capdevila, IPS, 2 April, 1997, citing Radhika Coomaraswamy, UN Special Report on Violence Against Women) Belize GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * According to a spokesperson from the Human Development Department, there were rare reports of trafficking in children for the purpose of prostitution. Most cases reported involved migrant children. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Benin NATIONAL STATISTICS * Following a child labor conference in 2000, it was reported in an ILO-IPEC report "Combatting Trafficking in Children for Labor Exploitation in West and Central Africa" that 3,061 children were known to have been trafficked in the country between 1995 and 1999. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2001, March 2002) * In March a Nigerian-registered ship, the MV Etireno, sailed from Cotonou; according to the international press, it carried as many as 250 children trafficked from West Africa to work as laborers and domestic servants in Gabon. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2001, March 2002) * The scale of trafficking in Benin is such that 117 children were intercepted at the border in 1995, 416 in 1996 and in 1998 the number increased to 1059 before it eventually fell down to 815 in 1999. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * According to a survey of child labor conducted in 1999 by the Government, the World Bank, and INSAE (a nutritionally focused NGO), 49,000 rural children, constituting 8 percent of the rural child population between the ages of 6 and 16, work abroad, primarily as agricultural workers on plantations in the Cote d'Ivoire and as domestic workers in Gabon. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2001, March 2002) * Only children who had been trafficked explicitly for labour purposes were counted among the 49,000 children that were estimated to be victims of trafficking. However, the children who left "for other reasons" may conceal an additional number of trafficked children and bring the number close to 80,000. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Based on a survey of 229 children trafficked from Benin to Gabon, 198 (86%) were girls, the majority of whom were being trafficked for domestic service. More than 50% of the sample were under 16 years old. (Anti-Slavery International and ESAM, Trafficking of Children between Benin and Gabon, 1999) * In Benin, 17% of children from areas known to be high providers of child domestics are sent to foreign countries, 63% are confined to the urban areas within the country and 20% to the surrounding villages. (UNICEF, The Issue of Child Domestic Labour and Trafficking in West and Central Africa, July 1998) * Over 1,081 children were intercepted at the border in 1997. (Childline) * Local NGOs estimate that more than 700 children of both sexes were recaptured on the Benin- Togo borders and the Benin-Nigerian borders during 1997 and returned afterwards to their families. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Child Peddling Serious Problem in Togo and Benin", All Africa News Agency, 23 March 1998) . * In July 1997, the police intercepted a group of 90 children in Porto Novo and another group of 42 in Cotonou on their way to Nigeria. (UNICEF, The Issue of Child Domestic Labour and Trafficking in West and Central Africa, July 1998) * Between 1995 and 1998, 1,363 children have been intercepted at Benin's borders as they were getting ready to be sent abroad. Benin authorities intercepted 117 children before crossing the border in 1995, 413 in 1996 and 694 in 1997. (UNICEF, The Issue of Child Domestic Labour and Trafficking in West and Central Africa, July 1998) * According to Benin authorities, 92 children repatriated from abroad in 1992, and the number was 39 in 1995. (UNICEF, The Issue of Child Domestic Labour and Trafficking in West and Central Africa, July 1998) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Of the trafficked children, 61% were boys and 39% were girls. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Certain villages have been particularly victimised by organised child traffickers, and there were villages where up to 51% of children were trafficked. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * In Benin, there is both external and internal trafficking of children. Internal trafficking is where children are taken from the rural areas to urban towns and cities. With regard to external trafficking, countries, which receive children from Benin, are Gabon, Nigeria, Cote d'Ivoire, Congo Brazzaville, Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * For transatlantic trafficking, the receiving countries are in the EU, the Gulf States and Lebanon. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Benin is a source, transit, and destination for trafficked persons, primarily children. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Children from Niger, Togo, and Burkina Faso have been trafficked to Benin for indentured or domestic servitude. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Some financially desperate parents indenture their children to "agents" recruiting farm hands or domestic workers, often on the understanding that money paid to the children would be sent to their parents. According to press reports, in some cases unscrupulous individuals take the children to neighboring countries. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * A study has shown that children are trafficked from Benin to Gabon to be used as domestic servants. (WAO-Afrique, Child Trafficking in West and Central Africa, submission to the UN Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, June 1999) * Trafficking in children, which is always a problem, continues to be the subject of considerable media coverage. Most victims are abducted or leave home with traffickers who promise educational opportunities or other incentives. They are taken to places in foreign countries (according to the press, principally located in Nigeria, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire and Gabon) and sold into servitude in agriculture as domestics or as prostitutes. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Children are trafficked from Benin to Ife or Benin City in Nigeria, or to Adja Tado in Togo. (UNICEF, The Issue of Child Domestic Labour and Trafficking in West and Central Africa, July 1998) * Thai girls are found to be working as prostitutes in Western African countries including Benin. ("Thai girls lured to sex trade in Africa", Bangkok Post, 24 August 1998) Bhutan GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Reports indicate trafficking of children into Pakistan from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. (US Dept of Labor, Prostitution of Children, 1996) Bolivia GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * There were unconfirmed press reports that children sometimes were sold to sweatshops in Argentina. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) Bosnia and Herzegovina ADULT STATISTICS * As many as 5,000 trafficked women may be working in the country. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * From March 1999 to January 2001, there were 384 confirmed cases of women trafficked for sexual exploitation; 236 women were returned to their home countries. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * The IPTF reports that they have encountered approximately 4,000 women in their raids of bars and estimate that 10% of the women have been trafficked. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001 citing IPTF reports) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Trafficking in girls for the purpose of forced prostitution is a problem. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * The country is mainly a destination point, and to a lesser extent an origin and transit point, for women and girls who are trafficked for the purpose of forced prostitution. Most victims are from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * There have been credible but unconfirmed reports that children are trafficked to work in begging rings. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * The majority of trafficked women in Bosnia come from Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine, but also come from Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Bulgaria. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * The ages of the trafficked women averaged 22.8 years, ranging between 16 and 33 years of age. Less than 5% of the women were minors. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001)   Botswana GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * An undisclosed number of Zambian girls were ferried to Botswana, headed for the sex tourism industry in other countries. (CATW Fact Book, citing African Child Watch, "Child Trafficking Takes Root in Southern Africa, Says Group", SAPA DPA, 1 September 1997) Brazil ADULT STATISTICS * An international trafficking network was broken up in Spain and 15 people arrested for allegedly trafficking dozens of women from the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Columbia, Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria to Spain, forcing them into prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Spanish Prostitution Ring Busted", AP, 18 April 1998) * 100 women were trafficked for prostitution from remote villages in Brazil to London over the last five-year period. The women were held under debt bondage. (CATW Fact Book, citing Michael Hoskins "Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation", Metropolitan Police Service, June 1996) * Of the total 751 trafficking victims found from January 1994 to June 1995 in Austria, 18 were from Brazil. (CATW Fact Book, citing IOM Report 1996) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Brazil is a source country for victims of both domestic and international trafficking. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * The majority of Brazilian trafficking victims are women and girls who are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation to Europe, Japan, Israel, and the United States. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Several clubs in the capital are known for recruiting women from Brazil and the Caribbean. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * The second largest migrant group of women in prostitution, in Germany, is from Latin America, mostly from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil. (CATW Fact Book, citing Licia Brussa, "Transnational AIDS Prevention Among Migrant Prostitutes in Europe", TAMPEP, 1996) * Foreign women in "call girl" prostitution in Italy are from Poland, Russia, Colombia and Argentina, and to a lesser extent from Brazil, Hungary, Romania and the Philippines. (CATW Fact Book, citing Migrant Information Programme, "Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation to Italy", IOM, June 1996) * Young girls are brought to the mines in Rondonia from Rio Branco and are auctioned for as much as $4,000 each. (CATW, The Fact Book on Global Sexual Exploitation, 1999) * In Brazil, the trafficking of girl prostitutes is a well-organised business. (Jose Steinsleger, En el reino de Herodes, 1996) Brunei Darussalam GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Korea ranks 7th in terms of destination of deployed overseas Filipino workers, closely following Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and Japan.Illegal recruitments, allegedly for work abroad, have historically been exploited to bring women into prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation in foreign lands. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Jean Enriquez, "Filipinos in Prostitution around U.S. Military Bases in Korea") Bulgaria ADULT STATISTICS * According to various reports, some 3,500 Bulgarian women are trafficked to Poland, 1,000 to the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, while others are trafficked to Germany, Belgium, Canada, Serbia-Montenegro, Romania, Hungary, TFYR Macedonia, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Turkey. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Approximately 10,000 Bulgarian women currently may be victims of international trafficking operations. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * In 1997, the police registered 200 cases of attempted smuggling of women to Western brothels. (CATW Fact Book, citing Piotr Bazylko, "Poland, Ukraine to fight sex slave industry", Reuters, 16 July 1998) * Of the total 751 trafficking victims found from January 1994 to June 1995 in Austria, 23 were from Bulgaria. (CATW Fact Book, citing IOM Report 1996) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Trafficking in girls for the purpose of forced prostitution is a problem. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * The country is both a source and transit country for trafficking. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Relevant authorities and NGO observers report that thousands of Bulgarian women have been trafficked to Poland, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, while others are trafficked to Germany, Belgium, France, Canada, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia including Kosovo, Romania, Hungary, Macedonia, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * La Strada, a Netherlands-based NGO, reports that Bulgarian women constitute one of the largest groups of victims of forced prostitution in Western and Central Europe. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) *Albania is a major conduit for trafficked women from Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine. Criminal gangs recruit or coerce women to work as prostitutes abroad, most often in Italy and Greece. There are also reports that traffickers kidnap women for prostitution and that family members sell daughters, sisters, and wives to traffickers against their will. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Although previously Slovakia was primarily a source country, increasingly women from less prosperous eastern countries, including the Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, and Bulgaria, find themselves trafficked through and to Slovakia. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Burkina Faso GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Burkina Faso is a source, transit, and destination country for internationally trafficked persons, including children. It is an occasional source country for women who travel to Europe to work as domestics, but, upon their arrival, are exploited sexually. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Burkina Faso is a transit country for trafficked children, notably from Mali. Children in transit from Mali are often destined for Cote d'Ivoire. Trafficked Malian children are also destined for Burkina Faso. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Destinations for trafficked Burkina children include Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana, and Nigeria. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * The Government of Burkina Faso reports that no sale, trafficking or abduction of children in Burkina Faso has been observed. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Children from Burkina Faso are trafficked across the boarder to Ivory Coast to work in the cocoa plantations. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Reports abound regarding the sale and trafficking of children in West and Central Africa, including Burkina children. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * In 1999 there were reports of trafficked Burkina children destined for Germany. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * In July, police in Divo broke up a ring of child traffickers, which had brought children from Burkina Faso to work on farms and plantations in Cote d’Ivoire. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * A study has shown that children are trafficked from Togo to Burkina Faso for use as domestic servants, market traders, child beggars and prostitutes. (WAO-Afrique, Child Trafficking in West and Central Africa, submission to the UN Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, June 1999) * Suspected child trafficking activities have also been identified in, Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Mali, Mauritania and Burkina Faso. These networks feed the domestic labour market in the main urban centres of countries like Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and the Congo. (UNICEF, The Issue of Child Domestic Labour and Trafficking in West and Central Africa, July 1998) Burma (Myanmar) NATIONAL STATISTICS * In 1996, there were almost 200,000 foreign children, mostly boys from Burma, Laos and Cambodia, who had been trafficked in to Thailand for prostitution and work at construction sites and sweatshops. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking of children on the rise", Bangkok Post, 22 July, 1998, citing IPSR) * The number of Burmese women and girls travelling to Thailand through Mae Sai to enter the sex industry is increasing. 60% of them are under 18 years of age. (CATW Fact Book, citing Aphaluck Bhatiasevi, "Influx of Burmese sex workers", Bangkok Post, 2 June 1997) * There are at least 50,000 Burmese girls and women working in Thailand as prostitutes at any one time. (Report Cites Burma’s Child Rights Abuses, ECPAT Bulletin, Vol. 4/1, 1996-97) * 10,000 are trafficked annually from Burma to Thailand. (World Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation, August 1996) * From Burma, it was estimated in 1994 that as many as 20,000 to 30,000 women and girls had been trafficked primarily into brothels in Thailand, with 10,000 new recruits being added each year. (CWA, Ahmad Saufian, Pusat Kajian Perlindungan Anak, "Child Labour in Jermals", Child Workers in Asia, Vol.15, No. 2, May - August 1999) ADULT STATISTICS * 1 million women trafficked in Thailand from Laos, Burma, China, and Vietnam. (CATW - Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) * Women from Burma's Shan state and China's southern province of Yunnan constitute 16% of the 77,000 women in the sex industry in Thailand. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Academic urges action in war against flesh trade", The Nation, 28 May 1997, citing IPSR, Kritaya Archavanitkul, The Passage of Women in Neighbouring Countries into the Sex Trade in Thailand) * 20,000-30,000 Burmese women are in prostitution in Thailand. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) * There have been 200,000 Burmese women trafficked to Karachi, Pakistan. (CATW Fact Book, citing SANLAAP India, Indrani Sinha, "Paper on Globalization & Human Rights") * 50% of the prostituted women in Chiang Rai are Burmese. Thousands of indigenous Burmese women from Shan State in the north and from Keng Tung in eastern Burma have been sold into brothels in Bangkok and throughout Thailand. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Burma is a source country for thousands of women and young girls who are trafficked into the commercial sex industries of neighbouring countries. There are reliable reports that many women and children in border areas, where the Government's control is limited, were forced or lured into working as prostitutes in Thailand and China. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * In addition to Thailand, Burmese adults are trafficked to China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Japan. While most observers believe the number of victims is at least several thousand per year, there are no reliable statistics available on the total number of trafficked persons. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Increasing children found begging have come to Thailand from countries like Cambodia, Burma and Bangladesh. These children are usually between 6-10 years of age who either travelled to Thailand on their own or were brought by beggar gangs and agents. (ILO-IPEC, Children in Prostitution, Pornography and Illicit Activities, September 1999) * The number of Burmese, Cambodian, Vietnamese and Chinese children enticed into or forced into prostitution in Bangkok and other cities in Thailand, increased during 1997. (EI, EI Barometer on Human and Trade Union Rights in the Education Sector, 1998) * Burmese girls trafficked to Thailand come from Chiang Tung, Ta Khi Lek, and Yong, and come from minority groups such as the Tai Yai and Mon. (CATW Fact Book, citing Poona Antaseeda "More foreign workers join sex industry as fewer Thai girls enter flesh trade", Bangkok Post, 24 November 1997) * Mae Sai, Thailand and surrounding villages act as a funnel for trafficking of labour to Thailand from Burma and southern China. (US Dept of Labor, Prostitution of Children, 1996) * A 1996 study, conducted at 40 commercial venues in Bangkok, Kulachada and Chaipipat, found trafficking women and children from the Mekong countries - China, Burma, Laos and Cambodia to be increasing. The largest groups of newly trafficked women into the sex industry are from Burma’s Shan state, and minority women from the Northwest border areas. ("New law targets human trafficking", The Nation, 30 November 1997) * Bangladeshi and Burmese women and children are trafficked to Pakistan. (Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Action, The Flesh Trade Report, 1995-1996) * Malaysia is a receiving country for trafficked women from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, China, India, Taiwan, Singapore, Burma, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Laos. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) * The military and political situations in Burma, has led to an increase in migration, which has made women extremely vulnerable to trafficking for prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing SANLAAP India, Indrani Sinha, "Paper on Globalization & Human Rights") Burundi - Cambodia NATIONAL STATISTICS * Cambodian children are trafficked to countries in Southeast Asia. There is lack of reliable data on trafficking in women and children for commercial sexual exploitation but it is estimated that 10,000 to 15,.000 women and girls are trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. (CWA, Newsletter Vol. 16 No. 2 May-August 2000, CCPCR Addressing the Sexual Exploitation of Girls in Cambodia, Yim Po. Executive Director, CPCR) * Many of the estimated 15,000 to 20,000 prostitutes in Phnom Penh are believed to be Vietnamese girls and women. (UNICEF, Children on the Edge, citing, United Nations ESCAP (2000), UNICEF East Asia and Pacific) * In 1996, there were almost 200,000 foreign children from Burma, Laos and Cambodia who had been trafficked in to Thailand for prostitution and work at construction sites and sweatshops. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking of children on the rise", Bangkok Post, 22 July 1998, citing IPSR) * About 500 Cambodian children are known to work for criminal gangs in Thailand. (ILO-IPEC, Combating Trafficking in Children for Labour Exploitation in the Mekong Sub-region, October 1998) * At least 3,000 girls from South Vietnam have been trafficked to Cambodia for prostitution. More than 15% of them are below 15 years. (ILO-IPEC, Combating Trafficking in Children for Labour Exploitation in the Mekong Sub-region, October 1998) * 500 children trafficked to Thailand for begging. (ILO-IPEC, Trafficking in children for labour exploitation in Mekong Sub-region, July 1998) * One third of 55,000 prostitutes in Cambodia are under 18 and most of them are Vietnamese. ("Vietnam Child Sex Trade Rising", AP Online, 24 April 1998) * 500 Vietnamese girls trafficked to Cambodia for Prostitution. (ILO-IPEC, Combating Trafficking in Children for Labour Exploitation in the Mekong Sub-region, October 1998) * Of the 1,060 child beggars in Thailand in 1997, 95% were Cambodians. (Kyodo News Service) ADULT STATISTICS * 3,000 women and children are trafficked to Cambodia for prostitution, and to China for domestic work. (ILO-IPEC, Trafficking in Children and Women, 1999) * Hundreds of Vietnamese women are trafficked out to Europe, China, Cambodia and Macao for prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing "EU wants more cooperation with Vietnam to end trafficking women, drugs", AFP, 27 February 1998) * Up to 35% of estimated 15,000 prostituted persons in Phnom Penh have been smuggled into Cambodia from China or Vietnam, mostly from the southwestern provinces of Vietnam - Long An, An Giang, Song Be, Kien Giang, Dong Thap, Can Tho and Ho Chi Minh City. (CATW Fact Book, citing "The Street of Little Flowers", Bangkok Post, 23 February 1997, rewritten from Mikel Flamm and Ngo Kim Cuc, Children of the Dust) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Cambodia is an important source, transit, and destination country of child victims. An investigation by the human rights organisation ADHOC yielded 87% cases of trafficking in 9 provinces in 1999. (ECPAT, CSEC Database citing ADHOC, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Cambodian men, women, and children are trafficked internationally, principally to Thailand for the purpose of sexual exploitation and for various forms of bonded labour, including street begging. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Children and adults from the poorer rural areas of Cambodia are trafficked to Phnom Penh and other commercial areas for sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * ADHOC, and LICADHO, reported that trafficking in children for sexual purposes is booming . (ECPAT, CSEC Database citing ADHOC and LICADHO, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Child prostitution and trafficking in children were common. There were reliable reports that children were lured from or kidnapped in some provinces and forced into the illegal sex trade, both in Cambodia and abroad. Other children were smuggled into Thailand to become beggars. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Women from Thailand, a few from Cambodia and China, were being smuggled into South Africa for prostitution by Chinese and South African organised crime syndicates. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Increasing children found begging have come to Thailand from countries like Cambodia, Burma and Bangladesh. These children are usually between 6-10 years who either travelled to Thailand on their own or were brought by beggar gangs and agents. (ILO-IPEC, Children in Prostitution, Pornography and Illicit Activities, September 1999) * Vietnamese traffickers sell hundreds of women and children each year in Europe, China, Cambodia and Macau, for prostitution and arranged marriages. (CATW Fact Book, citing "EU wants more cooperation with Vietnam to end trafficking women, drugs", AFP, 27 February 1998) * The number of Burmese, Cambodian, Vietnamese and Chinese children enticed or forced into prostitution in Bangkok and other cities in Thailand, increased during 1997. (EI, EI Barometer on Human and Trade Union Rights in the Education Sector, 1998) * Vietnamese prostituted girls, most of them aged 15 to 18 years, are found in the Svay Pak red-light district of Cambodia. Many girls are much younger. Most of them are smuggled in from Vietnam and all are bound by contracts, which last from six months to over a year. Svay Pak has the largest number of prostituted Vietnamese girls. (CATW Fact Book, citing "The Street of Little Flowers", Bangkok Post, 23 February 1997, rewritten from Mikel Flamm and Ngo Kim Cuc, Children of the Dust) * A 1996 study, conducted at 40 commercial venues in Bangkok, Kulachada and Chaipipat, found trafficking women and children from the Mekong countries - China, Burma, Laos and Cambodia-to be increasing. The largest groups of newly trafficked women into the sex industry are from Burma's Shan state, and minority women from the Northwest border areas. ("New law targets human trafficking", The Nation, 30 November 1997) * Vietnamese girls are commonly brought to Phnom Penh, where they are concentrated in a strip 15 km north of the city in an area known as Svay Pak. (CATW Fact Book, citing Laura Bobak, "For Sale: The Innocence of Cambodia", Ottawa Sun, 24 October 1996) * There is internal trafficking of young Khmer girls from province to province within the country. (CWA, Tim Seaman, Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defence of Human Rights (LICADHO), "Sexual Exploitation: Cambodia", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 12, Nos. 1 & 2, January - June 1996) Cameroon NATIONAL STATISTICS * An ILO study conducted in March and April in Yaounde, Douala, and Bamenda revealed that trafficking accounted for 84% or approximately 530,000 of an estimated 610,000 child labourers. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001 citing ILO study) * In September a boat capsized off the coast of Cameroon carrying an estimated 140-suspected child slaves en route to Gabon. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2001, March 2002) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The country is a transit country for regional traffickers, transporting children between Nigeria, Benin, Niger, Chad, Togo, the Republic of the Congo, and the Central African Republic. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Children are trafficked from and through Cameroon to other West African countries for indentured or domestic servitude, farm labour, and sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * According to the NCHRF, there have been reports of farm-to-city trafficking of girls who were promised jobs in cities, but were forced into prostitution or other labour. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Trafficking in children, which is always a problem, continues to be the subject of considerable media coverage in Benin. Most victims are abducted or leave home with traffickers who promise educational opportunities or other incentives. They are taken to places in foreign countries, (according to the press, principally to Nigeria, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, and Gabon) and sold into servitude in agriculture, as domestics, or as prostitutes. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Canada NATIONAL STATISTICS * 100 children are trafficked into Canada from Honduras. (CATW, The Fact Book on Global Sexual Exploitation, 1999) ADULT STATISTICS * According to various reports, some 3,500 Bulgarian women are trafficked to Poland, thousands to the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, while others are trafficked to Germany, Belgium, Canada, Serbia-Montenegro, Romania, Hungary, TFYR Macedonia, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Turkey. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Agents traffic at least 30 Thai women into Canada per trip, and there are at least 3 Thai agents in Toronto alone. (CATW Fact Book, citing Rob Lamberti, "Sex Slaves: Fodder for Flesh Factories", Toronto Sun, 10 May 1998) * About 12, 16-30 year old, Asian girls and women are trafficked into Canada each week on visitor's permits and sold into prostitution. The women are sold to brothel owners in Markham, Scarborough, Toronto and Los Angeles, and forced into $40,000 debt bondage. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Police Bust Sex-slave Ring", UPI, 11 September 1997, citing police officials) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * It is thought that Chinese girls are trafficked into Western Canada to work in the sex trade. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Canada is a primarily a transit and destination country for trafficking in persons, primarily from East Asia (especially China and Korea), Eastern Europe, Russia, and Honduras. (US Dept of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * There are also isolated cases of Canadian minors trafficked by pimps to the United States for the purpose of sexual exploitation. (US Dept of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * A local NGO reports that girls from Costa Rica have been transported through Central America and Mexico to work in the sex industry in the United States, Canada, and Europe. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * South Africa is a transit point for a large trafficking network operating between developing countries and Europe, United States and Canada. Migrants from foreign countries, particularly China, India, the Middle East, former Eastern Bloc countries and other African countries, are lured to South Africa. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Malaysian women are trafficked for sexual purposes mostly to Singapore, Macau, Hong Kong, and Taiwan but also to Japan, Australia, Canada and the United States. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) issued a report on trafficking of persons in September, and stated that women and girls from Colombia are trafficked to North America and Western Europe. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Vietnamese and Chinese mafia are expanding operations in brothels in Toronto, Canada. They traffic women from Southeast Asia. (CATW Fact Book, citing Rob Lamberti, "Sex Slaves: Fodder for Flesh Factories", Toronto Sun, 10 May 1998) * The United Nations lists Mexico as the number one centre for the supply of young children to North America. The majority are sent to international paedophile organisations. Most of the children over 12 end up as prostitutes. (CATW Fact Book, citing Allan Hall, The Scotsman, 25 August 1998) * Many of the young girls who are trafficked and forced into prostitution in Canada are ferried from city to city, from Seattle to San Francisco to Oakland to Phoenix to Honolulu and Portland. The pimps move them every 3-4 weeks. (CATW Fact Book, citing The Province, 19 December 1997, citing Portland Police Officer Doug Kosloske) * Recruitment of exotic dancers into Canada is legal, and may be linked to the issues of trafficking and sexual exploitation. Women who enter Canada to work as exotic dancers are vulnerable to sexual and economic exploitation, deprivation of freedom and can be coerced into criminal activities, whether they have entered legally or illegally. (CATW Fact Book, citing Canada's Paper for EU Conference on Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation, 10-11 June 1996) Cape Verde - Central African Republic GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Trafficking is confined primarily to children who are brought in by the foreign Muslim community from Nigeria, Sudan, and Chad to be used as domestic servants, shop helpers, and agricultural workers. