Bulgaria prohibits trafficking for both commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor through Section 159 of its criminal code, which prescribes penalties of between two and 15 years’ imprisonment. In 2009, Bulgaria amended Section 159 of its criminal code and increased the minimum penalty for trafficking offenses from one year’s imprisonment to two years’ imprisonment. Posted: Nov 12, 2019 / 12:04 PM CST / Updated: Nov 12, 2019 / 10:08 PM CST. Read her story. Human trafficking is the second most profitable illegal activity in the world, after drug trafficking. A Comprehensive Literature Review . Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. Country monitoring / Bulgaria / Bulgaria . Bulgarian citizens are susceptible to trafficking largely due to economic reasons, financial crisis, lack of education, unemployment, racism and ethnic discri In Bulgaria, trafficking in human beings for the purpose of sexual exploitation remains the prevailing form of exploitation, however, the number of trafficking 4victims for labor exploitation and forced begging continues to grow as well. The most harrowing story of human trafficking I've ever heard. Bulgarian law enforcement officials also partnered with law enforcement counterparts from seven other European countries during 17 joint human trafficking investigations. TRAFFICKING OF HUMAN BEINGS AS A SOCIAL PROBLEM IN THE REPUBLIC OF BULGARIA M. Avramov1, K. Slavov1, T. Taneva2 Student, Social Activities, Faculty of Medicine, Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria Faculty of Economics, Trakia University, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria ABSTRACT Human trafficking as a worldwide social problem is a serious violation of human rights associated with the … [1], U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons placed the country in "Tier 2 Watchlist" in 2017. Women are often used for sexual exploitation, while men are usually used for forced labor. There were a total of 155 murders in Bulgaria in 2016. Human trafficking can be crudely paraphrased as migration gone terribly wrong. Contract killings by organized crime was a problem but mostly decreased following the arrest of five “Killers” gang members starting in 2010. Economic revenues are the largest motivator behind human trafficking. … In 2009, five victims participated in the police witness protection program, compared with seven in 2008. Often times, human traffickers force victims into labor or prostitution. Susanne Lundin - Lund University, Sweden . Bulgarian men, women, and children are subjected to conditions of forced labor in Greece, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Try our corporate solution for free! In 2009, two municipal councilors in Varna pleaded guilty to organized human trafficking, including forced prostitution following their arrest in the fall of 2008; one official was sentenced to one year of imprisonment and one official was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment. For example, in 2009, the government convicted one foreigner for traveling to Varna to have sex with children and sentenced him to 66 months’ imprisonment; one Bulgarian national was also convicted and sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment for procuring the children. As reported in the 2009 Report, the government also investigated one police officer for complicity in trafficking in 2008; however, the government did not demonstrate efforts to prosecute this official at the conclusion of this reporting period. [13] Eighty percent of North Koreans who escape into China are women.Nine out of 10 of those women become victims of human trafficking, often for sex.If the women complain, they are deported back to North Korea, where they are thrown into gulags or are executed. Organ trafficking, a lucrative global illicit trade, is often a lesser discussed form of human trafficking among anti-human trafficking stakeholders due to its intricate and often stealth nature. The government permitted foreign victims who chose not to cooperate with trafficking investigations to stay in Bulgaria for one month and 10 days before they faced mandatory repatriation; in 2009, the government granted one such permit to stay for 10 days plus one month. The government continued to operate six child-crisis centers that provided rehabilitative, psychological, and medical assistance to identified child victims of trafficking, as well as other children in distress. Difference Between Kidnapping and Human Trafficking? 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In a separate case, nine police officers of a local anti-organized crime unit in Vratsa were dismissed from office for assisting a trafficking group, although none of these officials were prosecuted for complicity in human trafficking. According to 2015 Polaris Project data, 67 percent of human trafficking victims were adults, while 33 percent were children. In 2018, Bulgaria had a murder rate of 1.8 per 100,000 population. The root causes of trafficking will be described briefly. It is believed that one in five human trafficking victims are children, exploited for begging, child pornography, or child labor. by: Eryn Taylor, Shay Arthur. Cars of the pimps from Curtea de Arges who recruit girls from prostitution and customers for them: B-14-WXH (prostitute-pimp who was married with Caroli Pici, said Loti, a member of a criminal gang George Nan by world involved in human trafficking, kidnappings, usury and murders, thefts from apartments, and car thefts, and that on the June 20, 2004 abducted and kidnapped Anna Maria … Bulgaria is mainly a country of origin of human trafficking (THB) and to a lesser degree a transit country. There is little risk because in countries with laws criminalizing trafficking, criminals often escape prosecution and convictions. FOR THE PURPOSE OF ORGAN REMOVAL . The government also demonstrated efforts to reduce demand for commercial sex acts and to combat child sex tourism. [1], The Government of Bulgaria does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. President Obama declared January National Human Trafficking Awareness Month, making now a great time to raise awareness, donate to an anti-trafficking organization, or get involved in a volunteer project to combat trafficking.. Human trafficking can include selling victims into the sex trade industry, forced labor in factories, domestic servitude, forcing a victim to become someone’s spouse, or for the harvesting of human organs (see www.polarisproject.org for additional information regarding human trafficking). To the OSCE office for Deomcratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) for initiating cooperation among the field contributors: thanks much. As such, any attempt to tackle it solely from