U.S. Department of State 2001 Trafficking in Persons Report - Hungary

Hungary (Tier 2)

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 labor through Hungary to the EU and the U.S. come from Iraq, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. Trafficking victims from Hungary are typically women from the eastern part of the country where unemployment is high.

The Government of Hungary does not yet fully meet the minimum standards; however, the Government is making significant efforts to combat trafficking despite a lack of resources and endemic, low-level corruption. A trafficking law provides for penalties commensurate with those for rape. There were 13 ongoing trials at the time of this report. The Government has identified trafficking fronts, including modeling, employment, and entertainment agencies, many of which use the same mobile phone numbers and addresses, indicating probable organized crime involvement. Strict data protection legislation, a response to excesses of the old communist regime, prohibits joint investigations by organizations with police powers, so there is no central or coordinated authority on trafficking issues. Under the Organized Crime Task Force, the police are investigating trafficking cases involving organized crime, and the Government is cooperating bilaterally with the U.S. in the law enforcement arena. In theory, assistance with temporary residency status, short-term relief from deportation, and shelter assistance are available to trafficking victims who cooperate with police and prosecutors; however, there are no documented cases in which such assistance was provided. Police and immigration officials allegedly often treat trafficking victims as criminals or refuse to accept reports of kidnapping against young women. The Government is consulting with NGO's to provide anti-trafficking sensitivity training to police. Consular officials are not empowered to provide any legal or financial assistance to Hungarian citizens who are trafficked abroad.