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2001, March 2002) Chad GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * One report on trafficking in West and Central Africa states that nomadic cattlemen from Northern Cameroon and Central Chad in the dry season traffic boy children as far as the Central African Republic. The herdsmen approach parents either directly or through middlemen. This type of trafficking is for child labour. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) Chile - China NATIONAL STATISTICS * 3,000 Vietnamese women and children are trafficked to China for domestic work and to Cambodia for prostitution. (ILO-IPEC, Trafficking in Children and Women, 1999) * Thai officials estimate that there are 20,000 women and girls trafficked from Burma into Thai brothels with 10,000 more imported each year, and 5,000 women and girls from China. (CATW, Dorchen Leidholdt, Sex Industry Survivor and Coalition address United Nations General Assembly, Coalition Report, Vol. 4, No. 1, 1997) * In 1994, the Peking People's Daily reported that more than 10,000 women and children are abducted and sold each year in Sichuan alone. (CWA, "Serving Affluent Businessmen and Visitors", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 13, Nos. 2 & 3, April - September 1997, citing ECPAT International) * According to the INFLS report, in 1991 and 1992 the Public Security Bureau uncovered more than 50,000 cases of abduction and sale of women and children and rescued about 40,000 women and children. Figures released for 1993 and 1994 reported that 24,751 women and 2,731 children had been rescued. (CATW, Coalition Report: China, August 1995) * 80,000 women and children have been trafficked to Thailand for prostitution, since 1990. The highest numbers are from Burma, followed by Yunnan province of China and Laos. (ILO-IPEC, Combating Trafficking in Children for Labour Exploitation in the Mekong Sub-region, October 1998) * According to the Chinese police, since 1989 about 5,000 Chinese girls have been lured across the rugged Burmese mountains that separate the two countries and sold as prostitutes. (CWA, "Serving Affluent Businessmen and Visitors", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 13, Nos. 2 & 3, April - September 1997, citing ECPAT International) ADULT STATISTICS * 1 million women trafficked in Thailand from Laos, Burma, China, and Vietnam. (CATW, The Fact Book on Global Sexual Exploitation, 1999) * Women from Burma's Shan state and China's southern province of Yunnan constitute 16% of the 77,000 women in the sex industry in Thailand. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Academic urges action in war against flesh trade", The Nation, 28 May 1997, citing IPSR, Kritaya Archavanitkul, The Passage of Women in Neighbouring Countries into the Sex Trade in Thailand) LOCAL STATISTICS * Around 7,000 trafficking cases in Yunnan Province. (ILO-IPEC, Trafficking in Children and Women, 1999) * From the Yunnan Province of southern China, the government estimates that in 1995, at least 2,500 girls, mainly from minority groups, had been trafficked to Thailand. (CWA, Ahmad Saufian, Pusat Kajian Perlindungan Anak, "Child Labour in Jermals", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 15, No. 2, May - August 1999) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Internationally, Chinese citizens are trafficked to Malaysia, Burma, Japan, North America, Australia, the Philippines, and Taiwan for sexual exploitation and indentured servitude in sweatshops and restaurants. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Most of the information available on CSEC in China is anecdotal and based on press releases. Further, it refers mostly to women rather than children. Available information points to trafficking being a significant problem. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Thousands of women and children, most between the ages of 13 and 24 are abducted each year and forced into prostitution or marriage. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Since 1998, Chinese authorities have reported an increase in the number of children being trafficked to other countries for purposes of forced prostitution. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * The US State Department notes that women from Burma, Laos, North Korea, Vietnam and Russia are trafficked to China to work in the sex trade or to be forcibly married to Chinese men. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Women from Thailand, and a few from Cambodia and China, were being smuggled into South Africa for prostitution by Chinese and South African organised crime syndicates. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Malaysian police believe that the overwhelming number of prostitutes in Malaysia are foreigners from Indonesia, the Philippines, Burma, Thailand and China. These women often work as karaoke hostesses, guest relations officers, and masseuses. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Vietnamese children are trafficked domestically and overseas to work as prostitutes. One NGO advocate estimated that among trafficked girl children, the average age was from 15 through 17 years; many were trafficked to Cambodia and China. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * South Africa is a transit point for a large trafficking network operating between developing countries and Europe, United States, and Canada. Migrants from foreign countries, particularly China, India, the Middle East, former Eastern Bloc countries and other African countries, are lured to South Africa. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Alien smuggling organisations use Suriname as an intermediate destination to smuggle Chinese nationals, including women and girls, to the United States, where frequently they are forced into bonded labour situations. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * According to domestic NGOs, girls between the ages of 12 and 18 are trafficked from Burma, southern China and Laos to work in the commercial sex industry. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Since December 1998, Chinese authorities have reported an increase in the number of children being trafficked to other countries by alien smugglers for purposes of forced prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Traffickers lure people from China, the Philippines, Bangladesh and other nations to the Northern Mariana Islands, a United States territory promising lucrative work. Instead, many are forced into slave labour and prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing Laura Myers, "Sen Panel Hears of Marianas Abuses", AP Online, 31 March 1998) * Russian, Filipino and Chinese women were trafficked for the purpose of prostitution to the mainland of the U.S. and the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, a U.S. Territory. (CATW Fact Book, citing William Branigan, "Human rights abuses found on US island", Washington Post, 30 March 1998) * Chinese women are being trafficked into the United States for brothels in New York and North Carolina. They are held in $40,000 debt-bondage. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Chinese women 'forced into prostitution' in US", BBC, 3 March 1998) * The number of Burmese, Cambodian, Vietnamese and Chinese children enticed into or forced into prostitution in Bangkok and other cities in Thailand, increased during 1997. (EI, EI Barometer on Human and Trade Union Rights in the Education Sector, 1998) * Children are trafficked to Thailand for prostitution and sweatshop work. (ILO-IPEC, Child Labour: Trends and Challenges in Asia, August 1997) * Traffickers are increasingly transporting Burmese and Chinese girls for prostitution, partially due to a decrease in the availability of northern Thai girls. (CATW Fact Book, citing "More foreign workers join sex industry". Bangkok Post, 24 November 1997, citing Prof. Causal Sunthorntada of IPSR) * There are 500 Chinese and 200 European women in prostitution in Bangkok, many of whom entered Thailand illegally often through Burma and Laos. Earlier reports, however, suggest there were thousands of foreign women in the sex industry. (CATW Fact Book, citing Sanit Meephan, "Thailand popular haunt for foreign prostitutes", The Nation, 15 January 1997, citing Tourism Police Bureau) * Girls from the pastoral villages of the minority tribes in Yunnan province in south-western China are being tricked by phoney offers of jobs and then being sold into prostitution in Thailand. (CWA, "Serving Affluent Businessmen and Visitors", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 13, Nos. 2 & 3, April - September 1997, citing ECPAT International) * The high proportion of child victims of prostitution in Thailand is aggravated by the arrival of children lured and trafficked from Cambodia, China, Laos, and Burma. (US Dept of Labor, Prostitution of Children, 1996) * A 1996 study, conducted at 40 commercial venues in Bangkok, Kulachada and Chaipipat, found trafficking women and children from the Mekong countries - China, Burma, Laos and Cambodia to be increasing. The largest groups of newly trafficked women into the sex industry are from Burma's Shan state, and minority women from the northwest border areas. ("New law targets human trafficking", The Nation, 30 November 1997) * There is a resurgence of prostitution and trafficking in women and girls all over China, involving a high percentage of children and minors. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) * Malaysia is a receiving country for trafficked women from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, China, India, Taiwan, Singapore, Burma, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Laos. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) China, Hong Kong SAR ADULT STATISTICS * Around 40 Indonesian females are sent to Taiwan and Hong Kong every month. (UNICEF Indonesia, Mohammad Farid, "Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Indonesia", Child Workers in Asia, January-March 2000) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Girls are lured from Burma, Cambodia, Laos, and south China for the sex markets in Hong Kong. ("Human Trafficking: Gangs make Thailand a regional hub", Bangkok Post, 6 September 2000, reprinted in Stop Trafficking Archive, September 2000) * Women are trafficked to Hong Kong from South and North Korea. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) * Malaysian women and girls reportedly are trafficked to work as prostitutes in Hong Kong by criminal organisations; some of these women allegedly are sent to Hong Kong with promises of legitimate employment, only to be forced into prostitution upon their arrival. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * There also were reports of women being trafficked to Hong Kong from Vietnam as 'mail order brides', usually through arrangements made by tourist agencies, international labour services, or marriage mediating agencies. Once in Hong Kong, they are vulnerable to exploitation. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * One network traffics girls as young as 13 across the border from China. (CATW Fact Book, citing The Nation, 5 July 1997) * Hong Kong is a stepping stone for transcontinental trafficking. (CWA, "Serving Affluent Businessmen and Visitors", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 13, Nos. 2 & 3, April - September 1997) * Hong Kong Triad gangs and Eastern European gangsters are trying to take over and expand Britain's sex industry. (CATW Fact Book, citing European Race Audit Bulletin, 25 November 1997) * Malaysian children are trafficked into Japan, Hongkong, Taiwan and Australia. (Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Action, The Flesh Trade Report, 1995-1996) * Hong Kong is the second biggest market for trafficked Nepalese women. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) China, Macau SAR ADULT STATISTICS * In late March, the Korean press reported that a Korean man was arrested on charges of forcing 40 Korean women, recruited as waitresses, into prostitution in Macau. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * In October, two Vietnamese women were prosecuted in Vietnam for trafficking 15 Vietnamese women to Macau for the purpose of prostitution.(US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * There have also been credible reports that women from Vietnam are trafficked into Macau as 'mail-order brides', with the assistance of organisations purporting to be travel agencies, international labour organisations or marriage mediating services. Women from Malaysia, who are usually ethnic Chinese, also reportedly have been trafficked into Macau; law enforcement authorities in Malaysia believe that the women are trafficked by Chinese criminal syndicates. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Hundreds of Vietnamese women trafficked out to Europe, China, Cambodia and Macau for prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing "EU wants more cooperation with Vietnam to end trafficking women, drugs", AFP, 27 February 1998) * Macau is a destination of trafficked women from Ukraine and Russia. (CATW Fact Book, citing Vladmir Isachenkov, "Soviet Women Slavery Flourishes", AP, 6 November 1997) * GSN identified several clubs in Macau where Russian women are employed as prostitutes. (Global Survival Network, Gillian Caldwell et al, Crime & Servitude, 1997) China, Taiwan NATIONAL STATISTICS * Around 40 Indonesian females are sent to Taiwan and Hong Kong every month. (UNICEF Indonesia, Mohammad Farid, "Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Indonesia", Child Workers in Asia, January-March 2000) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Taiwan is a destination point for internationally trafficked persons. Some young women from Southeast Asia, primarily China and Thailand, are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Girls are lured from Burma, Cambodia, Laos and south China for the sex markets in Taiwan. ("Human Trafficking: Gangs make Thailand a regional hub", Bangkok Post, 6 September 2000, reprinted in Stop Trafficking Archive, September 2000) * NGOs and the media report that Indonesian women and girls are trafficked to Malaysia, Taiwan and Japan as sex workers. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Malaysian women are trafficked for sexual purposes not only to Singapore, Macau, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, but also to Japan, Australia, Canada and the United States. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Malaysian children are trafficked into Japan, Hongkong, Taiwan and Australia. (Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Action, The Flesh Trade Report, 1995-1996) * Malaysia is a receiving country for trafficked women from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, China, India, Taiwan, Singapore, Burma, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Laos. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) Colombia NATIONAL STATISTICS * The National Police rescued 115 victims in Colombia and abroad from 1999 to 2000. Government officials with NGO representatives arrange to meet returning victims at the airport. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * An international trafficking network was broken up in Spain and 15 people arrested for allegedly trafficking dozens of women from the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Columbia, Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria to Spain, forcing them into prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Spanish Prostitution Ring Busted", AP, 18 April 1998) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Colombia is a source country for trafficked persons, especially women and children, to Asia (Japan, Singapore, and Hong Kong), Western Europe (the Netherlands and Spain), and the United States. Most victims are young women trafficked for purposes of sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) issued a report on trafficking of persons in September, and stated that women and girls from Colombia are trafficked to North America and Western Europe. There were also reports of women trafficked to Japan and Spain in increasing numbers, in recent years. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Prostitution trade networks provide Colombian women for the markets in Spain, Britain, Germany, Belgium and the United States. (CATW Fact Book, citing Gustavo Capdevila, IPS, 2 April 1997, citing Radhika Coomaraswamy, UN Special Report on Violence Against Women) * The second largest migrant group of women in prostitution in Germany is from Latin America, mostly from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil. (CATW Fact Book, citing Licia Brussa, "Transnational AIDS Prevention Among Migrant Prostitutes in Europe", TAMPEP, 1996) * Foreign women in 'call girl' prostitution in Italy are from Poland, Russia, Colombia and Argentina and to a lesser extent from Brazil, Hungary, Romania and the Philippines. (CATW Fact Book, citing Migrant Information Programme, "Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation to Italy", IOM, June 1996) * Two types of trafficking of Colombian women and girls occur, with one targeting regional areas and one providing Colombian women and girls for international 'markets'. (ECPAT International) Comoros - Congo - Congo, Dem. Rep. GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * UNICEF estimated that at least 20 percent of street children in Brazzaville were from the DRC; however, NGO estimates were as high as 50 percent. Many of the street children beg or sell cheap or stolen goods to support themselves. Some have turned to prostitution or petty theft. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2001, March 2002) * A significant country of origin for trafficking in persons. Women are trafficked to Europe, mainly France and Belgium, for sexual exploitation, and boys are trafficked by Ugandan troops and rebel groups for forced and voluntary military service. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Ugandan and Rwandan soldiers, in addition to Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD) rebels, reportedly abducted many Congolese women and girls from the villages they raided. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Insurgent groups from neighbouring countries have abducted a number of Congolese children to be labour or sex slaves, or to serve in the military. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Boys are trafficked by Ugandan troops and rebel groups for forced and voluntary military service. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * An ILO study conducted in March and April in Yaounde, Douala, and Bamenda, Cameroon, indicated that regional traffickers transported children between the Republic of the Congo, and Nigeria, Benin, Niger, Chad, Togo, and the Central African Republic, through Cameroon. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001, citing ILO study) * Suspected child trafficking activities have also been identified in Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Mali, Mauritania and Burkina Faso. These networks feed the domestic labour market in the main urban centres of countries like Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and the Congo. (UNICEF, The Issue of Child Domestic Labour and Trafficking in West and Central Africa, July 1998) Cook Islands - Costa Rica GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Costa Rica is a transit and destination country for trafficked persons. The country serves as a transit point for trafficked persons from Asia to the United States. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Isolated cases of trafficking have involved persons from Africa, Bolivia, China, Colombia, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and the Middle East. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * A local NGO reports that girls from Costa Rica have been transported through Central America and Mexico to work in the sex industry in the United States, Canada, and Europe. There were also reports of girls from the Philippines being trafficked to Costa Rica to work in the sex industry. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Cote d'Ivoire NATIONAL STATISTICS * According to an UNICEF study, approximately 15,000 Malian children were trafficked and sold into indentured servitude on Ivorian plantations in 1999, and observers believe that the rate of trafficking remained approximately the same during the year. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Since 1999 the Government has prosecuted at least 22 traffickers and has repatriated approximately 3,000 foreign trafficked children. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * In January, authorities repatriated eleven 10-11 year old girls to Lagos, Nigeria from Abidjan. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * On June 11, 13 girls from Benin ranging from 4-10 years were intercepted at Cote d'Ivoire's border with Ghana. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Thousands of Malian children were trafficked and sold into indentured servitude on Ivorian plantations. In September 1998, a private Abidjan daily newspaper exposed the widespread practice of importing and indenturing Malian boys for field work on Ivorian plantations under abusive conditions. Mali was not the only source of forced child labour used in the country. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Cote d'Ivoire is a source and destination for internationally trafficked persons, and trafficking also occurs within the country. Ivorian women and children are trafficked to African, European, and Middle Eastern countries. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Children are trafficked to Cote d'Ivoire from Mali, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Ghana, Benin, and Togo for indentured or domestic servitude, farm labour, and sexual exploitation. Women principally are trafficked from Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, and Asian countries to Cote d'Ivoire. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Media reports have exposed the widespread practice of importing and indenturing Malian boys for fieldwork on Ivorian plantations under abusive conditions. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * During the year, there were reports of children, some as young as 6 years-of-age, coming from Benin to work as agricultural labourers and maids. Burkina Faso, Ghana, and Togo are other sources of child labour. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * In July, police in Divo broke up a ring of child traffickers, which had brought children from Burkina Faso to work on farms and plantations in Cote d'Ivoire. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Thai girls are found to be working as prostitutes in western African countries such as Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Benin, Nigeria and Senegal. ("Thai girls lured to sex trade in Africa", Bangkok Post, 24 August 1998) * The sale of children for labour is organised around networks, which bring children from rural areas to urban centres to work for individual employers in domestic service, or in commercial activities such as in restaurants. (CWA, Rokhaya Diop, "The Sale of Child Labour in Côte d'Ivoire", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 10, No. 4, October - December 1994) Croatia GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * No statistical information on trafficking exists, although UN officials tracking the issue regionally and local NGO's indicate that Croatia is primarily a transit country, as well as a lesser source and destination country for women trafficked to other parts of Europe for forced prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Women reportedly were trafficked through Bosnia-Herzegovina and Yugoslavia to Croatia, where some remained to work as prostitutes or are trafficked to other destinations. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * In the last 5 years, organised crime has moved into trafficking in women for prostitution, which has increased due to the deployment of international military forces and the opening of Eastern European borders. (CATW Fact Book, citing "NGO report on the status of women in the Republic of Croatia", 5 January 1998) * Of the total 751 trafficking victims found from January 1994 to June 1995 in Austria, 16 were from Croatia. (CATW Fact Book, citing IOM Report 1996) Cuba - Cyprus ADULT STATISTICS * According to various reports, some 3,500 Bulgarian women are trafficked to Poland, thousands to the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, while others are trafficked to Germany, Belgium, Canada, Serbia-Montenegro, Romania, Hungary, TFYR Macedonia, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Turkey. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * During the year credible reports continued that women were trafficked into both communities for the purpose of prostitution. Agents in Eastern Europe recruited young women for prostitution in the Greek Cypriot community. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Information from such scattered destinations as the Netherlands, Lithuania, and Bosnia, refer to Belarus among the source countries for women being trafficked to or through their countries, and other anecdotal evidence suggests that the Russian Mafia is active in trafficking young women, who end up as prostitutes in Cyprus, Greece, Israel, and Western Europe. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * The Committee noted with great concern the information on international trafficking of women and of their sexual exploitation, including women from other countries. (CEDAW, Concluding Observations: Cyprus, 1996) * New Zealand is used by traffickers of Thai women as a departure point for Japan, Australia and Cyprus.(CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) Czech Republic ADULT STATISTICS * According to various reports, some 3,500 Bulgarian women are trafficked to Poland, thousands to the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, while others are trafficked to Germany, Belgium, Canada, Serbia-Montenegro, Romania, Hungary, TFYR Macedonia, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Turkey. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Of the total 751 trafficking victims found from January 1994 to June 1995 in Austria, 133 were from Czech Republic. (CATW Fact Book, citing IOM Report 1996) * The reported numbers of women trafficked totaled 2 cases in 1992, 8 cases in 1993, and 10 women in 1994, but knowledge from criminal activity shows that these are small fractions of the reality.(CATW Fact Book, citing "Highway to prostitution", The Euroreporter, 1995) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The Czech Republic is a source, transit, and destination country for trafficking in persons from the former Soviet Union, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Czech women and girls are trafficked to Western Europe, such as to Germany. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * The full extent of trafficking in children is unknown; however, convictions of child sex offenders are reported routinely in the media. For example, the May conviction of a group of foreigners for paedophilia was covered widely. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * In two separate cases in February, men in the Teplice region were arrested for providing Czech children to German paedophiles. Despite increased police efforts, press reports still indicate that in many border regions sexual tourism with adolescents continues. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * 80% of trafficking victims in Germany come from eastern Europe and the countries of the former Soviet Union, primarily from Poland, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic. The other 20% of trafficking victims come from Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Many of the women involved in prostitution are Slovak gypsies. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Tragedy of orphans left behind in 'sin town'", BBC, 22 December 1997) * In the Czech Republic, the growing organised crime networks have engaged in the trafficking of young women into Western Europe, especially to Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Greece. The operation uses Slovakia as a transit country. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Highway to prostitution", The Euroreporter, 1995) * 20 years ago, Thailand was in the forefront as a sending country for trafficked women. Thailand has now become a destination country, receiving women from Russia, Yugoslavia, Poland, and the Czech and Slovak Republics, South America. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) Denmark GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Trafficking involved the importation of women mostly from Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * In July one non-governmental organisation assisted a Colombian trafficking victim in a precedent-setting case in which the woman testified against her traffickers and subsequently received asylum in Denmark. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Denmark and Austria are major destinations for women trafficked from Lithuania, based on the figures of women subsequently deported from these countries to Lithuania. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Sweden is used as a transit country for trafficking Latin American women to brothels in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. (CATW Fact Book, citing European Conference on Trafficking in Women, Trafficking of Women to the European Union, June 1996)   Djibouti - Dominica - Dominican Republic ADULT STATISTICS * The Dominican Republic is a significant source country. It is reported that there are 50,000 women from the Dominican Republic overseas in the sex industry. This is the fourth highest number in the world, after Thailand, Brazil and the Philippines. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * An international trafficking network was broken up in Spain and 15 people arrested for allegedly trafficking dozens of women from the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Columbia, Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria to Spain, forcing them into prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Spanish Prostitution Ring Busted", AP, 18 April 1998) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The Dominican Republic is primarily a source country for trafficked women and, less frequently, for minor girls. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * The main concentrations of prostituted Dominican women working abroad are in Austria, Spain, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Italy, the Netherlands, and Panama. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * According to COIN, a NGO, women typically between the ages of 18 and 25, and girls as young as age 15, are trafficked for purposes of sexual exploitation and domestic servitude to Europe (Italy, Holland, Switzerland, Germany, Greece, and Belgium), the Lesser Antilles (Caracas, Saint Martin, Aruba, and Antigua), and, in some cases, to Argentina and Israel. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001 citing Center for Integral Orientation and Investigation) * The Directorate of Migration estimates that there are approximately 400 rings of alien smugglers and purveyors of false documents operating within the country. These individuals profit by facilitating the trafficking of women to Spain, Netherlands, and Argentina under false pretenses, for purposes of prostitution. The government also is concerned that some individuals coming to the country ostensibly to adopt children, may actually intend to use the children in the production of pornography or in the sex trade. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * The main concentrations of prostituted Dominican women working abroad are in Austria, Curacao, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Italy, the Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico, Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela and the West Indies. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking in Women from the Dominican Republic for Sexual Exploitation", IOM, June 1996) * The second largest migrant group of women in prostitution in Germany is from Latin America, mostly from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil. Dominican women are confined to apartments, while those from Ecuador work in the street, or in bars and cabarets. (CATW Fact Book, citing Licia Brussa, "Transnational AIDS Prevention Among Migrant Prostitutes in Europe", TAMPEP, 1996) * Girls are often trafficked by being lured into marriages under false pretenses, and are the sold into prostitution by the 'husband'. (ECPAT International) East Timor - Ecuador GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * According to the UN Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography in 1998, and the Spanish government reported the existence of an organised network exploiting foreign minors, especially from Ecuador. This involved trafficking in minors, mainly girls between 13 and 17 years of age, this network exploited the minors economically (making handicrafts) and not for the purposes of child prostitution. