U.S. Department of State 2004 Trafficking in Persons Report - Norway

Norway (Tier 1)

Norway is a destination country for a small but increasing number of women trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. The women primarily come from northwest Russia and the Baltic states, as well as Thailand, Albania, and the Dominican Republic.

The Government of Norway fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking in persons. The government continues to make serious efforts to combat trafficking and provides significant funding for that purpose.

Prosecution

The Norwegian Government amended its penal code in April 2003 to specifically criminalize trafficking in persons with sufficiently severe penalties. Traffickers can also be prosecuted for violation of laws forbidding pimping and slavery. Norway's first anti-trafficking prosecution under the amended penal code is now underway. Authorities filed charges against seven persons for pimping, slavery, and trafficking in connection with a trafficking investigation in Oslo. The investigation is ongoing. Police also arrested a man in May and convicted a woman in June 2003 for trafficking-related activities under the pimping section of the penal code. The government believes organized networks control human trafficking to Norway and is working to develop better information on traffickers and their financial networks. The government's immediate focus is to improve its ability to identify victims by mapping the nature and extent of trafficking to Norway. The Norwegian Government cooperates with other governments in the investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases through Interpol and Europol, and bilaterally. Norwegian authorities cooperated with their Swedish counterparts in the trafficking investigation currently underway.

Protection

The government funds a number of NGOs that provide medical and other assistance to victims, and is developing a campaign to promote victim assistance. The government can suspend decisions to remove trafficking victims for a 45-day grace period in order to provide assistance and counseling; this grace period was not invoked during the reporting period. Victims may also be granted relief from removal. The government commendably granted at least one victim permanent residency in 2003. Due in part to the low number of victims processed by law enforcement authorities, there is as yet no formal screening and referral mechanism in place for trafficking victims. The government is working to establish such a mechanism as part of its National Plan of Action. Police are also developing witness protection guidelines for trafficking cases.

Prevention

The Government of Norway has allocated $15 million dollars for 2003-2005 to implement its National Plan of Action to combat trafficking. The government funds NGOs that conduct public awareness and outreach, as well as international organizations that promote the economic empowerment of women in source countries such as Russia, the Baltics, and Thailand. Norway has been a leader in pushing NATO to play a role in anti-trafficking efforts, and has sought to make trafficking a priority issue for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

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