Human Trafficking in [Latvia Street Children in [Latvia] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Latvia] [other countries] |
Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery Republic
of Latvia [ Country-by-Country
Reports ] The Latvia is a source and destination country for men and women
trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced
labor. Latvian women are trafficked to Cyprus, Denmark, Germany, Greece,
Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom for commercial
sexual exploitation. Latvian women and teenage girls are also trafficked
within the country for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. Men and
women from Latvia are trafficked to the United Kingdom for the purpose of
forced labor. In addition, Latvia may be a destination country for victims
trafficked from Thailand for the purpose of forced labor. - U.S. State
Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2008 [full country report] |
|
CAUTION: The following links have been
culled from the web to illuminate the situation in ***
FEATURED ARTICLES *** Awareness
of Human Trafficking Among Young People in Latvia CONCLUSIONS - While youth in Latvia are
largely aware of human trafficking, most don't believe it really happens in
Latvia. Furthermore, while the majority of youth are interested in working
abroad, many don't know how to take basic precautions to ensure their safety.
These findings suggest that awareness of the reality of trafficking needs to
be raised among youth in Latvia and that young people need instruction on how
to take appropriate precautions if they seek to work abroad. Surviving Chicago's sex slave trade To Z, Mishulovich's offer was
exhilarating. It was also a lie --
something she discovered shortly after landing at O'Hare Airport. Put up in a cramped apartment with other
Latvian women, she was watched constantly, beaten and threatened with being
sold as a prostitute. Her passport was taken away. And the dancing? Really it was stripping.
For maybe $20 a night. She was a
virtual slave -- a sex slave, a victim of "human trafficking." ***
ARCHIVES *** U.S.
Dept of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs INCIDENCE
AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - Statistics on the number of working children under the age of 15 in
Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005 TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS – The
country was primarily a source and transit point for trafficked victims. The
main countries of destination were Traffickers, primarily organized
criminal groups, usually lured victims through false offers of employment for
jobs such as dancers, bartenders, and babysitters in European countries. A
large number of victims were drawn from the economically depressed areas of
the country's eastern regions. While some victims were recruited through job
advertisements or modeling and travel agencies, most victims were solicited
through direct contact with traffickers. Traffickers often recruited their
victims at cafes and clubs, and victims themselves recruited new victims for
the traffickers Concluding
Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) - 2001 [33] The Committee expresses its
concern at the fact that the current legislation regulating adoption is out
of date and does not guarantee adequate protection of the child involved, as
recognized in the Convention. Surviving Chicago's sex slave trade To Z, Mishulovich's offer was
exhilarating. It was also a lie --
something she discovered shortly after landing at O'Hare Airport. Put up in a cramped apartment with other
Latvian women, she was watched constantly, beaten and threatened with being
sold as a prostitute. Her passport was taken away. And the dancing? Really it was stripping.
