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Child Prostitution

The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

In the early years of the 21st Century gvnet.com/childprostitution/Belarus.htm

Republic of Belarus Belarus has seen little structural reform since 1995, when President Lukashenko launched the country on the path of "market socialism." In keeping with this policy, Lukashenko reimposed administrative controls over prices and currency exchange rates and expanded the state's right to intervene in the management of private enterprises. Belarus's economic growth is likely to slow in 2009 as it faces decreasing demand for its exports, and will find it difficult to increase external borrowing if the credit markets continue to tighten. [The World Factbook, U.S.C.I.A. 2009]

CAUTION:  The following links and accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Belarus. Some of these links may lead to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated, misleading or even false. No attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content.

*** FEATURED ARTICLE ***

The Protection Project - Belarus [DOC]

The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), The Johns Hopkins University

www.protectionproject.org/human_rights_reports/report_documents/belarus.doc

[accessed 2009]

FORMS OF TRAFFICKING - There are no direct or indirect statistics on trafficking in children from Belarus. Experts from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) know of individual cases and facts, however, and they have confirmed that trafficking in children from Belarus does exist. Those most at risk for child trafficking are children between the ages of 11 to 18 who are from single-parent or dysfunctional families in villages and small towns. Girls are more likely to be victims than boys. Traffickers recruit children from youth clubs, at pubs, and in student hostels with false promises of good earnings, though sometimes the victims know they are being recruited for the sex industry. A widespread method is for the trafficker to pretend that he has fallen in love with a girl in order to gain her trust and then to sell her. Girls are used to provide sexual services and for the production of pornography. Boys have been trafficked to Russia for pornographic video production.

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ECPAT Global Monitoring Report on the status of action against commercial exploitation of children - BELARUS [PDF]

ECPAT 2005

www.ecpat.net/A4A_2005/PDF/Europe/Global_Monitoring_Report-BELARUS.pdf

[accessed 5 April 2011]

Belarus is a country of origin, transit and destination for trafficking in children for sexual purposes. While some minor girls are deceived by false promises of easy earnings abroad, others are lured by ‘boyfriends’ who show them attention and invite them to start a ‘new life’ together abroad. Traffickers operate in youth clubs, at youth meetings, in pubs and in student hostels, in both large and small cities. Some traffickers may be former prostitutes who maintain connections with the owners of the brothels where they used to work. There have also been cases in which children were recruited by close relatives and via the Internet. Traffickers are usually well informed about the family of the child (or the absence of family) and the child’s problems, which makes it easy to manipulate them.

In its conclusions on the report submitted by Belarus, the Committee on the Rights of the Child expressed concern about trafficking in children for sexual purposes, in particular that of girls, and noted the lack of information and knowledge about this phenomenon.

Human Rights Reports » 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

U.S. Dept of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, March 8, 2006

www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61638.htm

[accessed 22 January 2011]

SECTION 6 WORKER RIGHTS – [c] The law prohibits forced or compulsory labor, including by children; however, women and girls were trafficked for sexual exploitation.

Concluding Observations Of The Committee On The Rights Of The Child (CRC)

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 7 June 2002

www1.umn.edu/humanrts/crc/belarus2002.html

[accessed 22 January 2011]

[51] The Committee is concerned about the information that Belarus is a country of origin and transit for trafficking of children, in particular girls, for the purpose of sexual and other forms of exploitation. The Committee notes that there is a lack of information and knowledge about this phenomenon and about problems such as sexual exploitation, drug abuse and the involvement of children in the drug trade, and economic exploitation, often related to trafficking.

Five Years After Stockholm [PDF]

ECPAT: Fifth Report on implementation of the Agenda for Action [DOC]

ECPAT International, November 2001

www.no-trafficking.org/content/web/05reading_rooms/five_years_after_stockholm.pdf

[accessed 13 September 2011]

[B] COUNTRY UPDATES – BELARUS – Throughout 2000, the NGO Children not for Abuse conducted several workshops for schoolchildren aimed at teaching them how to keep safe and avoid dangerous situations. Parents and teachers were also trained in child protection and a booklet on the topic was published. Children Not for Abuse also conducted round tables for teenagers under the name of “I Have the Right to Protection”.

Report by Special Rapporteur [DOC]

U.N. Economic and Social Council, Commission on Human Rights, Fifty ninth session, 6 January 2003

www.unhchr.ch/Huridocda/Huridoca.nsf/0/217511d4440fc9d6c1256cda003c3a00/$FILE/G0310090.doc

[accessed 5 April 2011]

[29] Belarus acceded to the OP/SOC in January 2002, and the sale of children and their use in prostitution and pornography are criminal offences.  The child does not incur criminal liability for his/her involvement.  In November 2001, a State Program of Action against Traffic and Spreading Prostitution (2002-2007) was adopted.

The Protection Project - Belarus [DOC]

The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), The Johns Hopkins University

www.protectionproject.org/human_rights_reports/report_documents/belarus.doc

[accessed 2009]

FORMS OF TRAFFICKING - There are no direct or indirect statistics on trafficking in children from Belarus. Experts from nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) know of individual cases and facts, however, and they have confirmed that trafficking in children from Belarus does exist. Those most at risk for child trafficking are children between the ages of 11 to 18 who are from single-parent or dysfunctional families in villages and small towns. Girls are more likely to be victims than boys. Traffickers recruit children from youth clubs, at pubs, and in student hostels with false promises of good earnings, though sometimes the victims know they are being recruited for the sex industry. A widespread method is for the trafficker to pretend that he has fallen in love with a girl in order to gain her trust and then to sell her. Girls are used to provide sexual services and for the production of pornography. Boys have been trafficked to Russia for pornographic video production.

Trafficking in Persons Report 2004 - Country Narratives: Belarus

US State Department, Office To Monitor And Combat Trafficking In Persons, June 14, 2004

www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/2004/33192.htm#belarus

[accessed 11 September 2012]

PROSECUTION - The Interior Ministry reported 191 investigations of alleged trafficking, including the trafficking of women abroad for sexual exploitation, the recruitment of women for the purpose of sexual exploitation abroad, and the abduction and recruitment of minors for prostitution.

Committee On Elimination Of Racial Discrimination Considers Report Of Belarus

United Nations Press Release

www.unhchr.ch/huricane/huricane.nsf/0/A16CB9C482F83315C1256EE80056DDF2?opendocument

[accessed 22 January 2011]

In connection with human trafficking, an Expert asked what was being done to improve the situation of women and girls who were forced into prostitution. The delegation said measures had been taken to ensure that such activities were punished, as well as child prostitution. Efforts were also taken to ensure that the victims were re-integrated into society. A number of seminars had been conducted in both Belarus and in Ukraine to deal with this dilemma.

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Torture in [Belarus] [other countries]
Human Trafficking in [Belarus] [other countries]
Street Children in [Belarus] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Belarus] [other countries]