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Children are being trafficked from Ecuador to Venezuela. The children work in virtual slavery conditions as street vendors, domestic workers and prostitutes. They are abducted, sold by parents or lured by false promises. (CATW Fact Book, citing Vladimir Villegas, Congressional Human Rights Commission, Estrella Gutierrez, "Child Traffic in Venezuela Tip of the Iceberg", IPS, 11 January 1998) * The second largest migrant group of women in prostitution in Germany is from Latin America, mostly from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil. Dominican women are confined to apartments, while those from Ecuador work in the street, or in bars and cabarets. (CATW Fact Book, citing Licia Brussa, "Transnational AIDS Prevention Among Migrant Prostitutes in Europe", TAMPEP, 1996)   Egypt - El Salvador NATIONAL STATISTICS * The report on the State of the Nation in Human Development of El Salvador (Estado de la Nación en Desarrollo humano de El Salvador ,1999) emphasizes that hundreds of girls from El Salvador are taken illegally to Guatemala with the promise to be employed as domestics and end up exploited and forced to be prostitutes. The procurer of the girls in Guatemala qualifies their situation as "slavery". According to the NGO Casa Alianza , the number of girls from El Salvador in this situation could be as high as 2,000. (DNI, "La prevención y eliminación de las peores formas de trabajo infantil y adolescente un reto para la democracia y el desarrollo humano." DNI- Costa Rica, 2001) * Police in late 1996 estimated that more than 2,000 minors were being exploited in approximately 600 clandestine bars and brothels in Guatemala City, approximately 1,200 of them were Salvadoran, 500 were Honduran and Nicaraguan and the rest were Guatemalan. (ECPAT International) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * El Salvador is a source and transit country for trafficking in persons, primarily women and girls, who are trafficked to Guatemala and other Central American countries. Trafficking also occurs within the country. The majority of trafficked victims transiting to El Salvador are from Nicaragua, Honduras, and South America. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * According to press reports, during the year agents of the INTERPOL operating in the country discovered a prostitution network trafficking young girls from several central American countries to work in bars along the border with Guatemala. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Along the border, many children are brought into Guatemala from El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras by organised rings, who force them into prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Honduran girls, 13 and 14 year olds, were trafficked by organised crime groups in central America from the cities of Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula and El Progreso under false pretenses, such as job offerings and scholarships and are sold to brothels in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico. (CATW Fact Book, citing "More Honduran Girls Prostituted", Reuters, 28 February 1998, citing INTERPOL) * Eight El Salvadorian girls were rescued from a nightclub raid in Guatemala City, where they had been trafficked under false pretenses and sexually exploited. (ECPAT International)   Equatorial Guinea NATIONAL STATISTICS * An international trafficking network was broken up in Spain and 15 people arrested for allegedly trafficking dozens of women from the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Columbia, Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria to Spain, forcing them into prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Spanish Prostitution Ring Busted", AP, 18 April 1998) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * A July 1998 UNICEF study stated that the country is a source for traffickers that feed the domestic labour market in urban centers of countries such as Cote d'Ivoire and Gabon. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001 citing UNICEF study) * Suspected child trafficking activities have also been identified in, Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Mali, Mauritania and Burkina Faso. These networks feed the domestic labour market in the main urban centres of countries like Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and the Congo. (UNICEF, The Issue of Child Domestic Labour and Trafficking in West and Central Africa, July 1998) Eritrea GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The law does not prohibit trafficking in persons; however, there were no reports that such trafficking occurred to, from, within, or through the country. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * In 1997, there was evidence of children being trafficked to the Gulf from Eritrea and Sudan. (Anti-Slavery International, "Child Camel Jockeys in the Gulf States", Child Workers in Asia, April-September 1997) Estonia GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * There were no official reports during the year that persons were trafficked in, to, or from the country. However, it is generally understood that job advertisements placed from abroad that request females are in some cases associated with international prostitution rings. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * The Church leaders were illegally bringing young people from Estonia to US to use them as domestic workers, paying them less than a minimum wage. ("Missionary group members could stand trial for smuggling children", 9 June 2000, reprinted in Stop Trafficking Archive, July 2000) Ethiopia GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Under aged girls are sent to the Middle East as house servants and 'nannies', and some of them are kept in sexual bondage. (US Dept of State, Human Rights Report, 1998) Fiji GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS *Some Asian women brought to Fiji as garment workers are believed to be engaged in prostitution. Most of them are believed to be from China. ("Fiji Investigates Asian Sex Trade in Garment Industry", Fiji's Daily Post/Pacific News Online, 24 March 2000, reprinted in Pacific Islands Report) Finland GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Finland is a secondary destination-transit country for trafficking. The Government believes that most such trafficking involves women and girls for prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * In 1994, police in Helsinki, Finland reported a sharp increase in the inflow of prostitutes from Russia and the Baltic States. (CATW Fact Book, citing European Conference on Trafficking in Women, Trafficking of Women to the European Union, June 1996) France GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Trafficking for domestic slavery is present. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * France is a destination and transit country for trafficked victims, primarily women from Africa, South America, Eastern and Southern Europe, and the New Independent States. In general, victims are trafficked into sexual exploitation or domestic slavery. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * In May the magazine Le Nouvel Observateur quoted the Commissaire of OCRTEH as saying that two-thirds of the foreign prostitutes in the country were from Eastern Europe (including the former Soviet Union), whereas in the previous few months, they represented only one-third. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001 citing Le Nouvel Observateur) * The law prohibits trafficking; however, there were reports that women and girls were trafficked from Madagascar to the nearby islands of Reunion and Mauritius for prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * According to OCRTEH, nearly a third of female victims of trafficking were foreigners, and the number of minors who were victims remained constant from 1996 to 1998. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Gabon NATIONAL STATISTICS * Based on a survey of 229 children trafficked from Benin to Gabon, 198 (86%) were girls, the majority of whom were being trafficked for domestic service. More than 50% of the sample were under 16 years old. (Anti-Slavery International and ESAM, Trafficking of Children between Benin and Gabon, 1999) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Gabon is a destination country for trafficked persons, primarily children from west and central Africa (specifically Benin and Togo) for domestic servitude. Women and children are also trafficked to Gabon for sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * UNICEF and other concerned organisations have reported that government officials often privately use foreign child labour, mainly as domestic help. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Trafficking in children, which is always a problem, continues to be a subject of considerable media coverage in Benin. Most victims are abducted or leave home with traffickers who promise educational opportunities or other incentives. They are taken to places in foreign countries(according to the press, principally to Nigeria, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, and Gabon) and sold into servitude in agriculture, as domestics, or as prostitutes. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Police intercepted children, some as young as eight years old, being trafficked from Togo to Gabon. (Child Trafficking in West and Central Africa, submission to the UN Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, June 1999) * Suspected child trafficking activities have also been identified in, Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Mali, Mauritania and Burkina Faso. These networks feed the domestic labour market in the main urban centres of countries like Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and the Congo. (UNICEF, The Issue of Child Domestic Labour and Trafficking in West and Central Africa, July 1998) Gambia GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * A report on the trafficking of children in West and Central Africa states that children are being trafficked to and from Senegal to neighbouring countries to work as domestics. Most of these children are ill treated and sexually abused and those that run away from the oppression end up in the street or get caught up in the circle of prostitution. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) Georgia GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Information on trafficking is difficult to obtain, and little, if any research is done on the subject. Anecdotal reports indicate that the country is both a source and transit country for trafficking. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Georgia is a source and a transit country for trafficking in both men and women. Georgians are mostly trafficked to Turkey, Greece, Israel, and Western Europe for work in bars, domestic service, and prostitution. Russian and Ukrainian women are trafficked through Georgia to Turkey. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) Germany NATIONAL STATISTICS * At least 200 women, including girls under the age of 16, were trafficked by one Polish man to Germany and the Netherlands between 1993 and 1996. (CATW Fact Book, citing European Conference on Trafficking in Women, Trafficking of Women to the European Union, June 1996, citing Warsaw Voice) ADULT STATISTICS * Germany is a destination and transit country for trafficked women. Estimates vary considerably on the number of women and girls trafficked to and through the country, ranging between 2,000 and 20,000 per year. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * According to police statistics, less than one-half of one percent of trafficking victims are men or boys. 80% of trafficking victims come from Eastern Europe and the countries of the former Soviet Union, primarily from Poland, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic. The other 20% of trafficking victims come from south-east Asia, Africa, and Latin America. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * According to various reports, some 3,500 Bulgarian women are trafficked to Poland, thousands to the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, while others are trafficked to Germany, Belgium, Canada, Serbia-Montenegro, Romania, Hungary, TFYR Macedonia, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * 15,000 Russians and Eastern European women are engaged in prostitution in Germany. (Global Survival Network, Gillian Caldwell et al, Crime & Servitude, 1997) * Between 60 and 80% of the women trafficked into Germany come from Eastern Europe, Russia, and the Newly Independent States. (Global Survival Network, Gillian Caldwell et al, Crime & Servitude, 1997) * In Germany, 75% of the prostitutes are foreigners. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking of Women to the European Union", European Conference on Trafficking in Women, June 1996) * 1,094 cases of trafficking were reported in 1996, compared to 517 in 1993. (CATW Fact Book, citing "German police swoop on suspected sex slavery ring", Reuters, 19 March 1998, citing Germany's federal criminal investigation office) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Most trafficking victims are women and girls between the ages of 16 and 25 who are forced to work as prostitutes. According to police statistics, less than 1/2 of 1% of trafficking victims are men or boys. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Germany is primarily a transit and destination country for women and girls trafficked from Ukraine, Poland, Russia, and other states of the former Soviet Union and Central Europe for purposes of sexual exploitation. Victims often are trafficked through Germany to other EU countries. .According to the Federal Office for Criminal Investigation, 257 cases of trafficking were investigated at federal and state levels in 1999. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Austria are major destinations for women trafficked from Lithuania, based on the figures of women subsequently deported from these countries to Lithuania. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * A report issued by the Ministry of Interior of Slovakia on trafficking states that Slovakia is only a transit country for persons being trafficked mainly to Austria, the Czech Republic, and Germany for the purpose of forced prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Homeless children in Romania have increasingly been trafficked under false pretenses and forced into prostitution in Berlin and Hamburg, Germany and Amsterdam, Holland. (CATW Fact Book, citing Save the Children, Albert Clack, "Romania: Life on the Streets", 1998) * The German Federal Department of Criminal Investigation estimates that 5% of the women trafficked from Eastern Europe are younger than 18. (Global Survival Network, Gillian Caldwell et al, Crime & Servitude, 1997) * Germany is one of the most popular destinations in Europe for women trafficked from Ukraine and Russia. (CATW Fact Book, citing Global Survival Network, Vladmir Isachenkov, "Soviet Women Slavery Flourishes", AP, 6 November 1997) * Prostitution trade networks provide Colombian women for the markets in Spain, Britain, Germany, Belgium and the United States. (CATW Fact Book, citing Gustavo Capdevila, IPS, 2 April 1997, citing Radhika Coomaraswamy, UN Special Report on Violence Against Women) * The second largest migrant group of women in prostitution is from Latin America, mostly from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil. Dominican women are confined to apartments, while those from Ecuador work in the street, or in bars and cabarets. (CATW Fact Book, citing Licia Brussa, "Transnational AIDS Prevention Among Migrant Prostitutes in Europe", TAMPEP, 1996) * The main concentrations of prostituted Dominican women working abroad are in Austria, Curacao, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Italy, the Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico, Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela and the West Indies. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking in Women from the Dominican Republic for Sexual Exploitation", IOM, June 1996) * Sweden is used as a transit country for trafficking Latin American women to brothels in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking of Women to the European Union", European Conference on Trafficking in Women, June 1996) * Women trafficked out from Thailand to Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Australia, India, Malaysia and Middle East. (CATW Fact Book, citing European Conference on Trafficking in Women, Trafficking of Women to the European Union, June 1996) * In the Czech Republic, the growing organised crime networks have engaged in the trafficking of young women into Western Europe, especially to Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Greece. The operation uses Slovakia as a transit country. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Highway to prostitution", The Euroreporter, 1995) Ghana NATIONAL STATISTICS * 500 children trafficked from Togo to Ghana. (Childline) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The country is both a source and a destination country for trafficked children. A local NGO noted that law enforcement officials expressed a "complete disregard" for child labour and trafficking issues. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Children are trafficked to and from Cote d'Ivoire, Togo, and Nigeria for indentured or domestic servitude, farm labour and prostitution. Children trafficked from Burkina Faso transit Ghana on the way to Cote d'Ivoire. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * It is reported that Ghana is a sender, receiver and transit country with regard to trafficking of children for sexual purposes, and a country where CSEC is increasing significantly. This is facilitated by Ghana's soaring number of street children who are the major victims. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Thai girls are found to be working as prostitutes in Western African countries such as Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Benin, Nigeria and Senegal. ("Thai girls lured to sex trade in Africa", Bangkok Post, 24 August 1998) Greece NATIONAL STATISTICS * An academic observer estimated that approximately 40,000 women, most between the ages of 12 and 25, are trafficked to the country each year for prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2001, March 2002) * Around 3,000 Albanian children are trafficked to Italy and Greece and are used for begging and cleaning windows of cars without payment. (CRCA, The Vicious Circle, 2000) * 40% of the minors in prostitution in Greece are from Uzbekistan, Kazakhastan, Armenia, Albania and Iraq. (ECPAT International, A Step Forward, 1999) ADULT STATISTICS * According to a Panteion University study, over 85,000 trafficked women have worked in the country in the past decade. Of female prostitutes, 75 percent are not told why they are being brought to Greece. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2001, March 2002) * Greece is both a transit and destination country for trafficked women. Trafficking in women for prostitution in Greece has increased sharply in recent years. At any give time, some 16,000 to 20,000 trafficked women are in the country, according to unofficial estimates. Approximately 2,400 trafficked women were deported from Greece during the year; many are quickly brought back into the country, according to official sources. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Greece is a transit and destination country for trafficking. Most victims are women who are trafficked for sexual exploitation through Greece to Western Europe from Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria, Albania, and Yugoslavia. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Trafficking in women for prostitution in Greece has increased sharply in recent years. While the government is stiffening its border controls, in part because of the EU Schengen agreement, there are figures suggesting that many women are brought into the country from neighbouring Bulgaria, Albania, or the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The victims of this practice are often minors. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Moldova is a source country for trafficking of women and girls. Women and girls reportedly are trafficked to Israel, Turkey, Italy and Greece through Romania, Serbia-Montenegro, Slovakia and Albania. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Relief agencies warned that criminal gangs were trying to abduct young girls from Kosovo and traffic them to Italy and Greece for forced prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * There are increasing numbers of illegal immigrant women from the Balkan states and Eastern Europe being trafficked to Greece. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Greece cracks down on prostitution", UPI, 17 December 1997) * The main concentrations of prostituted Dominican women working abroad are in Austria, Curacao, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Italy, the Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico, Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela and the West Indies. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking in Women From the Dominican Republic for Sexual Exploitation", IOM, June 1996) * In the Czech Republic, the growing organised crime networks have engaged in the trafficking of young women into Western Europe, especially to Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Greece. The operation uses Slovakia as a transit country. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Highway to prostitution", The Euroreporter, 1995) Grenada - Guatemala NATIONAL STATISTICS * Police in late 1996 estimated that more than 2,000 minors were being exploited in approximately 600 clandestine bars and brothels in Guatemala City, approximately 1,200 of them were Salvadoran, 500 were Honduran and Nicaraguan, and the rest were Guatemalan. (ECPAT International) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The UN Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography concluded following her mission to Guatemala, characterized the trafficking of babies and young children as existing on a large scale in Guatemala. (IACHR, Country Report - Guatemala, citing Report of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Sale of Children, child Prostitution and Child Pornography, 2001). * Guatemala is a source and transit country for international trafficking of persons. In a few instances, it is also a destination country. Trafficked persons come mainly from other Central American countries and Ecuador. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Victims trafficked to Guatemala are usually young women or children who are brought in for sexual exploitation. Those trafficked from Guatemala for sexual exploitation are usually minors, both boys and girls, from poor families. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * The sale of children is of particular concern in Guatemala. The sale and/or trafficking of children mainly occurs for the purpose of inter-country adoption, but there are also reports of the trafficking of children into Guatemala for the purpose of prostitution. (UN Special Rapporteur on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, Report on the mission to Guatemala, 27 January 2000) * Along the border with El Salvador, many children are brought into the country from El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras by organised rings, who force them into prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Eight El Salvadorian girls were rescued from a nightclub raid in Guatemala City, where they had been trafficked under false pretenses and sexually exploited. (ECPAT International) * Honduran girls, 13-and 14-year-olds, were trafficked by organised crime groups in central America from the cities of Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula and El Progreso under false pretenses, such as job offerings and scholarships and sold to brothels in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico. (CATW Fact Book, citing "More Honduran Girls Prostituted", Reuters, 28 February 1998, citing INTERPOL) * International bands of traffickers are reported to be recruiting Guatemalan adolescents on the border with Mexico and exploiting them in regional brothels. (ECPAT International) Guinea GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The law prohibits trafficking in persons; however, some NGO's report that women and children are trafficked within the country, as well as internationally, for the sex trade and illegal labour. Accurate statistics are difficult to obtain, because victims do not report the crime due to fear for their personal safety. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) Guinea-Bissau - Guyana GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Apparently trafficking in children for sexual purposes is a growing problem. The NGO Guyana Human Rights Association reported cases of trafficking of female adolescents, aged 14 and 16 years old, who were travelling from the capital city of Georgetown to the Suriname border for the purpose of prostitution. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) Haiti GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * There are reports that the trafficking of young boys occurs in Haut-Delmas. A 1992 report by the Centre d'Education Populaire identified major male and female trafficking both within and outside Haiti. A further report identified a key foreigner involved in the trafficking of 10-year-old boys for sexual purposes. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Internal trafficking of children is a problem. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * The main concentrations of prostituted Dominican women working abroad are in Austria, Curacao, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Italy, the Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico, Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela and the West Indies. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking in Women from the Dominican Republic for Sexual Exploitation", IOM, June 1996) Honduras NATIONAL STATISTICS * As many as 100 Honduran children have been smuggled overland into Canada by a professional drug ring trafficking children to Vancouver. The Honduran smugglers pay the children's transportation costs and help them across the Canadian border. Once in Vancouver, the traffickers put the children in apartments, help them file refugee claims and sign up for welfare. In return, the children are turned out on the street as indentured drug dealers. (CATW Fact Book, citing Adrienne Turner, "Drug ring lures kids as dealers", Ottawa Citizen, 20 July 1998) * Police in late 1996 estimated that more than 2,000 minors were being exploited in approximately 600 clandestine bars and brothels in the Guatemala city, approximately 1,200 of them were Salvadoran, 500 were Honduran and Nicaraguan and the rest were Guatemalan. (ECPAT International) LOCAL STATISTICS * Covenant House of Honduras, an organisation dedicated to children's rights, exposed a kidnapping ring that employed as many as 200 children as drug couriers, or as prostitutes in Canada. (US Dept of State, Human Rights Report, 1998) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * In February a judge in San Pedro Sula, Alexa Cubero, was arrested for allegedly kidnapping six minors with intent to sell them to persons unknown; this case had not come to trial at year's end. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * In July the Government announced that it was working with the Government of Mexico to repatriate over 200 Honduran minors working as prostitutes in southern Mexico. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Along the border, many children are brought into Guatemala from El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras by organised rings, who force them into prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Honduran girls, 13-and 14-year-olds, were trafficked by organised crime groups in Central America from the cities of Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula and El Progreso under false pretenses, such as job offerings and scholarships and sold to brothels in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico. (CATW Fact Book, citing "More Honduran Girls Prostituted", Reuters, 28 February 1998, citing INTERPOL) Hungary ADULT STATISTICS * According to various reports, some 3,500 Bulgarian women are trafficked to Poland, thousands to the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, while others are trafficked to Germany, Belgium, Canada, Serbia-Montenegro, Romania, Hungary, TFYR Macedonia, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Of the total 751 trafficking victims found from January 1994 to June 1995 in Austria, 118 were from Hungary. (CATW Fact Book, citing IOM Report 1996) * In 1993, 40% of the trafficked women assisted in Belgium by an NGO were mostly from Poland and Hungary. (CATW Fact Book, citing STV and Payoke, "The Growing Exploitation of Migrant Women from Central and Eastern Europe", IOM, May 1995) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Hungary is primarily a transit, but also a source and destination country for trafficked persons. Women and children are trafficked for sexual exploitation mostly from Romania, Ukraine, Moldova, Poland, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and China to and through Hungary to Austria, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, France, and the U.S. Men trafficked for forced labour through Hungary to the EU and the U.S. come from Iraq, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Many of the victims of trafficking are brought to the country by organised crime syndicates, either for work in Budapest's thriving sex industry or for transit to Western Europe or North America. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Russian-speaking organised crime syndicates are active in trafficking women primarily from Ukraine and other countries of the former Soviet Union to the European Union via Hungary. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * An increasing number of women trafficked to Switzerland come from Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, and other states of the former Soviet Union. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Hungary is a destination, sourcing and transit country for trafficking in women. One third of the women in prostitution in Hungary are from Ukraine, Romania and Russia. Most women are in 'closed-doors prostitution'. (CATW Fact Book, citing Dr. Borai, "International Workshop on Trafficking in Women in Central and Eastern Europe", IOM, 4-5 October 1997) * Foreign women in 'call girl' prostitution in Italy are from Poland, Russia, Colombia and Argentina and to a lesser extent from Brazil, Hungary, Romania and the Philippines. (CATW Fact Book, citing Migrant Information Programme, "Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation to Italy", IOM, June 1996) * Since 1990, there has been a significant increase in the number of foreign prostitutes from Romania, Ukraine and Russia. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking and Prostitution: The Growing Exploitation of Migrant Women from Central and Eastern Europe", IOM, May 1995) Iceland GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Although no charges have ever been filed, trafficking in women is suspected in connection with the hundreds of foreign women who enter the country to work in striptease clubs. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) India NATIONAL STATISTICS * Over 1 million girls and women are believed to be forced into the sex industry within the country at any given time. Women's rights organisations and NGO's estimate that more than 12,000 and perhaps as many as 50,000 women and children are trafficked into the country annually from neighbouring states for the sex trade. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * According to an ILO estimate, 15% of the country's estimated 2.3 million prostitutes are children. The traffic is controlled largely by organised crime. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * An untested estimate of 270,000 child prostitutes, the problem of child prostitution in India is widespread and quite visible. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Estimates vary, but a safe guess is that several thousand Bangladeshi girls and five to seven thousand Nepalese girls are trafficked out of the country and primarily to India each year. It is estimated that Nepalese children constitute 20% (40,000) of the estimated 200,000 Nepalese prostitutes in India. Girls as young as seven years are trafficked from economically depressed neighborhoods in Nepal and Bangladesh, to the major prostitution centres of Mumbai, Calcutta, and Delhi. In Mumbai, an estimated 90% of sex workers started when they were under 18 years of age; half are from Nepal. India is also a significant source and transit country. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * There is a growing pattern of trafficking in child prostitutes from Nepal. According to one estimate, 5,000 to 7,000 children, mostly between the ages of 10 and 18, are drawn into this traffic annually. NGOs in the region estimate that some 6,000 to 10,000 girls are trafficked annually from Nepal to Indian brothels and a similar number are trafficked from Bangladesh. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Women's rights organisations and NGOs estimate that more than 12,000 and perhaps as many as 50,000 women and children are trafficked into the country annually from neighbouring states for the sex trade. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * 200,000 Nepalese girls under 16 years are in prostitution in India. (Penelope Saunders, "Sexual Trafficking and Forced Prostitution of Children", 29 October 1998) * Every year between 5,000 and 7,000 Nepalese girls are trafficked into the red-light districts in Indian cities. Many of the girls are barely 9 or 10 years old. 200,000 to over 250,000 Nepalese women and girls are already in Indian brothels. (CATW Fact Book, citing Soma Wadhwa, "For sale childhood', Outlook, 1998) * 27,000 Bangladeshi women and children have been forced into prostitution in Indian brothels. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Women Forced into Indian Brothels", CWCS, June 1998) * Over the last decade, 200,000 Bangladeshi girls were lured under false circumstances and sold into the sex industry in nations including Pakistan, India and the Middle East. (CATW Fact Book, citing Tabibul Islam, "Rape of Minors Worry Parents", IPS, 8 April 1998) * Nepalese, Bangladeshi and Pakistani women are trafficked to India, and through India they are trafficked to Eastern Europe and Saudi Arabia. (CATW Fact Book, citing Meena Oudel, Oxfam Nepal, 18 March 1998) * Bangladeshi police estimated more than 15,000 women and children are smuggled out of Bangladesh every year. