U.S. Department of State 2002 Trafficking in Persons Report - Belarus
- Author: Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
- Document source:
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Date:
5 June 2002
Belarus (Tier 3)
Belarus is a country of origin and transit for women and children trafficked for purposes of sexual exploitation to Russia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Germany, Israel, Poland, Czech Republic, Turkey, Cyprus, Greece, Hungary and the Federated Republic of Yugoslavia.
The Government of Belarus does not yet fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts. The new criminal code penalizes trafficking and the hiring of people for exploitative purposes. To date, no trafficking cases have been prosecuted under the new criminal code. No specialized training is provided to law enforcement on trafficking. Corruption remains a problem for law enforcement investigations. Monitoring of borders remains a problem. In principle, the government may provide protection services and assistance to victims although it presently has no resources to implement a victim protection program. However, international organizations and NGO provide repatriation, medical and legal assistance as well as a hotline for victims. Although victims are not treated as criminals, they may be harassed and must push for investigations to be done. The government has no prevention programs. An Interagency Working Group was formed to develop a five-year plan drafted in December 2001 to prevent trafficking in persons. State media has occasionally reported on trafficking.
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