For maybe $20 a night. She was a
virtual slave -- a sex slave, a victim of "human trafficking." Warnings
of human trafficking taught to children She was 17, the daughter of
unemployed alcoholics in a struggling country where good work can be
difficult to find. So she took a job
that, though it required leaving the Baltic state, would help pay the
family's bills. She was going to pick
strawberries in Finland. But as her
new employers drove across the Latvian border and into Estonia, everything
changed. She was ordered to take off
her clothes and pose for photos that would be posted on the Web. One snapshot shows her wearing only a black
bikini bottom, coyly hiding behind an overgrown plant. Another has her arched
against a cinderblock wall. If you didn't know better, you'd think she wanted
to be there. She made it to Finland
all right, but as a virtual slave who was forced to work as a prostitute and
give almost all of her earnings to her captors. Freedom
House Country Report - Political Rights: 2 Civil Liberties: 1 Status: Free Human Rights Overview by Human
Rights Watch – Defending Human Rights Worldwide Stop Violence Against Women – Country Page U.S. Library of Congress
- Country Study Cypriot
held in Latvia on flesh trade charges According to the Latvian police
the suspect was allegedly involved in trafficking in women under the pretext
of recruiting them as waitresses and cleaners when in fact they would be
pushed into prostitution. Prevention of Youth Trafficking Initiative IOFA AND YOUTH TRAFFICKING
PREVENTION - PROJECTS IN THE BALTIC STATES – PREVENTION, INVESTIGATION, &
REPATRIATION OF VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN LATVIA: This project provides training
to encourage cooperation among law enforcement officials and NGO leaders in
combating trafficking of young people in Latvia. Regional Trafficking
Response Teams have been established in three regions. STRENGTHENING SOCIAL SERVICE
PROVISION TO VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN LATVIA: This project strengthens social
service provision to victims of human trafficking by assessing current
services, creating partnerships between service providers and a local
shelter; and by ensuring that the shelter staff is properly trained to
respond to victims' needs. NEW YORK-BASED ORGANIZATION
EDUCATES LATVIAN ADOLESCENTS ABOUT SAFELY WORKING ABROAD AND WARNS ABOUT
TRAFFICKING - . PPAT
integrates an educational module on human trafficking into the existing
curriculum of teen centers in Latvia. Before traveling abroad, adolescents
can receive consultations in the center in order to ensure safe travel. The
centers keep copies of the young peoples' passports, and provide them with
information about embassies and NGOs that can help if they find themselves in
dangerous situations overseas. COUNTRY MAKES FIRST PRESENTATION TO
COMMITTEE; TRAFFICKING IN WOMEN, EQUAL PARTICIPATION IN POLITICAL LIFE AMONG
OTHER ISSUES RAISED -
Turning to a related issue, experts expressed deep concern over the sexual
abuse and sexual exploitation of women trafficked or lured in to Latvia from
other countries. Portugal’s expert lamented the apparent lack of programmes
in place to rehabilitate those women once they were removed from
harm. Granted, some cooperative initiatives were underway with
neighbouring and transit countries, but the problem should be made a national
priority. Other experts stressed the need to target and prosecute the client
side of the equation -- usually middle-aged, married men. Addressing that issue, Ms.
Druviete said Latvia adhered to major international conventions and treaties
aimed at preventing human trafficking. Also, the country had recently
established the National Programme for Prevention of Human Trafficking
(2004-2008), which focused on improving legislation, rehabilitating victims
and raising awareness. To limit trafficking in persons for sexual
exploitation, the Government had created a special police unit, strengthening
its cooperation with neighbouring countries and cooperating with
non-governmental organizations. Finnish man
faces charges of human trafficking in Latvia A Finnish man in his 40s is
suspected of human trafficking and pimping in Latvia. The man is believed to have organised a
circle of dozens of women from Latvia, Estonia, and Russia to work as
prostitutes in several large Finnish cities. He was taken into custody in
Latvia at the beginning of February. Human trafficking is not often
encountered in the Nordic countries and for the time being the Finnish penal
code has no reference to this issue. However, this fault will be corrected
soon. The charges against the man will
be heard shortly and if found guilty he will be sentenced under Latvian law.
Any sentence is expected to be rather heavy - particularly as it is suspected
that some kind of pressure was used and an international criminal
organization was involved, and because one of the women was a minor aged 17. Awareness
of Human Trafficking Among Young People in Latvia CONCLUSIONS - While youth in Latvia are
largely aware of human trafficking, most don't believe it really happens in
Latvia. Furthermore, while the majority of youth are interested in working
abroad, many don't know how to take basic precautions to ensure their safety.
These findings suggest that awareness of the reality of trafficking needs to
be raised among youth in Latvia and that young people need instruction on how
to take appropriate precautions if they seek to work abroad. All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC § 107 for noncommercial,
nonprofit, and educational use |
Human Trafficking in [Latvia Street Children in [Latvia] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Latvia] [other countries]