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Boys, rescued in India while being smuggled to become jockeys in camel races", www.elsiglo.com, February 1998) * There are 200 trafficked Bangladeshi women and children in detention centers in India awaiting repatriation. (CATW Fact Book, citing Hindu, 19 February 1998) * 20% of the child prostitutes in India come from Bangladesh and Nepal. (BNWLA, Salma Ali, Country Report on Trafficking in Children and Their Exploitation in Prostitution, October 1998, citing a research publication by Dr. K.K. Mukherjee of India) * A survey by the Central Social Welfare Board of India indicated that the population of Nepalese women and child victims of commercial sexual exploitation in Indian brothels would be between 70,000 to 100,000 of which 30% were below 18 years. (ILO-IPEC, Usha D. Acharya, Country Report: Nepal, October 1998) * More than 9,000 girls are trafficked each year from Nepal and Bangladesh into bondage in India and Pakistan, often with the acquiescence or cooperation of state officials. (CATW Fact Book, citing Amnesty International press release, 22 April 1998) * The brothels of India hold between 100,000 and 160,000 Nepalese women and girls. (CATW Fact Book, citing Gustavo Capdevila, IPS, 2 April 1997, citing Radhika Coomaraswamy, UN Special Report on Violence Against Women) * CWIN's studies have revealed that Nepalese children are involved in different labour sectors in India. Most prominent is the carpet industry. CWIN estimates that there are 5,000-7,000 children working in Bhadohi and Mirzapur in Benaras, districts bordering Nepal. (CWA, Child Workers in Nepal (CWIN), "Nepal-India Cross Border Child Labour Migration", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 13, Nos. 2 & 3, April - September 1997) * An estimated 1,000 to 1,500 Indian children are smuggled out every year to Saudi Arabia for begging during the Haj season. From Murshidabad alone, some 400 children accompanied by their chachas leave every year, and not all of them return home again. ("How to earn big bucks: Rent a child to Chacha", The Asian Age, 16 March 1997, cited in Child Workers in Asia, April-September 1997) * Between 2,000 and 5,000 children are sent across the border to India for prostitution every year. (ECPAT, Kota Neelima, "Young Sex Workers are Costly Commodity", Bulletin, July 1996) * Of the 5,000-7,000 Nepalese girls trafficked into India yearly, the average age over the past decade has fallen from 14-16-year old to 10-14-year olds. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) * 15,000 Nepalese women and 19,000 children are kidnapped, lured, trafficked and sold into different cities of India. (Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Action, The Flesh Trade Report, 1995-1996) * Every year 5,000 to 7,000 Nepalese girls are trafficked to India. An estimated 40,000 to 45,000 of these girls are in Bombay brothels and also nearly an equal number of them are in Calcutta. (Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Action, The Flesh Trade Report, 1995-1996) * Nepalese social workers estimate the number of Nepalese girls and women working in Indian brothels at about 200,000, and believe that between 5,000 and 7,000 new Nepalese end up in Indian brothels every year. (Human Rights Watch/Asia, Rape and Profit, June 1995) * 4,800 Bangladeshi girls were trafficked to Pakistan and India. (Nishanthi Priyangika, "Child labour on the increase in Bangladesh", World Socialist Web Site, 3/11/1999, citing UNICEF Report 1994) LOCAL STATISTICS * Half of 100,000 girl prostitutes between 10-14 in Bombay are from Nepal and are kept in brothels against their will. (Penelope Saunders, "Sexual Trafficking and Forced Prostitution of Children", 29 October 1998) * There are 5 child trading rings in and around Murshidabad in West Bengal, who operate by trafficking children to Mecca, says local police. (Swati Bhattacharjee, "New Measures Needed to Tackle Child Trafficking", Child Newsline, May 1997) * 10,000 Bangladeshi children are in brothels in Bombay and Goa, India. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Human smuggling from Bangladesh at alarming level", Reuters, 26 May 1997, citing Trafficking Watch Bangladesh) *10-12,000 Bangladeshi children are thought to be employed in the brothels of Bombay and West Bengal. (An Alternative Report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, submission to the UN CRC, 1997, citing UNICEF, The Progress of the Nations, 1995) * About 45,000 Nepalese girls are in the brothels of Bombay and 40,000 in Calcutta. (CATW Fact Book, citing UBINIG, Trafficking in Women and Children: The Cases of Bangladesh, 1995, citing women's groups in Nepal) * In Calcutta, in various studies conducted by the All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health in 1993 estimate that 20% of the 5,000 sex workers in the Sonagachi red light area are Nepalese. (Human Rights Watch/Asia, Rape and Profit, June 1995) * 2,000 Indian children have been trafficked to Mecca over the last 3 years. ("Child Smuggling Racket Continues to Thrive") * In Bombay, India, at least half of the city's 100,000 prostitutes are believed to be Nepalese girls. (ILO-IPEC, Usha D. Acharya, Country Report: Nepal, October 1998) * The number of Nepalese girls and women engaged in prostitution in Calcutta exceeds 27,000, in Delhi it is more than 21,000, in Gorakhpur it is 4,700, and in Banaras it is 3,480. (ILO-IPEC, Usha D. Acharya, Country Report: Nepal, October 1998) ADULT STATISTICS * 200,000 to over 250,000 Nepalese women and girls are already in Indian brothels. (CATW Fact Book, citing Soma Wadhwa, "For sale childhood", Outlook, 1998) * 20%-30% of commercial sex workers in India have been trafficked from Nepal. (World Vision, David Westwood, Child Trafficking in Asia, 1998) * The Indian Social Welfare Board estimates that there are 500,000 foreign prostitutes in India of which 1% are from Bangladesh. And 2.7% of prostitutes in Calcutta alone are from Bangladesh. (CATW Fact Book, citing CEDAW Report: Bangladesh, 1 April 1997) * 30,000 Bangladeshi women are in the brothels of Calcutta, India. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Human Smuggling from Bangladesh at alarming level", Reuters, 26 May 1997) * 2.5% of prostitutes in India are Nepalese, and 2.7% are Bangladeshi. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Devadasi System Continues to Legitimise Prostitution: The Devadasi Tradition and Prostitution", Times of India, 4 December 1997) * Approximately 50,000, or half of the women in prostitution in Bombay, are trafficked from Nepal. (CATW Fact Book, citing Robert I. Freidman, "India's Shame: Sexual Slavery and Political Corruption are Leading to an AIDS Catastrophe", The Nation, 8 April 1996) * In 1994, 2,000 Bangladeshi women were prostituted in 6 cities in India. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) * 160,000 Nepalese women are held in India's brothels. (CATW Fact Book, citing SANLAAP India, Indrani Sinha, "Paper on Globalization & Human Rights") GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * India is a source, transit, and destination country for trafficked persons. Internal trafficking of Indian women and children is widespread. India is a destination country for Nepali and Bangladeshi women and girls for forced labour and prostitution. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * To a lesser extent, India is a country of origin for women and children trafficked to other countries in Asia, the Middle East, and the West. India serves as a transit point for Bangladeshi girls and women trafficked for sexual exploitation in Pakistan and boys trafficked to the Gulf States to work as camel jockeys. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Nepalese girls as young as 11, 12, 13 years old have been trafficked into India to work as prostitutes. (Will Dunham, "U.S. grapples with 'modern-day slavery'", 1 September 2000, reprinted in Stop Trafficking Archive, September 2000) * There is extensive trafficking of children from Bangladesh, primarily to India, Pakistan, and destinations within the country are also largely for the purposes of forced prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * South Africa is a transit point for a large trafficking network operating between developing countries and Europe, United States, and Canada. Migrants from foreign countries, particularly China, India, the Middle East, former Eastern Bloc countries and other African countries, are lured to South Africa.(US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Women trafficked out from Thailand to Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Australia, India, Malaysia and Middle East.(CATW Fact Book, citing European Conference on Trafficking in Women, Trafficking of Women to the European Union, June 1996) * India and Pakistan are the main destinations for children under the age of 16 years who are trafficked in South Asia.(CATW Fact Book, citing Masako Iijima, "S. Asia urged to unite against child prostitution", Reuters, 19 June 1998) *The trafficking of girls from Nepal into India for the purpose of prostitution is probably the busiest 'slave traffic' of its kind anywhere in the world.(CATW Fact Book, citing Tim McGirk, "Nepal's Lost Daughters", 27 January 1997) * 76 children, mainly girls and some physically handicapped returned from Jedda. They were sent to beg during the Haj. Within a month of the return of this group, 47 boys were trafficked for begging.(CWA, SANLAAP (A Woman's Rights Centre), "Children Sent to the Middle East to Beg", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 13, Nos. 2 & 3, April - September 1997) * Notorious in their own right for appalling working conditions, Nepalese carpet factories, where 50% of the workers are estimated to be children, are common sites of sexual exploitation by employers, as well as recruitment centres for Indian brothels.(UNICEF, State of the World's Children, 1997) * There could be a few hundred thousand Bangladeshi girls in various houses of prostitution in India.(CWA, Brother Jarlath de Souza, "Trafficking in Children: Bangladesh", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 12, No. 3, July - September 1996) * A number of girls are trafficked into India from Nepal and Bangladesh.(US Dept of Labor, Prostitution of Children, 1996) * Reports indicate trafficking of children into Pakistan from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka.(US Dept of Labor, Prostitution of Children, 1996) * In cross border trafficking, India is a sending, receiving and transit nation. Receiving children from Bangladesh and Nepal and sending women and children to Middle Eastern nations is a daily occurrence.(CATW Fact Book, citing SANLAAP India, Indrani Sinha, "Paper on Globalisation and Human Rights") * Women and children from India are sent to nations of the Middle East daily.(CATW Fact Book, citing SANLAAP India, Indrani Sinha, "Paper on Globalization & Human Rights") * Districts bordering Maharashtra and Karnataka, known as the 'devadasi belt', have trafficking structures operating at various levels. Many are devadasis dedicated into prostitution for the goddess Yellamma. In one Karnataka brothel, all 15 girls are devadasis. (CATW Fact Book, citing Meena Menon, "The Unknown Faces") Indonesia NATIONAL STATISTICS * Around 40 females are sent to Taiwan and Hong Kong every month. (UNICEF Indonesia, Mohammad Farid, "Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in Indonesia", Child Workers in Asia, January-March 2000) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The victims of domestic and international trafficking are targeted for sexual exploitation and forced labour. Some observers estimate that 20% of Indonesia's 5 million migrant labourers have been trafficked. Indonesia is also a transit country for alien smuggling to Australia from various countries, including China, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan, although it is not clear how many of these persons actually are trafficked. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Indonesia is a source country for domestic and internationally trafficked persons, primarily young women and girls. Indonesians are trafficked to Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Malaysia, Brunei, the Persian Gulf countries, Australia, Korea, and Japan; and there are reports that they are trafficked to Europe and the United States. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * In June, police uncovered a syndicate involved in trafficking young women, many below 18, to work in brothels on islands in Riau province, near Singapore. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * NGOs and the media report that women and girls are trafficked to Malaysia, Taiwan, and Japan as sex workers. In addition, some government officials believe that women are trafficked as prostitutes to Saudi Arabia. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * In mid-1997 hundreds of Indonesian women, most under 20 years of age, were in prostitution in Saudi Arabia. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Hundreds of RI's Women Believed To Work As Prostitutes in Saudi Arabia", Kompas, 7 February 1997, citing Indonesia's Minister for Women's Affairs) * Malaysia is a receiving country for trafficked women from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, China, India, Taiwan, Singapore, Burma, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Laos. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) Iran - Iraq NATIONAL STATISTICS * In Greece, more than 40% of the minors in prostitution are from neighbouring or regional countries, including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Albania and Iraq, which are suffering from conflicts and lack of social cohesion. (ECPAT International, A Step Forward, 1999) Ireland GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Sex traffickers are using Dublin as a stepping stone to provide prostitutes across the Irish Sea in England. From Dublin, the sex trafficker use the free movement to the south and Britain to fill the demand for vice girls in London, Birmingham and Manchester. ("Sex Traffickers Use Foreign Firms to Trap Girls" Sunday Mirror, 24 September 2000) * Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998 protect children from sexual exploitation. The use of internet for providing information on availability of children for sex is also punishable by the Act. (US Dept of State, Human Rights Report, 1998) * Most male prostitutes come from Dublin, a few from Italy, and others from Britain and Eastern Europe. (CATW Fact Book, citing Kevin O'Sullivan, "Male prostitution study shows link with drugs", Irish Times, 30 July 1997, citing GMHP, The Men in Prostitution) Israel NATIONAL STATISTICS * Trafficked women and children are predominantly from the former Soviet Union. It is estimated that 70% of all prostitutes are from this region.(ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) ADULT STATISTICS * Israel Women's Network, a NGO, estimates that 70% of prostituted women in Tel Aviv, come from the former Soviet republics, and around 1,000 women are brought into Israel illegally each year. A prison spokeswoman said, as many as 100 women may be waiting for deportation in Neve Tirza women's prison near Tel Aviv. (CATW Fact Book, citing Elisabeth Eaves, "Israel not the promised land for Russian sex slaves", Reuters, 23 August 1998) * 1,500 Russian and Ukrainian trafficked women have been deported during 1995-1997. (CATW Fact Book, citing Michael Specter, "Traffickers’ New Cargo: Naïve Slavic Women", New York Times, 11 January 1998) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Israel is a destination country for trafficked persons, primarily women. Women are trafficked to Israel from the New Independent States (specifically Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine), Brazil, Turkey, South Africa, and some countries in Asia. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001 citing Horeman and Stolwijk op. Cit) * According to some local NGO's, thousands of women are trafficked into the country annually. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Though it is acknowledged that young girls are not involved, the Public Inquiry Committee concedes that ""the 'imports' to Israel include 16-17 year old adolescent girls." (ECPAT, CSEC Database citing the Public Inquiry Committee, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * A report for the Israel Women's Network has noted there are instances of girls as young as 12 being trafficked. (ECPAT, CSEC Database citing "Trafficking of Women to Israel and Forced Prostitution" a report for Israel Women's Network, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Austria are major destinations for women trafficked from Lithuania, based on the figures of women subsequently deported from these countries to Lithuania. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Moldova is a source country for trafficking of women and girls. Women and girls reportedly are trafficked to Israel, Turkey, Italy and Greece through Romania, Serbia-Montenegro, and Albania. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * There are no official numbers regarding the extent of prostitution and trafficking of women in Israel, but there is a general consensus that it is becoming more prevalent. (CATW Fact Book, citing CEDAW Report, 8 April 1997) Italy NATIONAL STATISTICS * The US State Department cites 1,500 to 2,300 children trafficked for prostitution. According to a 1997 Caritas report, the number of foreign women involved in prostitution then was around 25,000, a figure that has increased due to the situation in Kosovo. (ECPAT, CSEC Database citing US Dept of State, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Around 3,000 Albanian children are trafficked to Italy and Greece and are used for begging and cleaning windows of cars without payment. (CRCA, The Vicious Circle, 2000) * Official Italian statistics reveal, that there are approximately 900 child prostitutes in Italy being trafficked from Albania. (CRCA, The Vicious Circle, 2000) * Of the 1,880 to 2,500 minors who worked as street prostitutes, 1,500-2,300 had been trafficked predominantly from Albania, and Nigeria. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * More than 8,000 Albanian girls are prostituted in Italy, and more than 30% of them are under 18 years. (CATW Fact Book, citing G.J. Koja, "8000 Albanian Girls Work as Prostitutes in Italy", HURINet, 25 July 1998) ADULT STATISTICS * According to the Ministry of Equal Opportunity, the number of foreign women estimated to be involved in prostitution varies between 30,000 and 35,000. Of these, Parsec (a social research institution) estimates that 1,000 to 1,500 were trafficked forcibly. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * According to various reports, some 3,500 Bulgarian women are trafficked to Poland, thousands to the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, while others are trafficked to Germany, Belgium, Canada, Serbia-Montenegro, Romania, Hungary, TFYR Macedonia, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * 75-80% of the women trafficked for prostitution in Italy are in street prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing Migrant Information Programme, "Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation to Italy", IOM, June 1996) * In Milan, 80% of street prostitutes are foreigners. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking of Women to the European Union", European Conference on Trafficking in Women, June 1996) * Of the 19,000-25,000 foreign prostitutes in Italy, around 2,000 are trafficked. (CATW Fact Book, citing Migrant Information Programme, "Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation to Italy", IOM, June 1996) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Italy is a destination country and, to a lesser extent, a transit route for trafficked women from Albania, Eastern Europe, the New Independent States, China, Nigeria, and South America. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Trafficking in women and girls for prostitution and forced labour to Italy is a growing problem. The women and girls are usually from Albania, Nigeria, former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Some women from Russia and Ukraine reportedly are trafficked through Israel on their way to countries such as Turkey, Greece, Italy, Germany, and Serbia, where they are forced to work as prostitutes. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Police cracked a network that was smuggling prostitutes from Russia, Moldova, Ukraine, and Romania via Albania to Italy. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Women are trafficked through TFYR Macedonia on their way to West European countries, especially Italy. There are no reliable estimates of the number of victims of trafficking in the country. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Moldova is a source country for trafficking of women and girls. Women and girls reportedly are trafficked to Israel, Turkey, Italy and Greece through Romania, Serbia-Montenegro, and Albania. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * In Milan, women abducted from the countries of the former Soviet Union were auctioned on blocks, and sold at an average price of just under US$1,000. (CATW Fact Book, citing Michael Specter, "Traffickers' New Cargo: Naïve Slavic Women", New York Times, 11 January 1998) * Roma (gypsies from Yugoslavia) children are smuggled to Italy for crime-rings. (EI, EI Barometer on Human and Trade Union Rights in the Education Sector, 1998) * Rome is the concentrated region of trafficked Albanian and Nigerian women brought for the purpose of prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing The Institute of Race Relations, 25 November 1997) * Girls and women trafficked to Italy are typically single, aged 14-18, and less frequently aged 19-24. (CATW Fact Book, citing European Race Audit Bulletin, 25 November 1997, citing Caritas) * Italy is a holding area for Asian children being trafficked by Chinese and Japanese criminal gangs. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Pedophilia ring uncovered in Italy", USA Today, November 1997) * Algerian women are trafficked to Italy. (CATW Fact Book, citing IOM, European Race Audit Bulletin, 25 November 1997) * Nigerian women trafficked to Italy were typically victims of an organised trafficking network. (CATW Fact Book, citing IOM, European Race Audit Bulletin, 25 November 1997) * Most male prostitutes in Ireland come from Dublin, a few from Italy, and others from Britain and Eastern Europe. (CATW Fact Book, citing Kevin O'Sullivan, "Male prostitution study shows link with drugs", Irish Times, 30 July 1997, citing GMHP, The Men in Prostitution) * Women from the Dominican Republic are trafficked to Spain, Italy, Austria and the Netherlands. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking of Women to the European Union", European Conference on Trafficking in Women, June 1996) * Foreign women in 'call girl' prostitution in Italy are from Poland, Russia, Colombia and Argentina and to a lesser extent from Brazil, Hungary, Romania and the Philippines. (CATW Fact Book, citing Migrant Information Programme, "Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation to Italy", IOM, June 1996) * The main concentrations of prostituted Dominican women working abroad are in Austria, Curacao, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Italy, the Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico, Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela and the West Indies. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking in Women from the Dominican Republic for Sexual Exploitation", IOM, June 1996) * In the Czech Republic, the growing organised crime networks have engaged in the trafficking of young women into Western Europe, especially to Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Greece. The operation uses Slovakia as a transit country. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Highway to prostitution", The Euroreporter, 1995) Jamaica GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * There is little information about the trafficking of children for sexual purposes. Research however, points to sex workers moving from one tourist resort to another depending on where more clients can be found. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) Japan ADULT STATISTICS * There are more than 150,000 foreign women in prostitution in Japan, more than a half are Filipinos and 40% are Thai. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Newsletter Volume 1.2, Winter 1998) * There are 60,000-70,000 Filipino dancers in Japan, a third are undocumented. (CATW Fact Book, citing Virginia Calvez, "Filipino dancers keep swinging despite yen", Reuters, 7 July 1998, citing POEA) * 150,000 Filipino women have been trafficked into prostitution in Japan. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Open sale of little girls at Tanbazar brothel", Daily Star, 2 July 1998, citing BNWLA) * Every year, over 100,000 women, mostly Filipinos and Thais, are sexually exploited in the sex industry all over Japan. (Committee for a Safe Society, Matsui Yayori, Eliminating Trafficking in Asian Women, www.alternatives.com) * Japan is a destination for trafficking in women from Philippines and Thailand for purposes of sexual exploitation. Reliable statistics on the number and origin of women trafficked to the country is unavailable, but according to the Ministry of Justice 2.5 % of the 15,823 women deported in 1997 were prostitutes. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * 80% of labour migration in 1994 was of women workers. Job trainees in Korea and Japan have disappeared into underground exploitation, such as prostitution. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Girls are lured from Burma, Cambodia, Laos, and south China for the sex markets in Thailand or to be diverted to Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. ("Human Trafficking: Gangs make Thailand a regional hub", Bangkok Post, 6 September 2000, reprinted in Stop Trafficking Archive, September 2000) * Japan is a destination country for women, primarily from Thailand, the Philippines, and the New Independent States, who are trafficked for purposes of sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Child prostitution and child pornography exist in Japan. While the trafficking of women is known to occur, there is no information about child trafficking. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * NGOs and the media report that Indonesian women and girls are trafficked to Malaysia, Taiwan, and Japan as sex workers. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Malaysian women are trafficked for sexual purposes mostly to Singapore, Macau, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, but also to Japan, Australia, Canada, and the United States. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe(OSCE) issued a report on trafficking of persons in September, and stated that women and girls from Colombia are trafficked to North America and Western Europe. There were also reports of women trafficked to Japan and Spain in increasing numbers, in recent years. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Trafficking laws exist but are not enforced. (CATW Fact Book, citing Supalak Ganjanakhundee, "Migrant workers booming as Asian economy declines", Kyodo News, 23 September 1998) * Japan is a destination of trafficked women from Ukraine and Russia. (CATW Fact Book, citing Global Survival Network, Vladmir Isachenkov, "Soviet Women Slavery Flourishes", AP, 6 November 1997) * Women trafficked out from Thailand to Netherlands, Germany, Japan, Australia, India, Malaysia and Middle East. (CATW Fact Book, citing European Conference on Trafficking in Women, Trafficking of Women to the European Union, June 1996) * To circumvent Japan's laws, which prohibit migrant women from working as prostitutes, traffickers have increasingly used 'entertainer' visas to transit women into the country. In 1995, of a total of 22,060 Russians who came to Japan, 4,763 entered as entertainers. In the last five years, entertainment visas have accounted for approximately 1 in 5 of all visas granted to Russians entering Japan. (Global Survival Network, Gillian Caldwell et al, Crime & Servitude, 1997) * Malaysian children are trafficked into Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Australia. (Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Action, The Flesh Trade Report, 1995-1996) * Korea ranks 7th in terms of destination of deployed overseas Filipino workers, closely following Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and Japan. Illegal recruitments allegedly for work abroad, have historically been exploited to bring women into prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation in foreign lands. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Jean Enriquez, "Filipinos in Prostitution around U.S. Military Bases in Korea") Jordan - Kazakhstan NATIONAL STATISTICS * In Greece, more than 40% of the minors in prostitution are from neighbouring or regional countries, including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Albania and Iraq, which are suffering from conflicts and lack of social cohesion. (ECPAT International, A Step Forward, 1999) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Kazakhstan is a country of origin and transit for trafficked persons, primarily young women for prostitution. Women are trafficked to a number of countries including the United Arab Emirates, Greece, Turkey, Israel, and South Korea. Forced labourers from neighbouring Kyrgyzstan also are trafficked to Kazakhstan. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Women's rights groups and the IOM report anecdotal evidence of trafficking in women from the country. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000)   Kenya GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Information is scarce on the trafficking of children for commercial sexual purposes. Reports indicate that what obtains in Kenya is mainly internal trafficking whereby children are trafficked from rural to urban areas for sexual purposes. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * According to one NGO, trafficking for sexual purposes is common from the Northern part of the country to the cities. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * In past years, there has been anecdotal evidence that citizens were trafficked to Saudi Arabia under the guise of employment opportunities, and that South Asians were trafficked into the country to work in sweatshops. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Kiribati - Korea, Dem. People's Republic GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * There were reports that young girls were trafficked to China. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Korea, Rep. ADULT STATISTICS * Officials from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration report that they estimate the number of Filipinos in the entertainment industry in Korea to be around 1,000, while those prostituted around the U.S. military bases to number 600. The officials attest that the women recruited are very young and mostly from Central Luzon, specifically the Pinatubo area. Currently, studies estimate that 150,000 Filipinos are exploited in the entertainment industry of Japan. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Jean Enriquez, "Filipinos in Prostitution around U.S. Military Bases in Korea") * 80% of labour migration in Sri Lanka in 1994 was of women workers. Job trainees in Korea and Japan have disappeared into underground exploitation, such as prostitution. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Because of lax control of transit areas at international airports, the country is considered a major transit point for alien smugglers, including traffickers of Asian women and children destined for the sex trade and domestic servitude. Relatively small numbers of Korean economic migrants, seeking opportunities abroad, are believed to end up as victims of traffickers as well. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * In late March, the Korean press reported that a Korean man was arrested on charges of forcing 40 Korean women, recruited as waitresses, into prostitution in Macau. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Korea ranks 7th in terms of destination of deployed overseas Filipinos workers. Illegal recruitment allegedly for work abroad, have historically been exploited to bring women into prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation in foreign lands. Current official estimates place the number of undocumented workers as 14,000. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Jean Enriquez, "Filipinas in Prostitution around U.S. Military Bases in Korea") * Korean women are trafficked to Hong Kong for prostitution. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) Kosovo ADULT STATISTICS * According to one survey, some 37% of women in refugee camps in Kosovo acknowledged being approached by traffickers. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * 255 illegal immigrants from Albania and Kosovo were trafficked for prostitution during December 1997. (CATW Fact Book, citing "British note Albanian refugee smuggling", UPI, 7 April 1998) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * There is little information available on trafficking, although the province is a source and transit point for women and girls trafficked to other parts of Europe for forced prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Relief agencies warned that criminal gangs were trying to abduct young girls from the province and traffic them to Italy and Greece for forced prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Kuwait - Kyrgyzstan NATIONAL STATISTICS * According to the International Office of Migration (IOM), approximately 4,000 women and 7 boys were trafficked abroad in 1999. No estimates were available for subsequent years; however, the IOM reported that it dealt with several cases of trafficking during the year. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2001, March 2002) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The trafficking of Kyrgyz women and girls, largely to Turkey, Germany, and the United Arab Emirates for the purpose of forced prostitution, is a growing problem. