It is hard to say exactly how many Russian women to date have endured this. Homeless children are exploited in sex trafficking. Without asking questions, the police ordered Irina to return with the "madam". Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. One regularly cited statistic from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) was that between 1992 and 2002, an estimated 500,000 women and girls were trafficked from the former Soviet Union, mostly from Russia. In a survey conducted in June 2007, in which 1,600 citizens across 45 regions were polled, just over 43 percent of male respondents and 38 percent of females blamed the women and girls themselves for ending up in the sex trade. The existence of a globalized world of interconnectedness, technological advances, fast travel, cell phones and the Internet, facilitated global patterns of human trafficking. Pressure also came from the United States and Germany. In December 2003, President Vladimir Putin did finally speak out in favor of making human trafficking illegal. Since then Russia has not adopted any other laws on human trafficking, whereas, all 14 other countries in the post-Soviet region have passed multiple laws related to human trafficking… Psychological counseling is badly needed and not always available. A solid 40 percent called for better international cooperation, while a smaller 13 percent regretted that “nothing can stop it.”, When asked about the nature of prostitution, 59 percent of male respondents and 64 percent of females categorized it as “a morally unacceptable way for women to work.” A smaller 24 percent of men and 21 percent of women put it less strongly and declared it as “not a good way for women to work.” An even smaller — nine percent of both men and women — considered that prostitution was “a good way for women to earn money whether or not they are unemployed.” Just four percent of men and one percent of women claimed that prostitution was “a good way for unemployed women to earn money.”. Women are also trafficked into the sex industry inside Russia. Economic systems were transformed, resulting in increased unemployment and poverty, especially for women. Nearly 800,000 people live as modern-day slaves in Russia, working under conditions of forced labor, debt bondage and human trafficking, according to the 2018 Global Slavery Index, a … Human trafficking: Irina's story. In the end, 26 individuals were sent to prison and seven given suspended sentences. Nonetheless, various figures have been suggested. Human trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes investigated by ICE. Another factor made this possible: the corruption amongst border guards, police and state officials. But the numbers are relatively low given the scale of the problem. Eventually Carlos was recognized as a human trafficking victim/survivor and was referred to The Dragonfly Home. Fair Observer does not use personal data collected from its website for advertising purposes or to market to you. Irina was a 16-year-old high school student from the southern Russian Federation when she accepted a family friend's proposal to take a quick trip to the Middle East. St. Petersburg has also become a lively center of child prostitution attracting some Western men to take trips there. Thirty-seven percent of both genders acknowledged that the women were looking for work due to a lack of jobs, but 35 percent of males and 31 percent of females considered the trafficked “in the main to be prostitutes, hoping to earn more in other countries.” A high majority of respondents had low hopes of political institutions being able to solve the problem; a pessimistic 23 percent overall felt that “no-one” could be effective in tackling human trafficking and 22 percent just did not know who could. Following The Senate Committee investigation Hunter Biden's illegal dealings in Ukraine and Russia uncovered salacious details of Hunter Biden's involvement with prostitutes and human traffic A new Senate Committee report alleges that Hunter Biden paid women linked to “Eastern European prostitution or human trafficking ring,” according to Breitbart News. In fact, in the Gorbachev era in the 1980s, some women chose to prostitute themselves as a part-time second job in order to earn money to feed their children or to buy warm winter boots. In 2013, 28 people were convicted under Article 127.1, where 23 given sentences ranging from between 2 and 11 years' imprisonment. In its worst manifestation, human trafficking is akin to modern-day slavery. In criticizing Russia, US leaders and officials tread on delicate and sensitive ground. In some instances, the women are thrown in jail as illegal immigrants rather than helped. Pressure also came from the United States and Germany. Although the law did not materialize, their efforts prepared the groundwork for later acceptance of the dire need for action. In the 1990s, the spotlight fell on thousands of women and minors trafficked out of Russia into prostitution, particularly to  Europe, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Scandinavia, China and North America. At the same time, almost 31 percent of men and 35 percent of women recognized that the trafficked my have been duped by criminal gangs. The Duma did have a working group on human trafficking, which supported a new law and worked hard to promote it. It is organizations like Miramed, which formed the Angel Coalition as an umbrella of dozens of non-governmental organizations and women’s groups across Russia and Central Asia, that helped returnees in the 1990s and early 2000s. Six months into her ordeal, she finally managed to contact the Russian Embassy. This cookie consists of the word “yes” to enable us to remember your acceptance of the site cookie notification, and prevents it from displaying to you in future. The flow of women out of Russia into prostitution has not stopped, although the numbers may be lower. In the 2000s, awareness has grown of the men who are trafficked or who simply migrate out of Central Asia, particularly from the states of Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan into Russia, and who find themselves in slave labor in construction work, fisheries, fieldwork or shops. Yet bilateral discussions about it with other states do take place, conferences have been convened, and the advocacy of moving more towards Eurasian regional economic union may in the long run push human trafficking higher up agendas. Effectively trapped in debt bondage and slavery, thousands of Russian women found themselves servicing up to 30 men a night. The women who may escape from them, or the exhausted who may be released by them as no longer fit to work, often fear talking to law enforcement officials. Russian women and children are reportedly victims of sex trafficking in Russia and abroad, including in Northeast Asia, Europe, Central Asia, Africa, the United States, and the Middle East. Sex trafficking occurs in brothels, hotels, and saunas, among other locations. Prostitution grew over the decades in big cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg, despite denials by the Soviet state that it existed under socialism. Cox Virginia brings you a surprising documentary taking you inside this horrific epidemic that we found is a lot closer to us than we realize. Catching the traffickers, however, is not particularly easy. She was now to work as a waitress in a local café for US$ 1,000 a month. (Those polled could tick more than one possible answer.) Learn more about how we use cookies or edit your cookie preferences. Your donation is tax-deductible. In fact, over the years, Russia has been diplomatically praised for making some efforts, but regularly criticized for not setting up shelters or adequate psychological counseling services for returnees from trafficking situations, for not making enough convictions, and for not having a comprehensive strategy in place or formal national procedures. The hidden nature of trafficking makes estimates hazardous and unreliable. Their words are testament to their incredible resilience and point toward the urgency for action to prosecute perpetrators and support survivors along their journeys to restored dignity, health and hope. The "madam" was with them and claimed that Irina had stolen her money. Dolgov concluded that a “politicizing of human trafficking” hampered international cooperation and that Russia would not fulfill “demands that look almost like an ultimatum.”