Sociologists from the «La Strada» center link the increase in trafficking of Ukrainians to the unfavorable climate within Ukrainian families, in particular, the rise in violence. This drives people to seek a better life abroad.
There is also insufficient control by the state. «The law on combating human trafficking was adopted only last year, and the national program will only begin in 2013,» explained the press service of «La Strada Ukraine». Moreover, the department for combating human trafficking under the Ministry of Internal Affairs was "downgraded" to a directorate, and in recent months has been reduced to a unit. The number of law enforcement officers dealing with human trafficking has halved, while cases of slavery have nearly doubled. In 2009, 110 cases were documented, and in September 2012 – 192, reported the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
What changed?
«If 5-10 years ago a woman was 'lured' with a job as a waitress or stripper, now they offer 'consumption' – 'ripping off' men for money in clubs and restaurants, supposedly without 'intimacy'. 50% of recruiters honestly admit that the girls will engage in prostitution, but promise 1-2 clients per day and earnings of $200-300 per 'session'. In reality, there are 5-6 clients, and for 'intimacy' – a maximum of $70,» comments Deputy Head of the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in Donetsk region, Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Lunev. «Last year we detained an entire group led by a mother and daughter. They recruited girls to Dubai (UAE), receiving up to 2000 euros per girl. Now they face 8 to 15 years in prison. For two years now, a trial has been ongoing against a 37-year-old trafficker who had been supplying 3-5 girls every month to Switzerland for a long time. She took 2500 euros per girl. Also recently, a 56-year-old Ukrainian woman was detained who managed to take 9 girls aged 11-15 to a pedophile in Moscow. She received up to $1000 per girl. She was sentenced to 9 years and 6 months in prison.»
Rescuer
Igor Hnat from Lviv has been traveling the world for 10 years rescuing our women from sex slavery. For him, it's like a hobby. He gets calls from victims' parents asking for help, as well as from TV producers from other countries who need an action-packed story. «For a fee, I free our 'slaves,'» says Igor. To date, he has brought home 30 Ukrainian women. The ransom price can be as high as 5,000 euros, or it can be completely free.
«As a rule, girls themselves are to blame for falling into the hands of traffickers,» believes Igor. «Masha (name changed – Author) from a rural backwater went to the EU to work as a caregiver, saved up money and was already thinking about returning, but met an interesting guy in a luxurious Ferrari. He took her to expensive clubs and restaurants, promised a lavish wedding. Once he invited her to a country hotel to relax. At night, a phone rang, the guy said he had to leave for 2-3 days.
The girl continues to stay at the hotel, thinking her fiancé will come and pay for everything. But after a week, the hotel owner appeared and presented a bill. He began to threaten that if Masha did not go to a nightclub to 'work off', he would take her to the police. He said it's better to go to the club – in a few days you'll pay off the debt and leave. A few days turned into six months. Money for accommodation, food, and medical examinations was deducted from her salary.
It ended with the girl taking a client's phone, calling her sister, who then found me. We went to that country, found the nightclub and immediately declared: 'This is our relative'. In response: 'She owes us money!'. I suggested going to the police to sort it out. After those words, the club owner released the girl. The most interesting thing is that she didn't realize until the last day that she had been set up. She thought her 'fiancé' had been in a car accident or some other trouble!»
Victim profile
The female victim is typically 18 to 25 years old, with secondary or specialized secondary education. And if earlier they mainly came from Western Ukraine and rural areas, now it could be any region of the country and large cities. They are used for sexual and labor exploitation and forced reproductive functions
The age of the male victim is 30 to 60 years, mostly married. They travel for a short term to neighboring countries: Russia, Poland, Czech Republic. Most often, their labor is exploited.
Children – from 13 to 18 years old, often from dysfunctional families who have previously experienced domestic violence. Purpose – providing services for foreigners, begging, porn industry.
What threatens the victim:
1. Post-traumatic stress disorder – repeated experiences of trauma. Fear and avoidance of things, situations, phrases that remind of what happened.
2. Psychogenic amnesia – the person may not remember at all what happened to them.
3. Blocking of emotions. The victim cannot laugh, have fun, lacks life prospects, has increased anxiety, anger, hyperactivity. Insomnia.
The 'peak' of such symptoms occurs in the first month, in particularly critical cases – up to 3 months. Without treatment in a rehabilitation center for up to six months, it is hardly possible to speak of recovery.
Trafficker profile and punishment for the deed
Men in this field are few. The main sellers of souls are women. Typically, these are girls aged 23-30, former victims. While in slavery, she meets a driver, guard, or the pimp himself, and he 'buys her out' of the sex business. Then the 'benefactor' offers to recruit friends in her homeland for good money. Many agree.
For women aged 30 to 50, recruiting is a real business, a source of regular income. Over time, they even 'legalize' such money by investing it in shops, apartments, cars.
Article 149 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine provides for three types of punishment: a) for recruitment, movement, concealment, transfer or receipt of a person for the purpose of exploitation, using deception or blackmail – imprisonment from 3 to 8 years; b) for recruitment of a minor or several persons, or repeated recruitment with the use of violence or threats – from 5 to 12 years with confiscation of property; c) for recruitment of a young child independently or by an organized group, or with the use of violence dangerous to the life of the victim – from 8 to 15 years with confiscation of property.
According to statistics from the IOM and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, 110 criminal cases on human trafficking and sexual exploitation were opened in 2009, 120 in 2010, 135 in 2011, and 192 criminal cases in the first 9 months of 2012.
Over the past 10 years, 400,000 people have been taken out of Ukraine, and 7,000 fall into slavery annually. 70% of people are used for prostitution, production of pornography, and labor exploitation, and 30% for sale of donor organs.
Based on materials from the newspaper "Segodnya"