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Kyrgyzstan is a country of origin and transit for trafficking in persons. Kyrgyz men, women, and children are trafficked to Russia, Turkey, Germany, and the United Arab Emirates, mostly for prostitution. Men are also trafficked to Kazakhstan for forced labour. In 1999, 18 people were convicted of trafficking and sentenced to five years imprisonment, and 4 people were sentenced to less than two years imprisonment in 2000. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * According to the International Office of Migration (IOM), approximately 4,000 women and 7 boys were trafficked abroad in 1999. A flourishing sex trade draws girls, as young as age 10, from destitute mountain villages. Several media articles have raised public awareness of the problem. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001 citing the International Office of Migration) Laos NATIONAL STATISTICS * In 1996, there were almost 200,000 foreign children from Burma, Laos and Cambodia who had been trafficked in to Thailand for prostitution and work at construction sites and sweatshops. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking of children on the rise", Bangkok Post, 22 July 1998, citing IPSR) * 80,000 women and children have been trafficked to Thailand for prostitution, since 1990. The highest numbers are from Burma, followed by the Yunnan province of China, and Laos. (ILO-IPEC, Combating Trafficking in Children for Labour Exploitation in the Mekong Sub-region, October 1998) ADULT STATISTICS * 1 million women trafficked in Thailand from Laos, Burma, China, and Vietnam. (CATW, The Fact Book on Global Sexual Exploitation, 1999) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Girls are lured from Burma, Cambodia, Laos, and south China for the sex markets in Thailand or to be diverted to Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. ("Human Trafficking: Gangs make Thailand a regional hub", Bangkok Post, 6 September 2000, reprinted in Stop Trafficking Archive, September 2000) * There are reports that children from Laos are used for sexual exploitation and slavery abroad. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * There is no problem of child trafficking. (ILO-IPEC, Country Paper: Laos, September 1999) * There are 500 Chinese and 200 European women in prostitution in Bangkok, many of whom entered Thailand illegally often through Burma and Laos. Earlier reports, however, suggest there were thousands of foreign women in the sex industry. (CATW Fact Book, citing Sanit Meephan, "Thailand popular haunt for foreign prostitutes", The Nation, 15 January 1997, citing Tourism Police Bureau) * A 1996 study, conducted at 40 commercial venues in Bangkok, Kulachada and Chaipipat, found trafficking women and children from the Mekong countries - China, Burma, Laos and Cambodia to be increasing. The largest groups of newly trafficked women into the sex industry are from Burma's Shan state, and minority women from the Northwest border areas. ("New law targets human trafficking", The Nation, 30 November 1997) * Girls from Thailand, Burma and Laos are trafficked into Malaysia. (Child Workers in Asia, January-June 1996) * The high proportion of child victims of prostitution in Thailand is aggravated by the arrival of children lured and trafficked from Cambodia, China, Laos, and Burma. (US Dept of Labor, Prostitution of Children, 1996) * Malaysia is a receiving country for trafficked women from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, China, India, Taiwan, Singapore, Burma, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Laos. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) Latvia GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Trafficking in young girls for forced prostitution abroad is increasing. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Lithuania is a source, transit point, and destination for trafficking in women. Women from Belarus, Russia (Kalingrad District), Latvia, and the Lithuanian countryside are trafficked to major cities in Lithuania. Some are trafficked further to Western Europe and elsewhere. Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Austria are major destinations, based on the figures of women subsequently deported from these countries to Lithuania. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Lebanon ADULT STATISTICS * Majority of the 170,000 female Sri Lankans who are currently working in Lebanon are shamefully exploited. (Marie Odile and Xavier Favre, "The Beirut slave trade", Le Monde diplomatique, June 1998) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Lebanon is a destination country for internationally trafficked persons, primarily women. Women from Ethiopia travel to Lebanon, in the belief that they will work as domestics and have reported being forced into domestic servitude and sexual exploitation. Women from the New Independent States (specifically Russia, Ukraine, and Moldova) have reported being forced into sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) Lesotho GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The country is used as a transit point for trafficking in persons. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Liberia - Libya GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * There have been reports of trafficking in persons. Libyans have been implicated in the purchase of Sudanese slaves, mainly southern Sudanese women and children, who were captured by Sudanese government troops in the ongoing civil war in Sudan. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Liechtenstein GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * NGOs assume that as in the neighbouring countries, trafficking in the country occurs, but no specific cases have been documented. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Lithuania GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Lithuania is a source, transit, and destination country for trafficking in persons, primarily women who are trafficked for purposes of sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Lithuanian women are trafficked to Western Europe (including Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, France, and Austria) and the Middle East (including Israel and the United Arab Emirates). Trafficking also occurs within Lithuania. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Trafficking in women for the purpose of forced prostitution is a problem. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * There were three cases involving trafficking in persons revealed during the year. In November, the Klapeida port police arrested four persons suspected of trafficking in women. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * In December 1997, a group of Armenians were caught in Belarus trafficking children to Brest under false pretenses; their destination was Poland. (CATW Fact Book, citing Noyan Tapan, "Criminal Group Trading Children Apprehended in Belarus", 10 December 1997) * A Lithuanian man brought approximately 55 women from Russia to the UK to be prostituted in flats in central London. (CATW Fact Book, citing Michael Hoskins "Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation", Metropolitan Police Service, June 1996) Luxembourg GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * In August the Ministry of Labour denied allegations made by a European Parliament Deputy that Luxembourg is a "turntable" for trafficking in women. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001 citing the Ministry of Labour ) * Allegations by two prominent politicians - including Luxembourg's European Commissioner, Viviane Reding - that the country serves as a transit point for trafficking in women. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Madagascar GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The law prohibits trafficking; however, there were reports that women and girls were trafficked to the nearby islands of Reunion and Mauritius for prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Malawi - Malaysia NATIONAL STATISTICS * During the year 2000, the Royal Malaysian Police arrested 3,607 foreign prostitutes, compared to 3,301 in 1999.Most prostitutes in the country still come from neighbouring Indonesia, the Philippines, Burma, Thailand, and China. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * The Deputy Home Minister stated that 4,200 Malaysian girls and young women were reported missing in 1997. Political parties and NGOs estimate that a portion of these women and girls were victims of traffickers. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * 4,000 Thai boys are sold or abducted every year and shipped to Malaysia. (Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Action, The Flesh Trade Report, 1995-1996) ADULT STATISTICS * In 1998 the Deputy Home Minister stated that 2,250 foreign prostitutes had been arrested in Malaysia. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Malaysia is both a source and destination country for trafficked persons. Young women from primarily Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines are trafficked into Malaysia for sexual exploitation. Small numbers of young Malaysian women, primarily ethnic Chinese, are trafficked to Japan, Canada, the United States and Taiwan, also for sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Girls are lured from Burma, Cambodia, Laos, and south China for the sex markets in Thailand or to be diverted to Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Japan. ("Human Trafficking: Gangs make Thailand a regional hub", Bangkok Post, 6 September 2000, reprinted in Stop Trafficking Archive, September 2000) * Police believe that the overwhelming number of prostitutes in the country are foreigners from Indonesia, the Philippines, Burma, Thailand, and China. These women often work as karaoke hostesses, guest relations officers, and masseuses. Russian women work in smaller numbers as prostitutes. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Malaysian women are trafficked for sexual purposes mostly to Singapore, Macau, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, but also to Japan, Australia, Canada, and the United States. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Trafficking in women for the purpose of forced prostitution is a problem. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Women's organisations highlight the continuing problem of trafficking in young girls. (EI, EI Barometer on Human and Trade Union Rights in the Education Sector, 1998) * Malaysia is a receiving country for trafficked women from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, China, India, Taiwan, Singapore, Burma, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Laos. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) * Malaysian women can be found in prostitution in Hong Kong and Australia. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) * Burmese children are smuggled into Malaysia for begging. (Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Action, The Flesh Trade Report, 1995-1996) * Thai and Filipino girls are trafficked into Malaysia for prostitution. (Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Action, The Flesh Trade Report, 1995-1996) * Malaysian children are trafficked into Japan, Hongkong, Taiwan and Australia. (Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Action, The Flesh Trade Report, 1995-1996) * Korea ranks 7th in terms of destination of deployed overseas Filipino workers, closely following Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and Japan. Illegal recruitment allegedly for work abroad, have historically been exploited to bring women into prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation in foreign lands. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Jean Enriquez, "Filipinos in Prostitution around U.S. Military Bases in Korea") Maldives GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Among the SAARC nations, the Maldives is experiencing a recent increase in trafficking. (CATW Fact Book, citing Masako Iijima, "S. Asia urged to unite against child prostitution", Reuters, 19 June 1998) Mali GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Mali is a source and destination country for trafficked persons, primarily children. Children from Mali are trafficked to Cote d'Ivoire to work on cotton and cocoa plantations or for domestic servitude. Women from Nigeria are trafficked to Mali for sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Government of Mali admits that international traffic in children had been detected in Mali. As to the cross-border trafficking of children, the Ministry for the Advancement of Women, Children and the Family said that Malian children had been taken across the border to Ivory Coast and other countries in the sub-region to work as domestics and on plantations in deplorable conditions where most are susceptible to sexual exploitation. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * A United Nations Report on child trafficking in West Africa says that children in West and Central Africa are trafficked within the sub-region and sometimes to countries in Europe. Children from Mali, Togo, Benin, Nigeria and other neighbouring countries are trafficked to Ivory Coast to work on plantations, for use as domestic servants, market traders, child beggars and prostitutes. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Reports in national and international media throughout 1998 carried out accounts of illicit trade in children from Mali to the Cote d'Ivoire to be sold to farmers. (Child Trafficking in West and Central Africa, submission to the UN Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, June 1999) * Suspected child trafficking activities have also been identified in Mali, Mauritania and Burkina Faso. These networks feed the domestic labour market in the main urban centres of countries like Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and the Congo. (UNICEF, The Issue of Child Domestic Labour and Trafficking in West and Central Africa, July 1998) * In October 1997 police Intercepted traffickers in neighbouring Mali taking young Mauritanian children to the Gulf. (CWA, Anti-Slavery International – Urgent Action on Child Labour, "Child Camel Jockeys in the Gulf States", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 13, Nos. 2 & 3, April - September 1997) Malta - Marshall Islands - Mauritania GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Mauritanian slaves are sometimes exported to Sheiks in Qatar and the UAE. (American Anti-Slavery Group, Jesse Sage, e-mail to GMIS, 6 November 2000, citing Moctar Teyeb, Tikkun Magazine) * Suspected child trafficking activities have also been identified in Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, Togo, Mali, Mauritania and Burkina Faso. These networks feed the domestic labour market in the main urban centres of countries like Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea and the Congo. (UNICEF, The Issue of Child Domestic Labour and Trafficking in West and Central Africa, July 1998) * In addition to the previously known South Asian trafficking routes, coming from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Anti-Slavery International has evidence of children being trafficked from Mauritania to the Gulf to be used as camel jockeys. In October 1997, police intercepted traffickers in neighbouring Mali taking young Mauritanian children to the Gulf. (CWA, Anti-Slavery International – Urgent Action on Child Labour, "Child Camel Jockeys in the Gulf States", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 13, Nos. 2 & 3, April - September 1997) Mauritius GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * There were reports from the nearby island of Madagascar that women and children were trafficked to the islands of Reunion and Mauritius for prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Mexico NATIONAL STATISTICS * Between August 1996 and February 1998, at least 20 young Mexican women and minors were trafficked into Florida and southern Carolina in the US under the illusion of jobs, but were forced into prostitution. (ECPAT International) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Mexico is a source country for trafficked persons to the United States, Canada, and Japan, and a transit country for persons from various countries, especially Central America and China. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * There are an increasing number of persons from Brazil and Eastern Europe transiting to through Mexico, some of whom are trafficked Salvadorans and Guatemalans, especially children, are trafficked into Mexico for prostitution, particularly on the southern border. Internal trafficking is also a problem. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * There have been isolated cases of organised trafficking of persons for the purpose of forced prostitution, sexual services and domestic servitude. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * 16 and 17-year-old girls from Central America are being trafficked to Chips, Mexico for prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Women and Low Intensity Warfare", SIPAZ Report, January 1998) * International bands of traffickers are reported to be recruiting Guatemalan adolescents on the border with Mexico and exploiting them in regional brothels. (ECPAT International) * The Russian Mafia has been organising for Eastern European women to be trafficked to Mexico for the commercial sexual exploitation in Mexican nightclubs. (ECPAT International) * The United Nations lists Mexico as the number one center for the supply of young children to North America. The majority are sent to international paedophile organisations. Most of the children over 12 end up as prostitutes. (CATW Fact Book, citing Allan Hall, The Scotsman, 25 August 1998) * Honduran girls, 13 and 14 year olds, were trafficked by organised crime groups in Central America from the cities of Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula and El Progreso under false pretenses, such as job offerings and scholarships and sold to brothels in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Mexico. (CATW Fact Book, citing "More Honduran Girls Prostituted", Reuters, 28 February 1998, citing INTERPOL) Micronesia - Moldova ADULT STATISTICS * A prominent women's rights activist and member of Parliament states that more than 10,000 Moldovan women are working as prostitutes in other countries. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Although no statistics are available, Moldova is a source country for women and girls, who are trafficked to various locations, including Turkey, Greece, Italy, Kosovo, and Israel for forced prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Women and girls reportedly are trafficked to Italy and Greece through Romania, Serbia-Montenegro, Albania, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Portugal, France, Spain, and the Former Republic of Yugoslavia. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Trafficking in girls is a very serious problem. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Police cracked a network that was smuggling prostitutes from Russia, Moldova, Ukraine, and Romania via Albania to Italy. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Monaco - Mongolia GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * It is believed that the primary targets of trafficking schemes are young women, ranging in age from 14 years to the mid-20s, who come from the middle class. These girls and women are lured abroad by offers to study or work. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2001, March 2002) * The law does not specifically prohibit trafficking in persons and there is evidence that Mongolian women and teenagers are working in the sex trade in Asia and Eastern Europe. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Morocco GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Moroccan women are trafficked abroad to the Middle East and Europe under the guise of legitimate job offers and then sexually exploited. There is also internal trafficking of women and children; girls are trafficked primarily for domestic servitude and women are trafficked for sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Forced prostitution involving Moroccans also occurs abroad. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Mozambique GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Ressano Garcia, a border town 150km west of Maputo reportedly is a transit point between Johannesburg, South Africa and Mozambique. Young men are trafficked for the purpose of work in South African mines and children are trafficked for sexual purposes through the Ressano Garcia transit route. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * There were credible reports that there is some trafficking in persons, primarily women and children, to South Africa and Swaziland. Both countries apparently offer economic opportunities that attract poor women and children, who sometimes are victimised by traffickers. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Namibia - Nauru GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The law does not specifically address trafficking; however, there were reports that Asian nationals were trafficked through the country en route to other destinations. The Government is investigating. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) Nepal NATIONAL STATISTICS * The study findings estimated that 12,000 children are trafficked every year from Nepal. (ILO-IPEC, Bal Kumar KC et all, Nepal, Trafficking in Girls with Special Reference to Prostitution: A Rapid Assessment, Geneva, November 2001) * The trafficking of children is a considerable problem. While accurate numbers are not available, it is estimated that 5000-7000 Nepalese girls are annually trafficked out of Nepal to India, and increasingly, to the Gulf States for prostitution purposes.(ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * As an illustration, it is believed that 200,000 of the prostitutes in India are Nepalese. 20% are thought to be under 16. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * A survey by the Central Social Welfare Board indicated that the population of Nepalese women and child victims of commercial sexual exploitation in Indian brothels would be between 70,000 to 100,000 of which 30% were below 18. (ILO-IPEC, Country Report: Nepal, October 1998) * The number of Nepalese girls and women engaged in prostitution in Calcutta exceeds 27,000, in Delhi it is more than 21,000, in Gorakhpur it is 4,700 and in Banaras it is 3,480. (ILO-IPEC, Country Report: Nepal, October 1998) * In Bombay, India, at least half of the city's 100,000 prostitutes are believed to be Nepalese girls. (ILO-IPEC, Country Report: Nepal, October 1998) * More than 9,000 girls are trafficked each year from Nepal and Bangladesh into bondage in India and Pakistan, often with the acquiescence or cooperation of state officials. (CATW Fact Book, citing Amnesty International press release, 22 April 1998)   * Half of 100,000 girl prostitutes between 10-14 in Bombay are from Nepal and are kept in brothels against their will. (Penelope Saunders, "Sexual Trafficking and Forced Prostitution of Children", 29 October 1998) * CWIN's studies have revealed that Nepalese children are involved in different labour sectors in India. Most prominent is the carpet industry. CWIN estimates that there are 5,000-7,000 children working in Bhadohi and Mirzapur in Benaras district bordering Nepal. (CWA, Child Workers in Nepal (CWIN), "Nepal-India Cross Border Child Labour Migration", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 13, Nos. 2 & 3, April - September 1997) * 15,000 Nepalese women and 19,000 children are kidnapped, lured, trafficked and sold into different cities of India. (Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Action, The Flesh Trade Report, 1995-1996) * An estimated 40,000 to 45,000 of these girls are in Bombay brothels and also nearly an equal number of them are in Calcutta. (Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Action, The Flesh Trade Report, 1995-1996) * In Calcutta, in various studies conducted by the All India Institute of Hygiene and Public Health in 1993 estimate that 20% of the 5,000 sex workers in the Sonagachi red light area are Nepalese. (Human Rights Watch/Asia, Rape and Profit, June 1995) ADULT STATISTICS * 20%-30% of commercial sex workers in India have been trafficked from Nepal. (World Vision, David Westwood, Child Trafficking in Asia, 1998) * 2.5% of prostitutes in India are Nepalese. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Devadasi System Continues to Legitimise Prostitution: The Devadasi Tradition and Prostitution", Times of India, 4 December 1997) * Approximately 50,000, or half of the women in prostitution in Bombay, are trafficked from Nepal. (CATW Fact Book, citing Robert I. Freidman, "India's Shame: Sexual Slavery and Political Corruption Are Leading to an AIDS Catastrophe", The Nation, 8 April 1996) * 160,000 Nepalese women are held in India's brothels. (CATW Fact Book, citing SANLAAP India, Indrani Sinha, "Paper on Globalization & Human Rights") * 5,000 Nepalese women are trafficked into India yearly. There are now 100,000 Nepalese women in India in prostitution. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Nepal is a source country for internationally trafficked women and children. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Poor, uneducated young women from Nepal's rural regions are trafficked to India to work as prostitutes and for bonded labour. Nepalese citizens also are trafficked to Hong Kong, Thailand, and countries in the Middle East. Government officials suspect that organised crime groups and "marriage brokers" are the primary traffickers in Nepal and state that parents and other relatives of trafficking victims are sometimes complicit. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Nepalese girls as young as 11 years are trafficked into India to work as prostitutes.(Will Dunham, "U.S. grapples with 'modern-day slavery'", 1 September 2000, reprinted in Stop Trafficking Archive, September 2000) * Nepalese, Bangladeshi and Pakistani women are trafficked to India, and through India they are trafficked to Eastern Europe and Saudi Arabia. (CATW Fact Book, citing Meena Oudel, Oxfam Nepal, 18 March 1998) * Notorious in their own right for appalling working conditions, Nepalese carpet factories, where 50% of the workers are estimated to be children, are common sites of sexual exploitation by employers as well as recruitment centres for Indian brothels. (UNICEF, State of the World's Children, 1997) * The trafficking of girls from Nepal into India for the purpose of prostitution is probably the busiest 'slave traffic' of its kind anywhere in the world. (CATW Fact Book, citing Tim McGirk, "Nepal's Lost Daughters", 27 January 1997) * Hong Kong is the second biggest market for trafficked Nepalese women. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) * The problem of sale and trafficking of children, especially girls is rampant. (UN CRC, Concluding observations on Nepal, 1996) * In cross-border trafficking, India is a sending, receiving and transit nation. Receiving children from Bangladesh and Nepal and sending women and children to Middle Eastern nations is a daily occurrence. (CATW Fact Book, citing SANLAAP India, Indrani Sinha, "Paper on Globalisation and Human Rights") Netherlands NATIONAL STATISTICS * The country is a major destination for trafficked women. According to the Justice Ministry, 20,000 to 30,000 persons work in prostitution, about half of them illegal residents from non-EU countries. Many come from Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Eastern Europe, and Nigeria. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * The Foundation Against Trafficking in Women estimates that each year some 3,000 women and girls are brought into the country for the purpose of prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * At least 200 women, including girls under the age of 16, were trafficked by one Polish man to Netherlands and Germany between 1993 and 1996. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking of Women to the European Union", European Conference on Trafficking in Women, June 1996, citing Warsaw Voice) ADULT STATISTICS * According to various reports, some 3,500 Bulgarian women are trafficked to Poland, thousands to the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, while others are trafficked to Germany, Belgium, Canada, Serbia-Montenegro, Romania, Hungary, TFYR Macedonia, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * In Amsterdam, 80% of prostitutes are foreigners, and 70% have no immigration papers, suggesting that they were trafficked. (CATW Fact Book, citing Marie-Victoire Louis, "Legalizing Pimping, Dutch Style", Le Monde Diplomatique, 8 March 1997) * In 1994, 69% of 168 trafficked victims were from Central and Eastern European Countries. (The Dutch Foundation Against Trafficking in Women, "Trafficking of Women to the European Union", European Conference on Trafficking in Women, June 1996, IOM, 7 May 1996) * There are at least 1,000 trafficked women in the Netherlands. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking of Women to the European Union", European Conference on Trafficking in Women, June 1996) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * A Dutch study by Terre des Hommes indicates that many children are trafficked into the Netherlands for purposes of abuse through prostitution. Many of these children, mostly girls, come from Africa. They are sold again to Belgium and other European countries where they are forced to provide sex. (ECPAT International, A Step Forward, 1999) * The Directorate of Migration estimates that there are approximately 400 rings of alien smugglers and purveyors of false documents operating within the Dominican Republic. These individuals profit by facilitating the trafficking of women to Spain, Netherlands, and Argentina under false pretenses, for purposes of prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Homeless children in Romania have increasingly been trafficked under false pretenses and forced into prostitution in Berlin and Hamburg, Germany and Amsterdam, Holland. (CATW Fact Book, citing Save the Children, Albert Clack, "Romania: Life on the streets", 1998) * The main concentrations of prostituted Dominican women working abroad are in Austria, Curacao, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Italy, the Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico, Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela and the West Indies. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking in Women from the Dominican Republic for Sexual Exploitation", IOM, June 1996) * Sweden is used as a transit country for trafficking Latin American women to brothels in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking of Women to the European Union", European Conference on Trafficking in Women, June 1996) * Women from Thailand are trafficked particularly to the Netherlands and Germany, Japan, Australia, India, Malaysia and nations of the Middle East. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) * In the Czech Republic, the growing organised crime networks have engaged in the trafficking of young women into Western Europe, especially to Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Greece. The operation uses Slovakia as a transit country. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Highway to prostitution", The Euroreporter, 1995) New Zealand GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Trafficking in women and children (particularly from Thailand) to work in the sex industry is a small but growing problem. There were several credible reports that women were trafficked into the country during the year. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * One of the women sued in New Zealand to recover money that she had paid to traffickers; she claimed that the defendants had advertised the work as catering or agriculture. In October 1999, seven Thai women were freed from slave labour conditions in an Auckland factory. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Thai girls as young as 18 years old were forced to work in brothels in Auckland. ("Police raid parlor using Thai prostitutes", New Zealand Herald, 6 April 1999) * New Zealand receives women mainly from Thailand, but recent reports indicate that Chinese, Malaysian and Singaporean women are now coming in. It has been reported that Thai women move to Christchurch where foreign men go for Asian women. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) * New Zealand is used by traffickers of Thai women as a departure point for Japan, Australia and Cyprus. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) Nicaragua NATIONAL STATISTICS * Police in late 1996 estimated that more than 2,000 minors were being exploited in approximately 600 clandestine bars and brothels in the Guatemala city, approximately 1,200 of them were Salvadoran, 500 were Honduran and Nicaraguan, and the rest were Guatemalan. (ECPAT International) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Along the border, many children are brought into Guatemala from El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras by organised rings, who force them into prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Niger GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * In August the Justice Minister stated that the Government intended to study the issue of trafficking as part of the more comprehensive legal modernization effort launched by a commission of legal experts. At year's end, the study was ongoing; no statistics were available regarding the extent of the problem. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) Nigeria NATIONAL STATISTICS * The ILO reported that, based on a nation-wide survey of child trafficking, approximately 19% of school children and 40% of street children have been trafficked for forced labour. