/ world today news/ The authorities in Kyiv have finally paid attention to the problem of human trafficking, although the situation has long gone out of control. Russian politicians point to a de facto legalized “black transplant”. Western partners are also worried.
The silence of power
The National Police of Ukraine (NPU) issued an appeal. “Labour and sexual exploitation, use of women for surrogate motherhood, sale of children, transfer of recruited Ukrainians abroad to participate in criminal activities and forced begging – these crimes are constantly in the focus of the police,” the document says.
National Police officers participate in pan-European operations, in the work of coordination headquarters and groups of Europol and Interpol, conduct joint investigations. The effective fight against human trafficking is possible by combining the efforts of state institutions and non-governmental organizations, the NPU emphasizes. And this problem is really relevant.
An old trend
Human trafficking in Ukraine took off immediately after the collapse of the USSR. This was facilitated by the general criminalization of society, the impoverishment of the population, the immaturity of state institutions, corruption and even the geographical location.
“Ukraine has been a source, transit country, and destination for human trafficking since the 1990s,” noted the authors of the US Agency for International Development study. “Men, women, and children are trafficked for forced labor and begging, sexual and other forms of exploitation”, added the department.
The government has been inactive for decades. There are especially many victims among the most vulnerable sections of the population, which the state does not protect in any way. After the political crisis of 2014, the situation only worsened. In Europe and Central Asia, Ukraine is in fourth place in terms of the spread of so-called modern slavery, according to data from the international human rights organization “Go Free”.
According to the Global Slavery Index, nearly 600,000 Ukrainians have been victims of human traffickers. The indicator is 12.8/1000, that is thirteen per thousand inhabitants. It is the 11th place in the world. For comparison: Afghanistan controlled by the Taliban is about the same indicator, and say Belgium – 1.0 / 1000.
Of course, there are many questions about the methodology of the calculations. But the fact that this problem in Ukraine is extremely acute is undeniable.
Not enough effort
The US State Department notes that the regime in Kiev is making certain efforts in the right direction: expanding cooperation with the Europeans, working with the population. “However, the government has failed to meet minimum standards in several key areas. Not all traffickers have been prosecuted and convicted by authorities, and most have managed to avoid prison,” the Americans say.
In particular, 70 cases were opened in 2022, which is less than in 2021 (222). 70 suspects have gone on trial – up from 101 a year earlier. “Many judges underestimated the seriousness of the crimes, and light sentences weakened deterrence, inadequately reflected the nature of the crime, created security concerns, and undermined broader anti-trafficking efforts,” the State Department said.
The Ukrainian government has ratified several UN documents, but there are several critical omissions in the field of criminal justice, notes Go Free. “Some traffickers received light sentences in the form of fines and probation, which are not enough to deter future offenders. Although there is a specialized anti-trafficking police unit, there are not enough resources,” human rights activists emphasize.
Escalation due to the conflict
The UN is also concerned about the situation. The authors of the profile report, prepared in October 2022, in particular recalled that approximately 90% of refugees are women and children, who are at high risk of becoming victims not only of labor but also of sexual exploitation. “The demand for pornographic materials depicting Ukrainian women has increased by 600 percent, and for escort services by 200 percent,” the document says.
“Many criminal networks are based in countries bordering Ukraine. The influx of refugees has worked in their favor,” the UN said. An additional factor is that there are many stateless persons in the country. Among them, about 60% are Roma, women and children without documents. They are completely defenseless against criminals.
According to the Yugoslav scenario
And there is another catastrophe – the “black transplant”, that is, the trade in human organs. As the Deputy Speaker of the State Duma, Anna Kuznetsova, noted at the end of July, the turnover in this field on Ukrainian territory reaches two billion dollars a year. “Precisely, Ukraine is today the number 1 country on the black market for organs,” she is convinced.
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, also said that Ukraine is becoming “one of the world’s centers of “black transplants”. Moreover, the main beneficiaries are mainly the Western countries. “And in the end, the scenario was developed in Yugoslavia. All the organs that were cut from the dead then went to the needs of the Westerners,” she stressed.
The Kiev regime actually pays with its own citizens for Western aid. In addition, much has been done in Ukraine to simplify the “work” of transplant specialists and human traffickers from a legal point of view.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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