. In this context, serious non-governmental organizations and women’s groups have been energetically working hard to combat all forms of human trafficking and, where possible, they collaborate with local city governments and the police. Russia has one of the worst worldwide records in fighting forced labor and sex trafficking, according to an annual report from a U.S. government anti-trafficking agency. Slavic women were especially prized by clients for their high cheek bones and blond hair. The collapse of the Soviet empire in Eastern Europe in 1989 and the final disintegration of the USSR in 1991 had serious consequences. Renat also warned Irina's mother that the travel arrangements had cost him a lot of money, and if her daughter cancelled the trip, she would owe him US$ 1,000. She was resold to another hotel owner and saddled with a new debt of US$ 10,000 to compensate for her misbehaviour. The reasons in the Russian case are several and historical context is key. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com Abstract Since the collapse of The collapse of state planning and the start of what became known as “wild capitalism”(dikii kapitalizm) meant disruption of the old supply lines and trade patterns. Economic systems were transformed, resulting in increased unemployment and poverty, especially for women. In this international context, mechanisms of deception, recruitment, exploitation, control and abuse could thrive. They are forced into prostitution, involuntary labor and other forms of servitude to meant disruption of the old supply lines and trade patterns. These cookies essential for the website to function. Young women in their teens and 20s were much sought after. The Russian Code here defined human trafficking as: “The buying-selling of a person or other actions committed for the purpose of such person’s exploitation in the form of recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring, or receipt of such a person.” Article 127.2 against slavery was later added. Fair Observer uses these aggregate statistics from website visits to help improve the content of the website and to provide regular reports to our current and future donors and funding organizations. Upon arrival at her destination, Irina found out that she would not be a waitress, she would be a prostitute. While human trafficking and slavery have always been an issue in most areas of the globe, human trafficking in Russia became exacerbated with the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. So sometimes, what Russians may take to be “lectures,” can backfire. Join our network of more than 2,000 contributors to publish your perspective, share your story and shape the global conversation. Moreover, they may be ashamed to speak out at all. The US report said Russia … The type of digital cookie information collected during your visit and any derived data cannot be used or combined with other information to personally identify you. Their initial recruiter would have sold them to the brothel owner for $5,000 or more. It has been known for Russian politicians to dig their heels in and not do what the US has suggested since it is deemed to be “interference” in internal affairs. Russia has developed into a major hub for human trafficking. If fake passports and necessary documents for travel could be obtained, the next step was to persuade Russians that lucrative jobs awaited them elsewhere. Thirty-seven percent of both genders acknowledged that the women were looking for work due to a lack of jobs, but 35 percent of males and 31 percent of females considered the trafficked “in the main to be prostitutes, hoping to earn more in other countries.” A high majority of respondents had low hopes of political institutions being able to solve the problem; a pessimistic 23 percent overall felt that “no-one” could be effective in tackling human trafficking and 22 percent just did not know who could. Now the business is flourishing and women are trafficked into cities not only from the Russian countryside, but also from Central Asia, Europe, Northeast Asia and elsewhere. The offer of US$ 500 for her help in bringing back merchandise to sell in the Russian Federation seemed lucrative. How does the wider Russian public view human trafficking into prostitution? This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extraction of organs or tissues, including for surrogacy and ova removal. The flow of women out of Russia into prostitution has not stopped, although the numbers may be lower. (Those polled could tick more than one possible answer.) Women are also trafficked into the sex industry inside Russia. With the assistance of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Russian Embassy, Irina was safely repatriated. The 2013 TIP Report talks of Russia’s “minimal progress in efforts to protect and assist trafficking victims”, its “limited efforts to prevent trafficking,” and its lack of effort to “reduce the demand for commercial sex acts.”. The most harrowing story of human trafficking I've ever heard World Human Trafficking Monday September 11, 2017, 5:31 PM Julie Etchingham Presenter, ITV News at … Of course, these criminals are sometimes caught, arrested, tried and convicted. In the meantime, Irina's new friends had "improved" her travel agenda. Human Trafficking Law: Russia only has one law that criminalizes human trafficking. Other estimates, however, are lower. These statistics are collected and processed using the Google Analytics service. The USSR had always had a “second economy” or “shadow economy” that greased the wheels of the official one, and actors in this included criminal elements, some enjoying the label of “thieves in law” (vory v zakone). A new Senate Committee report alleges that Hunter Biden paid women linked to “Eastern European prostitution or [a] human trafficking ring.” The report, released Wednesday by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the Senate Committee on Finance, alleges that Biden made a series of questionable financial transactions, opening him and his family to … There are deep-seated historical reasons why Russian leaders wish to be respected and do not like being told how to run their domestic system by outsiders. On World Day against Trafficking in Persons, three women survivors tell us their stories. What has the Russian political leadership done to tackle the problem of human trafficking? These cookies track our website’s performance and also help us to continuously improve the experience we provide to you. At the same time, almost 31 percent of men and 35 percent of women recognized that the trafficked my have been duped by criminal gangs. 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