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001)   * It is estimated that more than 100 girls mostly between ages of 10 and 15 are smuggled from Nigeria via Togo to Europe. (Paul Ohia, "Human Smugglers Arrested in Togo", African News Services, 10 July 2000, reprinted in Stop Trafficking Archive, July 2000) * In January, authorities of Côte d'Ivoire repatriated eleven 10-11 year old girls to Lagos, Nigeria from Abidjan. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Of the 1,880 to 2,500 minors who worked as street prostitutes in Italy, 1,500-2,300 had been trafficked predominantly from Albania, and Nigeria. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Local NGOs estimate that more than 700 children of both sexes were recaptured on the Benin- Togo borders and the Benin-Nigeria borders during 1997 and returned afterwards to their families. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Child Peddling Serious Problem in Togo and Benin", All Africa News Agency, 23 March 1998) * In July 1997, the police intercepted a group of 90 children in Porto Novo and another group of 42 in Cotonou on their way to Nigeria. (UNICEF, The Issue of Child Domestic Labour and Trafficking in West and Central Africa, July 1998) * 150 Filipinos were sold into prostitution to nightclub operators in African countries, particularly Nigeria. (CATW Fact Book, citing Lira S. Dalagin, "150 Pinays sold as sex slaves in Africa", Manila Chronicle, 31 May 1995, citing Bureau of Immigration) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * According to reports from the media and the ILO, there is an active trade in child labourers, some of whom are exported to Cameroon, Gabon, Benin, and Equatorial Guinea to work in agricultural enterprises, others of whom are coerced into prostitution. Authorities also have identified a trade route for traffickers of children for labour through Katsina and Sokoto to the Middle East and East Africa. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * The eastern part of the country and some southern states such as Cross River and Akwa Ibom have been the focus of trafficking of children for labour and, in some cases, human sacrifice. The country remains a destination point for the trafficking of Togolese children to serve as domestic or agricultural workers. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Nigeria is a source, transit, and destination country for trafficked persons. The majority of trafficking from Nigeria involves females destined for Europe; Italian authorities estimate that 10,000 Nigerian prostitutes work in Italy, many of them the victims of traffickers. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Nigerians, primarily women and children, also are trafficked to work on plantations in other African countries, including Gabon, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Benin. Other significant destination countries for trafficked Nigerians include the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, Spain, France, and countries in the Middle East. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Nigeria also serves as a transit hub for trafficking in West Africa and to a lesser extent, a destination point for young children from nearby West African countries. There is also evidence of trafficking of children and women within Nigeria. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * A study has shown that children are trafficked from Togo to Nigeria for use as domestic child servants, market traders, child beggars and prostitutes. (WAO-Afrique, Child Trafficking in West and Central Africa, submission to the UN Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, June 1999) * Trafficking in children, which is always a problem, continues to be the subject of considerable media coverage in Benin. Most victims are abducted or leave home with traffickers who promise educational opportunities or other incentives. They are taken to places in foreign countries (according to the press, principally to Nigeria, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire, and Gabon) and sold into servitude in agriculture, as domestics, or as prostitutes. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * In August, there were reports that women and girls from Mozambique were lured into South Africa by Nigerian and other organised crime syndicates based in the country with the promise of jobs and decent wages, and then held as near-slaves on farms and other enterprises. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Trafficking in women and girls for prostitution and forced labour to Italy is a growing problem. The women and girls are usually from Albania, Nigeria, former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Trafficked children are made to work as domestics, hawkers and petty traders, beggars, car washers, bus conductors, farm hands or cattle rearers. (UNICEF Child Domestic Workshop, 1998) * Thai girls are found to be working as prostitutes in Western African countries including Nigeria. ("Thai girls lured to sex trade in Africa", Bangkok Post, 24 August 1998) * An international trafficking network was broken up in Spain and 15 people arrested for allegedly trafficking dozens of women from the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Columbia, Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria to Spain, forcing them into prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Spanish Prostitution Ring Busted", AP, 18 April 1998) * There are reports of trafficking in children. In 1996, one NGO reported an illegal child trade exporting Nigerian children to other West African nations. (EI, EI Barometer on Human and Trade Union Rights in the Education Sector, 1998) * Nigerian women trafficked to Italy were typically victims of an organised trafficking network. (CATW Fact Book, citing IOM, European Race Audit Bulletin, 25 November 1997) * Rome is the concentrated region of trafficked Albanian and Nigerian women brought for the purpose of prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing The Institute of Race Relations, 25 November 1997) Niue - Norway ADULT STATISTICS * In Norway's northernmost county, trafficking and prostitution is an increasing problem. Organised from the Norwegian and Russian sides of the border, 150 women a week are transported for prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Statement by the Network North Against Prostitution and Violence", citing the Norwegian consulate in Murmansk) Oman - Pakistan NATIONAL STATISTICS * Over the last decade, 200,000 Bangladeshi girls were lured under false circumstances and sold into the sex industry in nations including Pakistan, India and the Middle East. (CATW Fact Book, citing Tabibul Islam, "Rape of Minors Worry Parents", IPS, 8 April 1998) * Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid (LHRLA) of Pakistan have reported that more than 19,000 boys from the region, ranging in age from two to 11 years old, have been trafficked as camel jockeys to the Middle East- a trade that can cost them their lives. (ILO-IPEC, Karen C. Tumlin , Overview of Child Trafficking for Labour Exploitation in the Region, Working Papers on Child Labour in Asia - Vol -2, Bangkok, ILO, 2001) * On an average, annually 4,500 girls and children from Bangladesh are being trafficked to Pakistan alone. (BNWLA, Salma Ali, Country Report on Trafficking in Children and Their Exploitation in Prostitution, October 1998, citing report by UNICEF and SAARC) * Different human rights activists and agencies estimate 200-400 young women and children are smuggled out every month, most of them from Bangladesh to Pakistan. (CATW Fact Book, citing CEDAW Report: Bangladesh, 1 April 1997) * About 40,000 children from Bangladesh are involved in prostitution in Pakistan. (ILO-IPEC, Rapid Assessment of Child Labour Situation in Bangladesh, 1996) * 4,800 Bangladeshi girls were trafficked to Pakistan and India. (Nishanthi Priyangika, "Child labour on the increase in Bangladesh", World Socialist Web Site, 3/11/1999, citing UNICEF Report 1994) * In 1992, it was estimated that some 20,000 children, some as young as 5 years old, were sent to the Gulf region to be used as jockeys in camel racing. (OMCT/SOS, remarks to the UN CRC, April 1994) * 19,000 Pakistani children have been trafficked to the United Arab Emirates. (CATW Fact Book, citing SANLAAP India, Indrani Sinha, "Paper on Globalization & Human Rights", citing LHRLA) ADULT STATISTICS * 500 Bangladeshi women are illegally transported into Pakistan every day. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Open sale of little girls at Tanbazar brothel", Daily Star, 2 July 1998, citing BNWLA) * 100-150 women are estimated to enter Pakistan illegally every day. Few ever return to their homes. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Slavery Still A Thriving Trade", IPS, 29 December 1997) * At least 200,000 Bangladeshi women have been trafficked to Pakistan over the last 10 years. (CATW Fact Book, citing CEDAW Report: Bangladesh, 1 April 1997) * More than 150 women were trafficked to Pakistan every day between 1991 and 1993. (CATW Fact Book, citing SANLAAP India, Indrani Sinha, "Paper on Globalization & Human Rights") * There have been 1 million Bangladeshi, and more than 200,000 Burmese women trafficked to Karachi, Pakistan. (CATW Fact Book, citing SANLAAP India, Indrani Sinha, "Paper on Globalization & Human Rights") GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Pakistan is a source, transit, and destination country for an increasing number of trafficked persons. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Women and children are trafficked for purposes of sexual exploitation, bonded labour, and domestic servitude to the Middle East. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Pakistan is a source country for young boys who are kidnapped or bought and sent to work as camel jockeys in the Gulf States. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Women and children are trafficked from East Asian countries and Bangladesh through Pakistan to the Middle East. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Pakistan serves as a destination point for women who are trafficked from Bangladesh, Burma, Afghanistan, and the Central Asian States. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * There is extensive trafficking of children from Bangladesh, primarily to India, Pakistan, and destinations within the country are also largely for the purposes of forced prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * India and Pakistan are the main destinations for children under 16 who are trafficked in South Asia. (CATW Fact Book, citing Masako Iijima, "S. Asia urged to unite against child prostitution", Reuters, 19 June 1998) * Nepalese, Bangladeshi and Pakistani women are trafficked to India, and through India they are trafficked to Eastern Europe and Saudi Arabia. (CATW Fact Book, citing Meena Oudel, Oxfam Nepal, 18 March 1998) * Reports indicate trafficking of children into Pakistan from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. (US Dept of Labor, Prostitution of Children, 1996) Palau - Palestine - Panama - Papua New Guinea - Paraguay - Peru - Philippines NATIONAL STATISTICS * In 1996, 492 of 3,776 reported cases of child abuse involved pornography, prostitution, paedophilia and trafficking. (CATW Fact Book, citing Department of Social Welfare and Development, "375,000 Filipino Women & Kids Are Into Prostitution", Philippine Daily Inquirer, 26 July 1997) ADULT STATISTICS * Japan is a destination for trafficking in women from the Philippines and Thailand for purposes of sexual exploitation. Reliable statistics on the number and origin of women trafficked to Japan is unavailable, but according to the Ministry of Justice 2.5 % of the 15,823 women deported in 1997 were prostitutes. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * There are more than 150,000 foreign women in prostitution in Japan, and more than a half are Filipinos. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Newsletter Volume 1.2, Winter 1998) * There are 60,000-70,000 Filipino dancers in Japan, a third are undocumented. (CATW Fact Book, citing Virginia Calvez, "Filipino dancers keep swinging despite yen", Reuters, 7 July 1998, citing POEA) * Filipinas are vulnerable to trafficking due to the Asian economic crisis. Travel to Japan increased 21% in the first half of this year compared with the same period in 1997. Trafficking laws exist but are not enforced. (CATW Fact Book, citing Supalak Ganjanakhundee, "Migrant workers booming as Asian economy declines", Kyodo News, 23 September 1998) * 150 Filipinos were sold into prostitution to nightclub operators in African countries, particularly Nigeria. (CATW Fact Book, citing Lira S. Dalagin, "150 Pinays sold as sex slaves in Africa", Manila Chronicle, 31 May 1995, citing Bureau of Immigration) * Korea ranks 7th in terms of destination of deployed overseas Filipino workers, closely following Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and Japan. Illegal recruitment allegedly for work abroad, have historically been exploited to bring women into prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation in foreign lands. Current official estimates place the number of undocumented workers as 14,000. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Jean Enriquez, "Filipinos in Prostitution around U.S. Military Bases in Korea") * Officials from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration report that they estimate the number of Filipinos in the entertainment industry in Korea to be around 1,000, while those prostituted around the U.S. military bases to number 600. The officials attest that the women recruited are very young and mostly from Central Luzon, specifically the Pinatubo area. Currently, studies estimate that, 150,000 Filipinos are exploited in the entertainment industry of Japan. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Jean Enriquez, "Filipinos in Prostitution around U.S. Military Bases in Korea") * Every year, over 100,000 women, mostly Filipinos and Thais, are sexually exploited in the sex industry all over Japan. (Committee for a Safe Society, Matsui Yayori, Eliminating Trafficking in Asian Women, www.alternatives.com) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The Philippines is a source, transit, and, to a lesser degree, destination country for trafficked persons. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Young Filipina women and girls are trafficked to Japan and many other countries for the purposes of sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Many Filipino overseas contract workers are forced to work in substandard conditions or are subjected to abuse. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Mainland Chinese nationals are trafficked through the Philippines to worldwide destinations. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * A significant number of adults and children are trafficked domestically from poorer areas to urban centers for the commercial sex industry and domestic work. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * There were reports of girls from the Philippines being trafficked to Costa Rica to work in the sex industry. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Malaysian police believe that the overwhelming number of prostitutes in Malaysia are foreigners from Indonesia, the Philippines, Burma, Thailand, and China. These women often work as karaoke hostesses, guest relations, officers, and masseuses. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Traffickers lure people from China, the Philippines, Bangladesh and other nations to the Northern Mariana Islands, a United States territory promising lucrative work. Instead, many are forced into slave labour and prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing Laura Myers, "Sen Panel Hears of Marianas Abuses", AP Online, 31 March 1998) * Minors are trafficked to the U.S. from the Philippines for prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing William Branigan, "Human rights abuses found on US island", Washington Post, 30 March 1998) * Foreign women in 'call girl' prostitution in Italy are from Poland, Russia, Colombia and Argentina and to a lesser extent from Brazil, Hungary, Romania and the Philippines. (CATW Fact Book, citing Migrant Information Programme, "Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation to Italy", IOM, June 1996) * Philippine NGOs report that Filipino infants and children between 5 and 12 years are smuggled and sold in Europe and other countries. (Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Action, The Flesh Trade Report, 1995-1996) * Young girls are trafficked to Middle East as domestic labour. (Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Action, The Flesh Trade Report, 1995-1996) * Thai and Filipino girls are trafficked into Malaysia for prostitution. (Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Action, The Flesh Trade Report, 1995-1996) Poland ADULT STATISTICS * According to various reports, some 3,500 Bulgarian women are trafficked to Poland, thousands to the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, while others are trafficked to Germany, Belgium, Canada, Serbia-Montenegro, Romania, Hungary, TFYR Macedonia, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * 1,000 Ukrainian and Belarusan women are in prostitution in Poland. (CATW Factbook, citing Piotr Bazylko, "Poland, Ukraine to fight sex slave industry", Reuters,16 July 1998) * In 1993, 40% of the trafficked women assisted in Belgium by an NGO were mostly from Poland and Hungary. (CATW Fact Book, citing STV and Payoke, "The Growing Exploitation of Migrant Women from Central and Eastern Europe", IOM, May 1995) * Of the total 751 trafficking victims found from January 1994 to June 1995 in Austria, 60 were from Poland. (CATW Fact Book, citing IOM Report 1996) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Bulgaria is the largest single source of foreign women trafficked in Poland. There are also significant numbers of women from Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, and Latvia. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Recently there also have been reports of Roma women from Romania who are trafficked on Bulgarian documents. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Poland is a source, transit, and destination country for trafficking victims. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Polish women and girls are trafficked to western European countries such as Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Switzerland, for sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Victims from Eastern European countries, including Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania, Belarus, and Russia, are trafficked to Poland. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * 80% of trafficking victims in Germany come from eastern Europe and the countries of the former Soviet Union, primarily from Poland, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic. The other 20% of trafficking victims come from Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * In December 1997, a group of Armenians were caught in Belarus trafficking children to Brest under false pretenses; their destination was Poland. (CATW Fact Book, citing Noyan Tapan, "Criminal Group Trading Children Apprehended in Belarus", 10 December 1997) * Foreign women in 'call girl' prostitution in Italy are from Poland, Russia, Colombia and Argentina and to a lesser extent from Brazil, Hungary, Romania and the Philippines. (CATW Fact Book, citing Migrant Information Programme, "Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation to Italy", IOM, June 1996) * 20 years ago, Thailand was in the forefront as a sending country for trafficked women. Thailand has now become a destination country, receiving women from Russia, Yugoslavia, Poland, and the Czech and Slovak Republics, South America. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) Portugal - Qatar GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Qatar is a destination country for trafficked persons. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Boys are trafficked from Pakistan and Bangladesh to Qatar to work as camel jockeys. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Women from East Asia, South Asia, the former Soviet Union, and Africa travel to Qatar to work as domestics and have reported being forced into domestic servitude and sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Mauritanian slaves are sometimes exported to Sheiks in Qatar and the UAE. (American Anti-Slavery Group, Jesse Sage, e-mail to GMIS, 6 November 2000, citing Moctar Teyeb, Tikkun Magazine) * Anti-Slavery International received photographs taken in April 1997 in Qatar of young camel jockeys believed to have come from Sudan. (CWA, Anti-Slavery International – Urgent Action on Child Labour, "Child Camel Jockeys in the Gulf States", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 13, Nos. 2 & 3, April - September 1997) Romania NATIONAL STATISTICS * The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported that from January 2000 to June 2001, they assisted 279 victims of trafficking. Of these victims, 6 were 14 years of age or younger and 57 were between the ages of 15 and 17. Figures for 1999 were less than 10 victims. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2001, March 2002) * The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) office in the country reported that during the year about 141 women and girls were repatriated from sexual slavery by December, including 7 from Cambodia and 5 from Moldova. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * In 1998, the NGO Save the Children dealt with 101 cases of children, mostly Roma, being taken to Germany and Italy and being forced to work as beggars or petty thieves. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) ADULT STATISTICS * According to various reports, some 3,500 Bulgarian women are trafficked to Poland, thousands to the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, while others are trafficked to Germany, Belgium, Canada, Serbia-Montenegro, Romania, Hungary, TFYR Macedonia, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Romania is both a source and a transit country for trafficked women and girls. There is evidence that the problem is growing. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Romania is primarily a country of origin and transit for trafficking women to Turkey, Italy, Greece, and the Balkans for sexual exploitation. To a lesser extent, men are trafficked to Greece for agricultural labour. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * The Romanian NGO Sanse Egale Pentru Femei (Equal Opportunities for Women) reports that cases of trafficking in children rose from 8 in 1997 to 43 in 1999. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Albania is a major conduit for trafficked women from Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine. Criminal gangs recruit or coerce women to work as prostitutes abroad, most often in Italy and Greece. There are also reports that traffickers kidnap women for prostitution and that family members sell daughters, sisters, and wives to traffickers against their will. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Moldova is a source country for trafficking of women and girls. Women and girls reportedly are trafficked to Israel, Turkey, Italy and Greece through Romania, Serbia-Montenegro, and Albania. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Although previously Slovakia was primarily a source country, increasingly women from less prosperous eastern countries, including the Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, and Bulgaria, find themselves trafficked through and to Slovakia. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Some women from Russia and Ukraine reportedly are trafficked through Israel on their way to countries such as Turkey, Greece, Italy, Germany, and Serbia, where they are forced to work as prostitutes. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Homeless children in Romania have increasingly been trafficked under false pretenses and forced into prostitution in Berlin and Hamburg, Germany and Amsterdam, Holland. (CATW Fact Book, citing Save the Children, Albert Clack, "Romania: Life on the streets", 1998) * Trafficking in minors has become rampant since the 1989 anti-communist revolt. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Romania holds British child sex suspect", Reuters, 7 August 1997) * Trafficking in women from and to Romania is widespread. Recent cases suggest there are trafficking routes between Romania, Turkey, Cyprus, Hungary and Thailand. (CATW Fact Book, citing "International Workshop on Trafficking in Women in Central and Eastern Europe, Budapest", IOM, 4-5 October 1997) * Foreign women in 'call girl' prostitution in Italy are from Poland, Russia, Colombia and Argentina and to a lesser extent from Brazil, Hungary, Romania and the Philippines. (CATW Fact Book, citing Migrant Information Programme, "Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation to Italy", IOM, June 1996) * Of the total 751 trafficking victims found from January 1994 to June 1995 in Austria, 23 were from Romania. (CATW Fact Book, citing IOM Report 1996) * Since 1990, there has been a significant increase in the number of foreign prostitutes from Romania, Ukraine and Russia. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking and Prostitution: The Growing Exploitation of Migrant Women from Central and Eastern Europe", IOM, May 1995) Russian Federation NATIONAL STATISTICS * Reportedly 15,000 women and children were trafficked into "sex slavery" in China. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2001, March 2002) ADULT STATISTICS * Israeli authorities deported 1,500 Russian and Ukrainian women who had been trafficked there. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Russian females, supplied by prostitution rings in Pattaya and Bangkok, have become a common sight since 1994. Although no one knows their exact number, some estimate there are at least 20 in Pattaya and hundreds flying in and out upon orders given mostly by wealthy Thai men. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Pattaya: Murder, prostitution and tourists", Bangkok Post, 22 April 1998) * 100 Russian women, mostly from Sakhalin Island, were found in brothels in the US. (CATW Fact Book, citing William Branigan, "Human rights abuses found on US island", Washington Post, 30 March 1998) * To circumvent Japan's laws, which prohibit migrant women from working as prostitutes, traffickers have increasingly used 'entertainer' visas to transit women into the country. In 1995, of a total of 22,060 Russians who came to Japan, 4,763 entered as entertainers. In the last five years, entertainment visas have accounted for approximately 1 in 5 of all visas granted to Russians entering Japan. (Global Survival Network, Gillian Caldwell et al, Crime & Servitude, 1997) * Between 60 and 80% of the women trafficked into Germany come from Eastern Europe, Russia, and the Newly Independent States. (Global Survival Network, Gillian Caldwell et al, Crime & Servitude, 1997) * An estimated 15,000 Russian and Eastern women work in Germany's red-light districts alone. (Global Survival Network, Gillian Caldwell et al, Crime & Servitude, 1997) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * There is some evidence of trafficking for organs and body parts. In a much publicized case near Moscow, police set up an undercover operation which resulted in the arrest of a grandmother and uncle of an 8 year old boy, who had sold the child for $90,000 to persons who admitted they wanted the boy for sale of his body parts. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Russia is primarily a source country for women trafficked for prostitution to Western Europe, and to a lesser extent, the Middle East, North America, and North Asia. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Trafficking also occurs within Russia. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Albania is a major conduit for trafficked women from Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine. Criminal gangs recruit or coerce women to work as prostitutes abroad, most often in Italy and Greece. There are also reports that traffickers kidnap women for prostitution and that family members sell daughters, sisters, and wives to traffickers against their will. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Police cracked a network that was smuggling prostitutes from Russia, Moldova, Ukraine, and Romania via Albania to Italy. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Although previously Slovakia was primarily a source country, increasingly women from less prosperous eastern countries, including the Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, and Bulgaria, find themselves trafficked through and to Slovakia. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Some women from Russia and Ukraine reportedly are trafficked through Israel on their way to countries such as Turkey, Greece, Italy, Germany, and Serbia, where they are forced to work as prostitutes. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Malaysian police believe that a small number of Russian women work in prostitution in Malaysia. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Recently an increasing number of women trafficked to Switzerland come from Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, and other states of the former Soviet Union. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Russian and Chinese women were trafficked for the purpose of prostitution to the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, a U.S. Territory. (CATW Fact Book, citing William Branigan, "Human rights abuses found on US island", Washington Post, 30 March 1998) * 1,500 Russian and Ukrainian trafficked women have been deported from Israel during 1995-1997. (CATW Fact Book, citing Michael Specter, "Traffickers' New Cargo: Naïve Slavic Women", New York Times, 11 January 1998) * Turkey is a popular destination for trafficking from Ukraine and Russia. (CATW Fact Book, citing Vladmir Isachenkov, "Soviet Women Slavery Flourishes", AP, 6 November 1997) * Prostitutes in Togo are now commonly referred to as 'Natashas' because so many come from Russia. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Invisible' Women Shown In Russia's Demographics", Martina Vandenberg, St. Petersburg Times, 13 October 1997) * Hungary is a destination, sourcing and transit country for trafficking in women. One third of the women in prostitution in Hungary are from Ukraine, Romania and Russia. Most women are in 'closed doors prostitution". (CATW Fact Book, citing Dr. Borai, "International Workshop on Trafficking in Women in Central and Eastern Europe", IOM, 4-5 October 1997) * Japan, Netherlands, Germany, Yugoslavia and Macau are some destinations of trafficked women from Ukraine and Russia. (CATW Fact Book, citing Vladmir Isachenkov, "Soviet Women Slavery Flourishes", AP, 6 November 1997, citing Global Survival Network) * The Federal Ministry for Foreigners (Bundesamt für Auslander-fragen) of Switzerland notes that the number of Russian women coming on dancer's visa is increasing. This has become a primary instrument used by traffickers to move women into the country legally. (Global Survival Network, Gillian Caldwell et al, Crime & Servitude, 1997) * GSN identified several clubs in Macau where Russian women are employed as prostitutes. (Global Survival Network, Gillian Caldwell et al, Crime & Servitude, 1997) * NGOs, such as Children of the Night and Promise in California and the Paul & Lisa Program in New York City, have reported that they encounter rising numbers of women working in the U.S. sex industry who are from Russia, the Newly Independent States, and Eastern Europe. (Global Survival Network, Gillian Caldwell et al, Crime & Servitude, 1997) * Foreign women in 'call girl' prostitution in Italy are from Poland, Russia, Colombia and Argentina and to a lesser extent from Brazil, Hungary, Romania and the Philippines. (CATW Fact Book, citing Migrant Information Programme, "Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation to Italy", IOM, June 1996) * Of the total 751 trafficking victims found from January 1994 to June 1995 in Austria, 43 were from Russia. (CATW Fact Book, citing IOM Report 1996) * 20 years ago, Thailand was in the forefront as a sending country for trafficked women. Thailand has now become a destination country, receiving women from Russia, Yugoslavia, Poland, and the Czech and Slovak Republics, South America. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) * Since 1990, there has been a significant increase in the number of foreign prostitutes from Romania, Ukraine and Russia. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking and Prostitution: The Growing Exploitation of Migrant Women from Central and Eastern Europe", IOM, May 1995) * In 1994, police in Helsinki, Finland reported a sharp increase in the inflow of prostitutes from Russia and the Baltic States. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking of Women to the European Union", European Conference on Trafficking in Women, June 1996) Rwanda - Saint Kitts and Nevis - Saint Lucia - Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - Samoa - San Marino - Sao Tome and Principe - Saudi Arabia NATIONAL STATISTICS * An estimated 1,000 to 1,500 Indian children are smuggled out every year to Saudi Arabia for begging during the Haj season. From Murshidabad alone, some 400 children accompanied by their chachas leave every year, and not all of them return home again. ("How to earn big bucks: Rent a child to Chacha", The Asian Age, 16 March 1997, cited in Child Workers in Asia, April-September 1997) LOCAL STATISTICS * There are five child trading rings in and around Murshidabad in West Bengal, which operate by trafficking children to Mecca, says local police. (Swati Bhattacharjee, "New Measures Needed to Tackle Child Trafficking", Child Newsline, May 1997) * 2,000 Indian children have been trafficked to Mecca over the last 3 years. ("Child Smuggling Racket Continues to Thrive") GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Workers from Bangladesh, Thailand, India, the Philippines, Indonesia, and the Horn of Africa have reportedly being forced into domestic servitude and sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Saudi Arabia is a destination country for trafficked persons. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Trafficking in children for forced begging persists. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * There were unconfirmed reports that women were trafficked into the country to work as prostitutes. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Criminal rings consisting almost exclusively of foreigners bought and imported South Asian children for the purpose of forced begging. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Some government officials believe that some Indonesian women are trafficked as prostitutes to Saudi Arabia. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * In past years, there has been anecdotal evidence that citizens of Kenya were trafficked to Saudi Arabia under the guise of employment opportunities. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Nepalese, Bangladeshi and Pakistani women are trafficked to India, and through India they are trafficked to Eastern Europe and Saudi Arabia. (CATW Fact Book, citing Meena Oudel, Oxfam Nepal, 18 March 1998) * In mid-1997, hundreds of Indonesian women, most under 20 years old, were in prostitution in Saudi Arabia. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Hundreds of RI's Women Believed To Work As Prostitutes in Saudi Arabia", Kompas, 7 February 1997, citing Indonesia's Minister for Women's Affairs) Senegal GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * A report on the trafficking of children in West and Central Africa states that children are being trafficked to and from Senegal to neighbouring countries to work as domestics. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * According to UNICEF Gambia, young girls from Senegal go to Gambia for sex work during the peak tourist season. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) Seychelles - Sierra Leone NATIONAL STATISTICS * More than 3,000 children and 570 adults were reported as missing following the January offensive. Hundreds more were abducted as they moved through the villages around Masiaka. The abductees were often subjected to hard labour, forcibly recruited into the military, and compelled to become sexual partners to male combatants. (Human Rights Watch, Country Reports, 2000) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Internal trafficking in persons takes place in Sierra Leone. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels abduct and hold men, women, and children against their will for the purpose of forced labour, forced military conscription, and sexual servitude. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * There is no concrete research or information on child trafficking in the country, however, reports indicate that the trafficking of children takes place mainly between Sierra Leone and neighbouring countries like Guinea and Liberia. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * There are reports that children are trafficked to Senegal, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Lebanon, Costa Rica and sometimes Europe. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * A local NGO in Guinea "Groupe Guineén Contre la Violence Sexuelle" reported that refugee women and children from neighbouring Sierra Leone and Liberia are being sexually exploited. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) Singapore GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * There is evidence that the country is a destination for trafficking in women for the purpose of prostitution, primarily from Thailand and Malaysia. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Singapore is a destination country for women who are trafficked for sexual exploitation, principally from India but also from Thailand, China, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Indian, Bangladeshi, and Filipino men and women often face coercive employment situations in indentured servitude due to contracts entered into abroad. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Thousands of girls from China's southern part are trafficked into Thailand's sex industry; some go on to Malaysia or Singapore. (CATW Fact Book, citing Supalak Ganjanakhundee, "Migrant workers booming as Asian economy declines", Kyodo News, 23 September 1998) * Korea ranks 7th in terms of destination of deployed overseas Filipinos workers, closely following Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and Japan. Illegal recruitment allegedly for work abroad, have historically been exploited to bring women into prostitution or other forms of sexual exploitation in foreign lands. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Jean Enriquez, "Filipinos in Prostitution around U.S. Military Bases in Korea") * Malaysia is a receiving country for trafficked women from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, China, India, Taiwan, Singapore, Burma, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Laos. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) Slovakia NATIONAL STATISTICS * Some NGO's estimate that 1,500 to 2,000 girls and young women are trafficked abroad into prostitution each year. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2001, March 2002) ADULT STATISTICS * Of the total 751 trafficking victims found from January 1994 to June 1995 in Austria, 112 were from Slovakia. (CATW Fact Book, citing IOM Report 1996) * The reported numbers of women in a trafficking situation totaled 2 cases in 1992, 8 cases in 1993, and 10 women in 1994, but knowledge of criminal activity shows that these are small fractions of the reality. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Highway to prostitution", The Euroreporter, 1995) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Some women from Russia and Ukraine reportedly are trafficked through the Slovak Republic on their way to countries such as Turkey, Greece, Italy, Germany, and Serbia, where they are forced to work as prostitutes. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * A report issued by the Ministry of Interior states that the Slovak Republic is a transit country for persons being trafficked mainly to Austria, the Czech Republic, and Germany for the purpose of forced prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001 citing Ministry of Interior) * There were also reports of Slovak women being trafficked to Western Europe with promises of work as models, waitresses, and au pairs. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * According to a report on trafficking in women issued in March 1999, women from the Slovak Republic work in Sweden as prostitutes. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001 citing a report by Swedish National Criminal Investigation Department) * Although previously Slovakia was primarily a source country increasingly women from less prosperous eastern countries, (including the Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, and Bulgaria) find themselves trafficked through and to Slovakia. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Some women from Russia and Ukraine reportedly are trafficked through Israel on their way to countries such as Turkey, Greece, Italy, Germany, and Serbia, where they are forced to work as prostitutes. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * 20 years ago, Thailand was in the forefront as a sending country for trafficked women. Thailand has now become a destination country, receiving women from Russia, Yugoslavia, Poland, and the Czech and Slovak Republics, South America. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) * In Slovakia and the Czech Republic the growing organised crime networks have engaged in the trafficking of young women into Western Europe, especially to Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Greece. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Highway to prostitution", The Euroreporter, 1995)   Slovenia ADULT STATISTICS * Of the total 751 trafficking victims found from January 1994 to June 1995 in Austria, 7 were from Slovenia. (CATW Fact Book, citing IOM Report 1996) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * In 1999 there were 46 criminal indictment for trafficking. A total of 16 cases went to trial; the courts sentenced one person to 6 months and another to 1 year in prison. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Slovenia is a transit and destination country for trafficking; most victims are women trafficked into sexual exploitation from Ukraine, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Moldova, Russia, Romania, and Bulgaria through Slovenia to Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * In 2000 the Government apprehended a suspected organised-crime boss whose alleged crimes included trafficking in persons. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) Solomon Islands - Somalia GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The pre-1991 Penal Code prohibits trafficking; however, there were some reports of trafficking during the year. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * In July Djibouti law enforcement authorities arrested members of a group that was smuggling Somali women to such destinations as Lebanon and Syria to work in brothels. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * The number of women being trafficked from Somalia appears to be small. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * There were reports that trafficking in children for forced labour is a serious problem. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) South Africa GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * South Africa is a destination country for trafficked persons. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * South Africa is a well-established destination and transit point for trafficking in women and children for sexual purposes. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * The research conducted by Molo Songololo on "The Trafficking of Children for the Purposes of Sexual Exploitation" South Africa reveal some disturbing findings about how children are kidnapped and trafficked within and across South African borders for commercial sexual purposes. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Children are trafficked to the United Kingdom and other European countries. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Children from other countries such as Thailand, Eastern Europe, and China are being brought to South Africa and sold into sex slavery by criminal gangs from these countries. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * South Africa is also a transit point for trafficking operations between developing countries and Europe, the United States, and Canada. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * The country is a destination point for the trafficking of persons from Mozambique, Thailand, and other countries. In August there were reports that women and girls from neighbouring countries, particularly Mozambique, were lured into South Africa by Nigerian and other organised crime syndicates based in the country with the promise of jobs and decent wages, and then held as near-slaves on farms and other enterprises. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Women from Thailand, a few from Cambodia and China, were being smuggled into the country for prostitution by Chinese and South African organised crime syndicates. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Spain GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Spain is a destination and transit country for trafficked women. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Trafficking is almost exclusively for the purpose of sexual exploitation, although there is also trafficking for forced labour in agriculture and sweatshops. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Trafficking victims come from the Western Hemisphere (including Colombia, the Dominican Republic, and Brazil), Sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria, Guinea, and Sierra Leone), northern Africa and Eastern Europe. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * In 2000 police arrested over a thousand individuals involved in some aspect of trafficking in persons or migrant smuggling. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * The Directorate of Migration estimates that there are approximately 400 rings of alien smugglers and purveyors of false document operating within the Dominican Republic. These individuals profit by facilitating the trafficking of women to Spain, Netherlands, and Argentina under false pretenses, for purposes of prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) issued a report on trafficking of persons in September, and stated that women and girls from Colombia are trafficked to North America and Western Europe. There were also reports of women trafficked to Japan and Spain in increasing numbers, in recent years. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Women, aged 18-24, from Venezuela are being trafficked under false pretenses for prostitution in highway massage parlours and similar fronts for brothels in Spain. (CATW Fact Book, citing Patrick J. O'Donoghue, "Venezuelan Sex-Slaves Sold in Trade-Offs", Vheadline, 18 November 1997) * Prostitution trade networks provide Colombian women for the markets in Spain, Britain, Germany, Belgium and the United States. (CATW Fact Book, citing Gustavo Capdevila, IPS, 2 April 1997, citing Radhika Coomaraswamy, UN Special Report on Violence Against Women) * The main concentrations of prostituted Dominican women working abroad are in Austria, Curacao, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Italy, the Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico, Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela and the West Indies. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking in Women from the Dominican Republic for Sexual Exploitation", IOM, June 1996) Sri Lanka NATIONAL STATISTICS * 10,000 to 12,000 children from rural areas are trafficked and prostituted to paedophiles by organised crime groups. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Sri Lankan children for sale on the Internet", Julian West, New Delhi, London Telegraph, 26 October 1997) ADULT STATISTICS * Majority of the 170,000 female Sri Lankans who are currently working in Lebanon are shamefully exploited. (Marie Odile and Xavier Favre, "The Beirut slave trade", Le Monde diplomatique, June 1998) * 80% of labour migration in 1994 was of women workers. Job trainees in Korea and Japan have disappeared into underground exploitation, such as prostitution. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Children are trafficked to Middle East for camel-jockeying. (ILO-IPEC, Country Paper: Sri Lanka, September 1999) * Reports indicate trafficking of children into Pakistan from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. (US Dept of Labor, Prostitution of Children, 1996) * Malaysia is a receiving country for trafficked women from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, China, India, Taiwan, Singapore, Burma, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Laos. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) * Ethnic conflicts have left many children displaced and abandoned and consequently easy prey for 'job placement agents' who pick them up on the streets in villages or even from within the refugee camps and then sell them into employment, most commonly for domestic work. (UNICEF Innocenti Digest on Child Domestic Work, May 1999, citing ILO, Children in Domestic Service in Sri Lanka, 1993) Sudan GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Sudan is a both a destination country for trafficked persons and a country in which internal trafficking in persons is widespread. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Internal trafficking in Sudan generally is initiated by government-affiliated militias or raiders as part of a strategy against the rebel forces of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA). (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * A Ugandan rebel group, has kidnapped Ugandan children, taken them to southern Sudan, and forced them to become soldiers or sex slaves. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * In Sudan In May 1998, the Government formed the Committee for the Eradication of the Abduction of Women and Children (CEAWAC). CEWAC oversees traditional chiefs who attempt to identify and locate abducted individuals. Since the creation of CEAWAC, about 340 abducted individuals have been returned to their homes. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * There have been reports of trafficking in persons. Libyans have been implicated in the purchase of Sudanese slaves, mainly southern Sudanese women and children, who were captured by Sudanese government troops in the ongoing civil war in Sudan. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Trafficking in humans has resurged along with civil war in Sudan. Young women and children are considered the most profitable war bounty. (CATW Fact Book, citing Christian Solidarity International, Karin Davies, "Slave Trade Thrives in Sudan", AP, 7 February 1998) * Children from Uganda are sold as slaves in Sudan. (EI, EI Barometer on Human and Trade Union Rights in the Education Sector, 1998) * In 1997, there was evidence of children being trafficked to the Gulf from Eritrea and Sudan. Anti-Slavery International received photographs taken in April 1997 in Qatar of young camel jockeys believed to have come from Sudan. (CWA, Anti-Slavery International – Urgent Action on Child Labour,"Child Camel Jockeys in the Gulf States", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 13, Nos. 2 & 3, April - September 1997) * Cases of abduction, sale or traffic of children reported. (UN Special Rapporteur, Mr. Gáspár Bíró, Situation of human rights in the Sudan, 1994) Suriname GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATION * There were credible reports of trafficking in women and girls for prostitution. Women and girls from the interior are brought to the capital city and also to various gold mining locations in the interior. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Several clubs in the capital are known for recruiting women from Brazil and the Caribbean. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Alien smuggling organisations use the country as an intermediate destination to smuggle Chinese nationals, including women and girls, to the United States, where frequently they are forced into bonded labour situations. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Swaziland GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The law does not prohibit trafficking in persons, although there are laws prohibiting procurement, including by coercion and within and across borders, for the purposes of prostitution, and, unlike in the previous year, there were no reports that women and children were trafficked for sexual exploitation during the year. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * The law does not prohibit trafficking in persons, and, although not well-documented, there were reports from Mozambique that persons, specifically women and children, were trafficked to Swaziland. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Sweden ADULT STATISTICS * Police officials estimate that approximately 200 to 500 women were trafficked into Sweden, primarily from neighbouring countries, during 2000. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Sweden is a destination country for trafficked women from the Baltic states and Central and Eastern Europe, with a few cases from Cuba and Colombia, for purposes of sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Women are trafficked to the country for forced prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Sweden is used as a transit country for trafficking Latin American women to brothels in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking of Women to the European Union", European Conference on Trafficking in Women, June 1996) Switzerland ADULT STATISTICS * There are 700 Thai women in prostitution in Bern, Switzerland, who make-up a large portion of the total number of prostitutes. (CATW Fact Book, citing Srisamorn Thoy, Xenia, Mukadawan Sakboon, "Thai sex workers hit by recession in Switzerland", The Nation, 5 May 1997) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * According to press reports, police officials are concerned over a growing number of foreign women subject to abuse in sex trafficking rings. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * In the past, victims came from Thailand, parts of Africa, or South America; recently an increasing number of women come from Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, and other states of the former Soviet Union. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * The main concentrations of prostituted Dominican women working abroad are in Austria, Curacao, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Italy, the Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico, Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela and the West Indies. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking in Women From the Dominican Republic for Sexual Exploitation", IOM, June 1996) Syria - Tajikistan GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * It is believed that, due to the large number of female Afghan refugees, Afghan women may be the subjects of trafficking abroad using Tajikistan as the transit country. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) Tanzania GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The law does not prohibit trafficking, and in previous years there were unconfirmed reports that children were trafficked away from their families to work in mines and other business entities; however, there were no such reports during the year. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Although no studies have been made so far on the problem of child trafficking in Tanzania, the practice of trafficking children for domestic work is very common. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * According to local and international NGOs, many rural children are tricked out of their homes by stories about the luxurious lifestyle in the cities. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * There are reports in the media that children are trafficked to Mauritius, USA, and UK. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Children reportedly are trafficked to work in mines and other businesses. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) TFYR Macedonia NATIONAL STATISTICS * The Ministry of Interior estimated that there are approximately 2,000 victims of trafficking in Macedonia at any given time, and that between 8,000 and 18,000 women and girls are trafficked to or through the country per year. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2001, March 2002) * 45 children from 26 countries were trafficked to Belgium during 1998. The highest number of children, i.e. 8, were from Macedonia. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The country is a source, transit, and destination point for trafficking in persons. Women are trafficked through the country on their way to West European countries, especially Italy. There are no reliable estimates of the number of victims of trafficking in the country. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Trafficking in women and girls for prostitution and pornography is a problem. Traffickers have recruited women especially from Bulgaria, Russia, and Ukraine, to work as prostitutes in several towns. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Trafficking in women for prostitution in Greece has increased sharply in recent years. While the government is stiffening its border controls, in part because of the EU Schengen agreement, there are figures suggesting that many women are brought into the country from neighbouring Bulgaria, Albania, or The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The victims of this practice are often minors. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Women are trafficked through Israel on their way to West European countries, especially Italy. There are no reliable estimates of the number of victims of trafficking in the country. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Recent reports from the refugee camps of Kosovars in Macedonia tell of the frequent disappearances of young women and girls from the camps. It appears that these girls are being trafficked for sexual purposes to Western Europe by criminal gangs. (ECPAT International, A Step Forward, 1999) Thailand NATIONAL STATISTICS * According to domestic NGOs, girls between the ages of 12 and 18 are trafficked from Burma, southern China, and Laos to work in the commercial sex industry. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Of 1,062 child beggars in 1999, 80 were Thai and 982 were foreign. (ILO-IPEC, Children in Prostitution, Pornography and Illicit Activities, September 1999) * 500 Cambodian children work for gangs in Thailand. (ILO-IPEC, Trafficking in Children and Women, 1999) * Estimates of children who were sold for sex range from 100,000 (UNICEF) to 800,000. (June Kane, Sold for Sex, Aren Ashgate Publising Limited Gower House, 1998, citing CPCR) * 90,000 women, girls and boys are in prostitution. ("Study Probes Thai Child Prostitution", UPI, 28 July 1998, citing IPSR) * 500 children trafficked from Cambodia to Thailand for begging. (ILO-IPEC, Trafficking in children for labour exploitation in Mekong Sub-region, July 1998) * There are an estimated 16,423 foreign prostitutes in Thailand, 30% of them are under 18 years. (ILO-IPEC, Combating Trafficking in Children for Labour Exploitation in the Mekong Sub-region, October 1998) * 12,000-18,000 children including 5,510 foreigners are in prostitution. ("Study Probes Thai Child Prostitution", UPI, 28 July 1998, citing IPSR) * The number of Burmese women and girls travelling to Thailand through Mae Sai to enter the sex industry is increasing. 60% of them are under 18 years of age. (CATW Fact Book, citing Aphaluck Bhatiasevi, "Influx of Burmese sex workers", Bangkok Post, 2 June 1997) * Thai officials estimate that there are 20,000 women and girls trafficked from Burma into Thai brothels with 10,000 more imported each year; 10,000 women and girls from the former Soviet Union; and 5,000 women and girls from China. (CATW, Dorchen Leidholdt, Sex Industry Survivor and Coalition address United Nations General Assembly, Coalition Report, Vol. 4, No. 1, 1997) * There are at least 50,000 Burmese girls and women working in Thailand as prostitutes at any one time. (ECPAT, Report Cites Burma's Child Rights Abuses, Bulletin, Vol. 4/1, 1996-97) * In 1996, there were almost 200,000 foreign children from Burma, Laos and Cambodia who had been trafficked in to Thailand for prostitution and work at construction sites and sweatshops. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking of children on the rise", Bangkok Post, 22 July 1998, citing IPSR) * 4,000 Thai boys are sold or abducted every year and shipped to Malaysia. (Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Action, The Flesh Trade Report, 1995-1996) * 80,000 women and children have been trafficked to Thailand for prostitution, since 1990. The highest numbers are from Burma, followed by Yunnan province of China and Laos. (ILO-IPEC, Combating Trafficking in Children for Labour Exploitation in the Mekong Sub-region, October 1998) ADULT STATISTICS * Many NGOs and government departments use a figure of 200,000 persons trafficked, which is considered a credible estimate. This figure includes children under age 18 and foreigners. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * There are more than 150,000 foreign women in prostitution in Japan, 40% are Thai. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Newsletter, Winter 1998) * The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, estimated that 1 million women of various nationalities have been trafficked into Thailand. (CWA, Ahmad Saufian, Pusat Kajian Perlindungan Anak, "Child Labour in Jermals", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 15, No. 2, May - August 1999) * Women from Burma's Shan state and China's southern province of Yunnan constitute 16% of the 77,000 women in the sex industry in Thailand. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Academic urges action in war against flesh trade", The Nation, 28 May 1997, citing IPSR, Kritaya Archavanitkul, The Passage of Women in Neighbouring Countries Into the Sex Trade in Thailand) * 10,000 are trafficked annually from Burma to Thailand. (World Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation, August 1996) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Much of the cross border trafficking in South East Asia involves Thailand. It is a substantial receiver country as well as a transit and sender country. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Thailand is a destination, source, and transit country for trafficked persons. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Victims are primarily young women and girls who are trafficked for sexual exploitation, although a significant number of men and women are trafficked for farm, industrial and domestic labour. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * The trafficking is both international and domestic. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Persons from Burma, Cambodia, and Laos are the primary trafficked persons to Thailand. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Within the country, trafficking is chiefly from the poor North and Northeast regions to Bangkok. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Women are trafficked internationally to Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Europe, and the United States, chiefly for sexual exploitation and, to a lesser degree, sweatshop labour. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Increasing children found begging have come to Thailand from countries like Cambodia, Burma and Bangladesh. These children are usually between 6-10 years who either travelled to Thailand on their own or were brought by beggar gangs and agents. (ILO-IPEC, Children in Prostitution, Pornography and Illicit Activities, September 1999) * Organised criminal gangs recruiting and even kidnapping children from neighbouring countries and trafficking them to beg for them in Thailand. (ILO-IPEC, Children in Prostitution, Pornography and Illicit Activities, September 1999) * Many Thai girls, some in their early teens, have been reported at various times working in brothels in Sydney, Australia. An investigation is underway into a gang trafficking Southeast Asian girls to North America and Australia. ("Survival the name of the game", Bangkok Post, 3 July 1998) * Thai girls as young as 18 years old were forced to work in brothels in Auckland. ("Police raid parlor using Thai prostitutes", New Zealand Herald, 6 April 1999) * Women from Thailand, and a few from Cambodia and China, were being smuggled into South Africa for prostitution by Chinese and South African organised crime syndicates. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * In the past, victims of trafficking in India came from Thailand, parts of Africa, or South America ; recently an increasing number of women come from Hungary, Russia, Ukraine, and other states of the former Soviet Union. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Malaysian police believe that the overwhelming number of prostitutes in Malaysia are foreigners from Indonesia, the Philippines, Burma, Thailand, and China. These women often work as karaoke hostesses, guest relations officers, and masseuses. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Thai girls are found to be working as prostitutes in Western African countries such as Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Benin, Nigeria and Senegal. ("Thai girls lured to sex trade in Africa", Bangkok Post, 24 August 1998) * Experts fear a resurgence of commercial sexual exploitation, child prostitution and human trafficking across the region, because of Thailand's economic meltdown. ("Survival the name of the game", Bangkok Post, 3 July 1998) * Trafficked children were also found on construction sites and in sweatshops. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking of children on the rise", Bangkok Post, 22 July 1998, citing IPSR) * Thousands of girls from China's southern parts are trafficked into Thailand's sex industry; some go on to Malaysia or Singapore. (CATW Fact Book, citing Supalak Ganjanakhundee, "Migrant workers booming as Asian economy declines", Kyodo News, 23 September 1998) * Pattaya has a multi-billion dollar multinational sex industry with links to drug trafficking, money laundering and an expanding regional cross-border traffic in women. (CATW Fact Book, citing Mark Baker, "Sin city can't shake vice's grip", Sydney Morning Herald, 17 May 1997) * Large numbers of women and children from neighbouring countries are lured into prostitution and trafficked through the four Thai borders: Chiang Rai, Ranong and Mae Hong Son at the Burmese border, Trat and Sa Kaew at the Cambodia border, Mukdahan and Nong Khai at the Lao border and Yala and Narathiwat at the Malaysian border. (Wanlop Phloytaptim and Sirinya Wattanasukchai, "Flesh trade shrugs off new risks", The Nation, 1 May 1997) * A 1996 study, conducted at 40 commercial venues in Bangkok, Kulachada and Chaipipat, found trafficking women and children from the Mekong countries - China, Burma, Laos and Cambodia to be increasing. The largest groups of newly trafficked women into the sex industry are from Burma's Shan state, and minority women from the Northwest border areas. ("New law targets human trafficking", The Nation, 30 November 1997) * In 1996, foreign women made up the majority of prostitutes in 40 sex establishments in 18 border provinces that are brothels masquerading as karaoke bars, restaurants and traditional massage parlours. In some venues, there are no Thai women at all. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Academic urges action in war against flesh trade", The Nation, 28 May 1997, citing IPSR, Kritaya Archavanitkul, The Passage of Women in Neighbouring Countries Into the Sex Trade in Thailand) * The high proportion of child victims of prostitution in Thailand is aggravated by the arrival of children lured and trafficked from Cambodia, China, Laos, and Burma. (US Dept of Labor, Prostitution of Children, 1996) * The internal traffic of Thai females consists mostly of 12-16-year-olds from hill tribes of the north/northeast. Most of the internally trafficked girls are sent to closed brothels, which operate under prison-like conditions. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) * 20 years ago, Thailand was in the forefront as a sending country for trafficked women. Thailand has now become a destination country, receiving women from Russia, Yugoslavia, Poland, and the Czech and Slovak Republics, South America. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) Togo NATIONAL STATISTICS * According to the Government, in early March, approximately 700 children drowned in two separate incidents, when the boats trafficking them from Nigeria to Gabon capsized. At least half of the children were Togolese; five Togolese children survived and were repatriated. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2001, March 2002) * It is estimated that more than 100 girls mostly between ages of 10 and 15 are smuggled from Nigeria via Togo to Europe. (Paul Ohia, "Human Smugglers Arrested in Togo", African News Services, 10 July 2000, reprinted in Stop Trafficking Archive, July 2000) * 500 children are trafficked from Togo to Ghana. (Childline) * For the single month of January 1998, a total number of 199 Togolese were brought back and returned to their legitimate parents. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Child Peddling Serious Problem in Togo and Benin", All Africa News Agency, 23 March 1998) * Local NGOs estimate that more than 700 children of both sexes were recaptured on the Benin- Togo borders and the Benin-Nigerian borders during 1997 and returned afterwards to their families. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Child Peddling Serious Problem in Togo and Benin", All Africa News Agency, 23 March 1998) ADULT STATISTICS * Reportedly as many as 8,000 women were trafficked from Russia, Ukraine, and other former Soviet Republics for work in the sex industry in the country by year's end. This figure represents a substantial increase from 1999. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Young girls from Nigeria, Benin and Ghana are also trafficked to Togo for commercial sex work. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * According to the Department for the Promotion and Protection of the Family and Child, there is a growing number of young Filipino girls who, according to unconfirmed reports are being brought into the country for commercial sex work, specifically for the rich Lebanese business community. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Togo is a source and transit country for trafficked persons, primarily children. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Togolese citizens are trafficked to Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Nigeria, the Middle East (specifically Saudi Arabia and Kuwait), and Europe (primarily France and Germany) for indentured or domestic servitude, farm labour, and sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * The government of Togo admits that trafficking in children is a real problem which is of concern. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * A study has shown that children are trafficked from Togo to Gabon, Nigeria, the Cote d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso and also on occasion to countries in Europe for use as domestic servants, market traders, child beggars and prostitutes. (WAO-Afrique, Child Trafficking in West and Central Africa, submission to the UN Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, June 1999) * Police intercepted children, some as young as eight years old, being trafficked from Togo to Gabon. (Child Trafficking in West and Central Africa, submission to the UN Working Group on Contemporary Forms of Slavery, June 1999) * Prostitutes are now commonly referred to as "Natashas" because so many come from Russia. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Invisible' Women Shown In Russia's Demographics", Martina Vandenberg, St. Petersburg Times, 13 October 1997) Tonga - Trinidad and Tobago - Tunisia - Turkey ADULT STATISTICS * Arrests (and in most cases, deportations) of nationals from Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine rose from 6,700 in 1998 to approximately 11,000 in 1999, according to IOM. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * According to the Turkish National Police, 232 Moldovan, 293 Romanian, and 175 Ukrainian women were extradited in 2000. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Turkey is a destination and transit country for trafficking of persons. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Women and girls, mostly from Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, are trafficked to or through Turkey. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * According to government statistics, the authorities arrested 850 members of organised gangs for trafficking during 2000. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * The International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and domestic NGO's stated that most trafficked women in the country are from Albania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * Reportedly there is almost no trafficking in Turkish women or girls. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * There were no reports of trafficking in children for the purpose of forced labour; legislation in this area addresses the issue. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2000, February 2001) * There is a growing problem with trafficking in women and girls from Kyrgystan, mostly to Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, for the purpose of forced prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Turkey is a major destination and transit country for trafficking in women and girls for the purpose of forced prostitution. IOM and domestic NGO's stated that most trafficked women in the country are from Albania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Women and girls in Uzbekistan are trafficked particularly to the Persian Gulf and Turkey. Anecdotal reports from NGOs indicate that the number of young women forced into prostitution abroad is growing. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Turkey is one the most popular destinations in Europe for trafficked women from Ukraine and Russia. (CATW Fact Book, citing Vladmir Isachenkov, "Soviet Women Slavery Flourishes", AP, 6 November 1997) Turkmenistan - Tuvalu - Uganda NATIONAL STATISTICS * During the past 10 years, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has kidnapped an estimated 5,100 Ugandan, Congolese, and Sudanese children, taken them to southern Sudan, and forced them to become soldiers, labour and sex slaves. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Between November 2000 and January 2001, the Ugandan People's Defence Force (UPDF), rescued and repatriated 121 child abductees who had escaped from the LRA. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Uganda is a source country for trafficked persons, primarily women and children. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Children from Uganda are sold as slaves in Sudan. (EI, EI Barometer on Human and Trade Union Rights in the Education Sector, 1998) Ukraine ADULT STATISTICS * Russian-speaking organised crime syndicates are active in trafficking women primarily from Ukraine and other countries of the former Soviet Union to the European Union via Hungary. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Israeli authorities deported 1,500 Russian and Ukrainian women who had been trafficked there. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Turkey is a major destination and transit country for trafficking in women and girls for the purpose of forced prostitution. IOM and domestic NGO's stated that most trafficked women in the country are from Albania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, and Ukraine. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * 500,000 Ukrainian women have been trafficked under false pretenses to the West since 1991. At least 100,000 have been trapped and enslaved in the sex industry. (CATW Fact Book, citing Chris Bird, "100,000 Ukrainians slaves of West's sex industry", Reuters, 6 July 1998, citing Steve Cook of the IOM) * More than 100,000 Ukrainian women, many of them minors, have been trapped and enslaved as prostitutes in the West. (CATW Fact Book, citing Piotr Bazylko, "Poland, Ukraine to fight sex slave industry", Reuters, 16 July 1998, citing IOM) * As many as 400,000 women under age 30 have been trafficked in the past decade. (CATW Fact Book, citing Michael Specter, "Traffickers' New Cargo: Naïve Slavic Women", New York Times, 11 January 1998, citing the Ukraine Interior Ministry) * Hungary is a destination, sourcing and transit country for trafficking in women. One third of the women in prostitution in Hungary are from Ukraine, Romania and Russia. Most women are in "closed doors prostitution." (CATW Fact Book, citing Dr. Borai, "International Workshop on Trafficking in Women in Central and Eastern Europe", IOM, 4-5 October 1997) * Of the total 751 trafficking victims found from January 1994 to June 1995 in Austria,12 were from Ukraine. (CATW Fact Book, citing IOM Report 1996) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Ukraine is a major source and transit country for women and girls trafficked abroad for the purposes of sexual exploitation. The women primarily are trafficked into Central and Western Europe, the United States, and the Middle East. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Albania is a major conduit for trafficked women from Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine. Criminal gangs recruit or coerce women to work as prostitutes abroad, most often in Italy and Greece. There are also reports that traffickers kidnap women for prostitution and that family members sell daughters, sisters, and wives to traffickers against their will. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) *Albanian police cracked a network that was smuggling prostitutes from Russia, Moldova, Ukraine, and Romania via Albania to Italy. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * The country is a major source of women and girls trafficked to Central and Western Europe and the Middle East for sexual exploitation. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * 80% of trafficking victims in Germany come from Eastern Europe and the countries of the former Soviet Union, primarily from Poland, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic. The other 20% of trafficking victims come from Southeast Asia, Africa, and Latin America. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Although previously Slovakia was primarily a source country, increasingly women from less prosperous eastern countries, including the Russian Federation, Belarus, Ukraine, Romania, and Bulgaria, find themselves trafficked through and to Slovakia. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Ukraine is currently one of the largest exporters of women to the international sex industry. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Ukraine Film Warns of Forcible Prostitution Abroad", Russia Today, 1 July 1998) * 1,500 Russian and Ukrainian trafficked women have been deported from Israel during 1995-1997. (CATW Fact Book, citing Michael Specter, "Traffickers' New Cargo: Naïve Slavic Women", New York Times, 11 January 1998) * Japan, Netherlands, Macau, Yugoslavia and Germany are some destinations of trafficked women from Ukraine and Russia. (CATW Fact Book, citing Global Survival Network, Vladmir Isachenkov, "Soviet Women Slavery Flourishes", AP, 6 November 1997) * Turkey is one the most popular destinations in Europe for trafficked women from Ukraine and Russia. (CATW Fact Book, citing Vladmir Isachenkov, "Soviet Women Slavery Flourishes", AP, 6 November 1997) United Arab Emirates NATIONAL STATISTICS * 19,000 Pakistani children have been trafficked to the United Arab Emirates. (CATW Fact Book, citing SANLAAP India, Indrani Sinha, "Paper on Globalization & Human Rights") GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * UAE is a destination country for trafficked persons. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Boys are trafficked from Pakistan and Bangladesh for use as camel jockeys in UAE's camel racing industry. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Women are trafficked from the New Independent States, Africa, Iran, and Eastern Europe for sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Men and women from South and East Asia travel to UAE to work as domestics and have reported being forced into indentured or domestic servitude or sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Diplomats and businessmen from the UAE have been caught with slaves they have smuggled into the United States. (American Anti-Slavery Group, Jesse Sage, e-mail to GMIS, 6 November 2000) * Mauritanian slaves are sometimes exported to Sheiks in Qatar and the UAE. (American Anti-Slavery Group, Jesse Sage, e-mail to GMIS, 6 November 2000, citing Moctar Teyeb, Tikkun Magazine) * There have been reports in recent years that underage boys are smuggled into the country and used as camel jockeys. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * There is a growing problem with trafficking in women and girls from Kyrgystan, mostly to Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, for the purpose of forced prostitution. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * For many years, boys, from the age of six and sometimes younger, have been trafficked from countries in South Asia to the Gulf to supply the demand for camel jockeys. (CWA, Anti-Slavery International – Urgent Action on Child Labour, "Child Camel Jockeys in the Gulf States", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 13, Nos. 2 & 3, April - September 1997) United Kingdom NATIONAL STATISTICS * A Government-sponsored report estimates that up to 1,500 women and girls are trafficked into the UK annually for purposes of sexual exploitation from Eastern Europe and the Balkans, South America, Nigeria, Thailand, and Vietnam. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) ADULT STATISTICS * 100 women were trafficked for prostitution from remote villages in Brazil to London over the last five year period. The women were held under debt bondage. (CATW Fact Book, citing Michael Hoskins "Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation", Metropolitan Police Service, June 1996) * A Lithuanian man brought approximately 55 women from Russia to the UK to be prostituted in flats in central London. (CATW Fact Book, citing Michael Hoskins "Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation", Metropolitan Police Service, June 1996) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The United Kingdom (UK) is a destination country for trafficked men, women, and girls. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Although there are no reliable data as to the numbers of victims, men, women, and children from the Indian sub-continent, Sri Lanka, Turkey, the former Yugoslavia, Romania, China, Congo, Angola, Colombia, and Ecuador are trafficked to the UK. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Sex traffickers are using Dublin as a stepping stone to provide prostitutes across the Irish Sea in England. From Dublin, the sex traffickers use the free movement to the South and Britain to fill the demand for vice girls in London, Birmingham and Manchester. ("Sex Traffickers Use Foreign Firms to Trap Girls" Sunday Mirror, 24 September 2000) * Prostitution trade networks provide Colombian women for the markets in Spain, Britain, Germany, Belgium and the United States. (CATW Fact Book, citing Gustavo Capdevila, IPS, 2 April 1997, citing Radhika Coomaraswamy, UN Special Report on Violence Against Women) * Hong Kong Triad gangs and Eastern European gangsters are trying to take over and expand Britain's sex industry. (CATW Fact Book, citing European Race Audit Bulletin, 25 November 1997) * Women trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation from the Far East are taken to London, Manchester, Glasgow and Erie. (CATW Fact Book, citing Michael Hoskins "Trafficking in Women for Sexual Exploitation", Metropolitan Police Service, June 1996) United States of America NATIONAL STATISTICS * It is estimated that 45,000 to 50,000 people, primarily women and children, are trafficked to the U.S. annually. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * A recent CIA report estimated that 50,000 women and children were trafficked into the US in 1999. Possibly 5% of that figure were children. The children have come from Thailand, China, Africa, Mexico, Sri Lanka and other countries. (American Anti-Slavery Group, Jesse Sage, e-mail to GMIS, 6 November 2000) LOCAL STATISTICS * Between August 1996 and February 1998, at least 20 young Mexican women and minors were trafficked into Florida and southern Carolina in the US under the illusion of jobs, but were forced into prostitution. (ECPAT International) * Traffickers in Miami were receiving Asian children who were being trafficked through Europe by Japanese and Chinese criminal gangs. In one month, at least 15 children were smuggled into the United States for prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Pedophilia ring uncovered in Italy", USA Today, November 1997) ADULT STATISTICS * 100 Russian women, mostly from Sakhalin Island, were found in brothels. (CATW Fact Book, citing William Branigan, "Human rights abuses found on US island", Washington Post, 30 March 1998) * 5,000 women of Chinese descent are in prostitution in Los Angeles. (CATW Fact Book, citing Kathryn McMahon, Daniel B. Wood, "A Crusade to Free Captive Daughters", Christian Science Monitor, 12 March 1998) * About 12, 16-30-year-old Asian girls and women were trafficked into Canada each week on visitor's permits and sold into prostitution.The women are sold to brothel owners in Markham, Scarborough, Toronto, and Los Angeles, and forced into $40,000 debt bondage.(CATW Fact Book, citing "Police Bust Sex-slave Ring", UPI, 11 September 1997, citing police officials) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The countries from which most people are trafficked into the United States are: Russia, Ukraine, Latvia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Mexico, Honduras, Brazil, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia, South Korea, China and Vietnam. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * Diplomats and business from Bahrain and UAE have been caught with slaves they have smuggled into the United States. (American Anti-Slavery Group, Jesse Sage, e-mail to GMIS, 6 November 2000) * The Church leaders were illegally bringing young people from Estonia to US to use them as domestic worker paying them less than a minimum wage. ("Missionary group members could stand trial for smuggling children", 9 June 2000, reprinted in Stop Trafficking Archive, July 2000) * A local NGO reports that girls from Costa Rica have been transported through central America and Mexico to work in the sex industry in the United States, Canada, and Europe. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * South Africa is a transit point for a large trafficking network operating between developing countries and Europe, United States, and Canada. Migrants from foreign countries, particularly China, India, the Middle East, former Eastern Bloc countries and other African countries, are lured to South Africa. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Alien smuggling organisations use Suriname as an intermediate destination to smuggle Chinese nationals, including women and girls, to the United States, where frequently they are forced into bonded labour situations. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Malaysian women are trafficked for sexual purposes mostly to Singapore, Macau, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, but also to Japan, Australia, Canada, and the United States. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) issued a report on trafficking of persons in September, and stated that women and girls from Colombia are trafficked to North America and Western Europe. There were also reports of women trafficked to Japan and Spain in increasing numbers, in recent years. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Minors are trafficked from the Philippines and China for prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing William Branigan, "Human rights abuses found on US island", Washington Post, 30 March 1998) * The United Nations now lists Mexico as the number one centre for the supply of young children to North America. The majority are sent to international paedophile organisations. Most of the children over 12 end up as prostitutes. (CATW Fact Book, citing Allan Hall, The Scotsman, 25 August 1998) * Traffickers lure people from China, the Philippines, Bangladesh and other nations to the Northern Mariana Islands, a United States territory promising lucrative work. Instead, many are forced into slave labour and prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing Laura Myers, "Sen. Panel Hears of Marianas Abuses", AP Online, 31 March 1998) * Many of the young girls that are trafficked and forced into prostitution in Canada are ferried from city to city, from Seattle to San Francisco to Oakland to Phoenix to Honolulu and Portland. The pimps move them every 3-4 weeks. (CATW Fact Book, citing The Province, 19 December 1997, citing Portland Police Officer Doug Kosloske) * Prostitution trade networks provide Colombian women for the markets in Spain, Britain, Germany, Belgium and the United States. (CATW Fact Book, citing Gustavo Capdevila, IPS, 2 April 1997, citing Radhika Coomaraswamy, UN Special Report on Violence Against Women) * NGOs, such as Children of the Night and Promise in California and the Paul & Lisa Program in New York City, have reported that they encounter rising numbers of women working in the U.S. sex industry who are from Russia, the Newly Independent States, and Eastern Europe. (Global Survival Network, Gillian Caldwell et al, Crime & Servitude, 1997) * The main concentrations of prostituted Dominican women working abroad are in Austria, Curacao, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Italy, the Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico, Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela and the West Indies. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking in Women from the Dominican Republic for Sexual Exploitation", IOM, June 1996) * Trafficking in women plagues the United States as much as it does underdeveloped nations. Organised prostitution networks have migrated from metropolitan areas to small cities and suburbs. Women trafficked to the United States have been forced to have sex with 400-500 men to pay off $40,000 in debt for their passage. (CATW Fact Book, citing Brad Knickerbocker, "Prostitution's Pernicious Reach Grows in the US", Christian Science Monitor, 23 October 1996, citing Avita Ramdas of Global Fund for Women) Uruguay GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * A study conducted by Mariana González reports that there are networks or circuits of child traffickers in Uruguay, operating at various levels. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) Uzbekistan NATIONAL STATISTICS * In Greece, more than 40% of the minors in prostitution are from neighbouring or regional countries, including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Albania and Iraq, which are suffering from conflicts and lack of social cohesion. (ECPAT International, A Step Forward, 1999) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Women and girls in Uzbekistan are trafficked particularly to the Persian Gulf and Turkey. Anecdotal reports from NGOs indicate that the number of young women forced into prostitution abroad is growing. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) Vanuatu - Venezuela GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * Unconfirmed reports dating back to 1998 state that Ecuadorian children are trafficked to Venezuela for work in the sex trade. The children are reportedly abducted, sold by their parents or lured with false promises of employment. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * In 1997, 14% of the persons working as prostitutes in Venezuela were not Venezuelan nationals. There have been reports of a large number of cases of disappearances of children and juveniles, of which most were girls between the ages of 12 and 17. It is thought that these disappearances may be connected with trafficking. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * There were reports of trafficking in children from other South American countries to work in Caracas as street vendors and housemaids. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Trafficking of children from other South American countries to work as street vendors and house maids. (US Dept of State, Human Rights Report, 1998) * Women are trafficked to Spain, where their passports are taken away and they are prostituted in massage parlours and brothels. (CATW Fact Book, citing Patrick J. O'Donoghue, "Venezuelan Sex-Slaves Sold in Trade-Offs to Spanish Wayside Brothels", Vheadline, 18 November 1997) * The main concentrations of prostituted Dominican women working abroad are in Austria, Curacao, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Italy, the Netherlands, Panama, Puerto Rico, Spain, Switzerland, Venezuela and the West Indies. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Trafficking in Women from the Dominican Republic for Sexual Exploitation", IOM, June 1996) * The second largest migrant group of women in prostitution in Germany is from Latin America, mostly from the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and Brazil. (CATW Fact Book, citing Licia Brussa, "Transnational AIDS Prevention Among Migrant Prostitutes in Europe", TAMPEP, 1996) Vietnam NATIONAL STATISTICS * Many of the estimated 15,000 to 20,000 prostitutes in Phnom Penh are believed to be Vietnamese girls and women. (UNICEF, Children on the Edge, citing, UN ESCAP (2000), UNICEF East Asia and Pacific) * 3,000 women and children are trafficked to Cambodia for prostitution and China for domestic work. (ILO-IPEC, Trafficking in Children and Women, 1999) * 500 Vietnamese girls are trafficked to Cambodia for Prostitution. (ILO-IPEC, Combating Trafficking in Children for Labour Exploitation in the Mekong Sub-region, October 1998) * 3,000 Vietnamese girls smuggled to Cambodia for Prostitution, 15% were under 15 years. ("Trafficking of Children on the Rise", Bangkok Post, 22 July 1998) * One third of 55,000 prostitutes in Cambodia are under 18 and most are Vietnamese. (CATW Fact Book, citing "Vietnam Child Sex Trade Rising", AP, 24 April 1998, citing World Human Rights Organisation and UNICEF) ADULT STATISTICS * 1 million women trafficked into Thailand from Laos, Burma, China, and Vietnam. (CATW, The Fact Book on Global Sexual Exploitation, 1999) LOCAL STATISTICS * Unofficial estimates say that there are as many as 15,000 prostituted persons in Phnom Penh, and that up to 35% of them have been smuggled into Cambodia from China or Vietnam, mostly from the southwestern provinces of Vietnam - Long An, An Giang, Song Be, Kien Giang, Dong Thap, Can Tho and Ho Chi Minh City. (CATW Fact Book, citing "The Street of Little Flowers", Bangkok Post, 23 February 1997, rewritten from Mikel Flamm and Ngo Kim Cuc, Children of the Dust) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * According to reports, CSEC is increasing in Vietnam. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * There also were reports of women being trafficked to Hong Kong from Vietnam as "mail order brides", usually through arrangements made by tourist agencies, international labour services, or marriage mediating agencies. Once in Hong Kong, they are vulnerable to exploitation. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Children also are trafficked domestically and overseas to work as prostitutes. One NGO advocate estimated that, among trafficked girl children, the average age was from 15 through 17 years; many were trafficked to Cambodia and China. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * In October two Vietnamese women were prosecuted in Vietnam for trafficking 15 Vietnamese women to Macau for the purpose of prostitution. There also have been credible reports that women from Vietnam are trafficked into Macau as mail-order brides, with the assistance of organisations purporting to be travel agencies, international labour organisations, or marriage mediating services. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Hundreds of Vietnamese women trafficked out to Europe, China, Cambodia and Macau for prostitution. (CATW Fact Book, citing "EU wants more cooperation with Vietnam to end trafficking women, drugs", AFP, 27 February 1998) * Trafficking of minors domestically as well as to foreign destinations as prostitutes. (US Dept of State, Human Rights Report, 1998) * Many of the prostituted women and children in Cambodia are from Vietnam. (CATW Fact Book, citing Chris Seper, "Police Sweeps Help Clean Up Child Prostitution", Christian Science Monitor, 8 January 1998) * The number of Burmese, Cambodian, Vietnamese and Chinese children enticed into or forced into prostitution in Bangkok and other cities in Thailand, increased during 1997. (EI, EI Barometer on Human and Trade Union Rights in the Education Sector, 1998) * Prostituted girls, most of them aged 15 to 18 years, are found in the Svay Pak red-light district of Cambodia. Many girls are much younger. Most of them are smuggled in from Vietnam and all are bound by contracts, which last from six months to over a year. Svay Pak has the largest number of prostituted Vietnamese girls. (CATW Fact Book, citing "The Street of Little Flowers", Bangkok Post, 23 February 1997, rewritten from Mikel Flamm and Ngo Kim Cuc, Children of the Dust) * Usually the traffic is domestic, sometimes transnational. (UNICEF, "Trafficking of Children in Vietnam", Child Workers in Asia, January-June 1996) * There is an organised traffic into prostitution in Cambodia of young girls from Vietnam and South China. (CWA, Tim Seaman, Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defence of Human Rights (LICADHO), "Sexual Exploitation: Cambodia", Child Workers in Asia, Vol. 12, Nos. 1 & 2, January - June 1996) * Malaysia is a receiving country for trafficked women from Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, China, India, Taiwan, Singapore, Burma, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Laos. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) * Thousands of Vietnamese women are trafficked through the Vietnam-China border by illegal organisers who take them to Cambodia and from there to neighboring countries for prostitution purposes. Vietnamese pimps pretend to court village girls to bring them to the city, and then sell them to brothels. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) Yemen - Yugoslavia ADULT STATISTICS * According to various reports, some 3,500 Bulgarian women are trafficked to Poland, thousands to the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, while others are trafficked to Germany, Belgium, Canada, Serbia-Montenegro, Romania, Hungary, TFYR Macedonia, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Turkey. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Of the total 751 trafficking victims found from January 1994 to June 1995 in Austria, 5 were from Yugoslavia. (CATW Fact Book, citing IOM Report 1996) GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia is a transit and destination country for women trafficked from Eastern Europe, especially Romania, and the New Independent States, including Moldova, Ukraine, and Russia. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * According to an International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights report, women often are trafficked to Belgrade, from where they are then taken to other parts of Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, Greece, Germany, the Netherlands, and other Western European countries, often for sexual exploitation. (US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report, July 12, 2001) * Moldova is a source country for trafficking of women and girls. Women and girls reportedly are trafficked to Israel, Turkey, Italy and Greece through Romania, Serbia-Montenegro, Slovakia and Albania. (US Dept of State, Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999, 25 February 2000) * Roma children are smuggled to Italy for crime-rings. (EI, EI Barometer on Human and Trade Union Rights in the Education Sector, 1998) * The country is recorded as the most popular destinations in Europe for trafficked women from Ukraine and Russia. (CATW Fact Book, citing Vladmir Isachenkov, "Soviet Women Slavery Flourishes", AP, 6 November 1997) * Twenty years ago, Thailand was in the forefront as a sending country for trafficked women. Thailand has now become a destination country, receiving women from Russia, Yugoslavia, Poland, and the Czech and Slovak Republics, South America. (CATW-Asia Pacific, Trafficking in Women and Prostitution in the Asia Pacific, 1996) Zambia GENERAL NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS * It is thought that Zambian girls are being trafficked to third countries such as the USA, Israel and Russia by way of Johannesburg and Durban. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring /online_database/index.asp) * Reports dating back to 1997 state that Zambian girls are also being trafficked via Botswana. (ECPAT, CSEC Database, http://www.ecpat.net/eng/ecpat_inter/projects/monitoring/online_database/index.asp) * An undisclosed number of Zambian girls had been ferried to Botswana, headed for the sex tourism industry in other countries. (CATW Fact Book, citing African Child Watch, "Child Trafficking Takes Root in Southern Africa, Says Group", SAPA DPA, 1 September, 1997) * The Representative noted that trafficking in women was not a problem in Zambia. (CEDAW, Sessional/Annual Report, 1994) Zimbabwe -