a criminal perspective is likely to fail. Bulgaria prohibits trafficking for both commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor through Section 159 of its criminal code, which prescribes penalties of between two and 15 years’ imprisonment. Bulgarian women and children are subjected to sex trafficking throughout Western Europe and in Bulgaria, particularly in the capital, resort areas, and border towns. Newest forms of human trafficking include ova and surrogacy trade. In 2009, authorities prosecuted 77 individuals for sex trafficking and four for forced labor compared with 79 persons prosecuted for sex trafficking and eight for labor trafficking in 2008. Domestic trafficking is happening from poorer regions of the country to big cities and resorts. The Eurostat 2015 report notes that Romania was one of the top five countries of origin for victims of human trafficking in the EU, as registered by organizations (governmental and nongovernmental) throughout the bloc. The Human Trafficking and Exploitation Act, passed in 2015, made Northern Ireland the first and only place in the UK where the act of buying sex is a crime. In 2009, 44 children were provided with government-funded assistance, a significant increase from 25 child trafficking victims assisted in government shelters in 2008. The local government in Varna operated an adult trafficking shelter in that city; six victims were assisted by this shelter in 2009. Human trafficking has become sensationalized in many films and TV shows, and can show American anxieties that are based in historical narratives. Stability Pact Task Force on Trafficking in Human Beings Chairperson Helga Konrad provided a suitable milieu that led to the conceptualization of this project. They also made it possible for the study to receive sufficient funding. The government did not report the sentence ranges for those convicted trafficking offenders sentenced to time in prison. Firstly, the phenomenon of human trafficking in Bulgaria will be analysed. Sex trafficking in the UK: one woman's horrific story of kidnap, rape, beatings and prostitution. Secondly, the international legal framework will be outlined and in particular the legally binding documents, ratified by the Bulgarian government. (212) 419-8286. hadley.ward@statista.com . Human trafficking can happen to people of all ages and genders and any race or religious background. Discover all statistics and data on Human trafficking now on statista.com! TRAFFICKING IN HUMAN BEINGS . Human trafficking is a multi-billion dollar enterprise, and it’s one of the fastest-growing illicit industries in the world. 1st Evaluation Round. Approximately 100 victims were assisted by government-funded NGOs during the reporting period. Human trafficking is an act of recruiting, transporting, and harboring people against their will; usually by using force.People who are trafficked are mostly used for sexual purposes or illegal work. Human trafficking is the trade of humans that can occur internationally or within a nation, often with a goal of forced marriage, sexual slavery, forced labor, commercial sexual exploitation or the removal of organs. Media will often show a stereotyped trafficked innocent woman who is in need of rescue by a man. The government encouraged victims to assist in trafficking investigations and prosecutions; victims who chose to cooperate with law enforcement were provided with full residency and employment rights for the duration of the criminal proceedings; the government reported that no foreign victims requested temporary residency permits during the reporting period. In 2009, the government convicted two trafficking victims and sentenced each to a six-month suspended sentence for illegal border crossing, an unlawful act committed as a direct result of their being trafficked. All victims in Bulgaria were eligible for free medical and psychological care provided through public hospitals and NGOs. Human trafficking not only involves sex and labor, but people are also trafficked for organ harvesting. [2], The Bulgarian government sustained its strong anti-trafficking law enforcement response to human trafficking over the reporting period. A third municipal councilor arrested in the same 2008 case did not plead guilty and his trial was ongoing at the time of this report.[when?] While Bulgaria continued its overall efforts to assist and protect most victims of trafficking, two victims identified during the year were punished for crimes committed as a direct result of trafficking. The main countries of destination for Bulgarian victims of trafficking are Western European Member States of the European Union, Greece, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Norway. Monday September 11, 2017, 5:31 PM. Trafficking sex and/or labor are the more commonly thought of forms of human trafficking among public policy leaders and general awareness campaigns. Man accused of kidnapping, sex trafficking girls News. During the reporting period, the Bulgarian embassy in Spain identified and referred for assistance six Bulgarian victims of forced labor, including three children. Human trafficking. They are always individually based and don’t seem to suggest that trafficking is a system that relies on power structures of gender, race, and class. Human trafficking survivor: Kidnapped and sold as a five-year-old Fighting human trafficking in hotels and motels From life on the streets to time in … [1], The Bulgarian government demonstrated significant progress in its efforts to prevent trafficking during the reporting period. A total of 83 trafficking offenders were convicted – 80 for sex trafficking and three for labor trafficking offenses – compared with 66 sex trafficking offenders and three labor trafficking offenders convicted in 2008. In 2009, police conducted 131 new trafficking investigations including nine labor trafficking investigations, compared with 187 sex trafficking and 25 labor trafficking investigations conducted in 2008. Ana* was kidnapped outside her London flat in 2011, she was forced into becoming a sex slave for hundreds of men as part of the illegal human trafficking trade. Agency for Social Assistance: http://www.asp.government.bg/, Ministry of Health: https://www.mh.government.bg/bg/, Ministry of Education and Science: https://www.mon.bg/en/100000, Ministry of Foreign Affairs: https://www.mfa.bg/setlang/en/, State Agency for Refugees: https://www.aref.government.bg/index.php/en/, State Agency for Child Protection: https://sacp.government.bg/bg/, International Organisation for Migration: http://www.iom.bg/, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees: http://www.unhcr.org/bg/, Bulgarian Red Cross: http://en.redcross.bg/, “Animus Association” Foundation (member of the international La Strada network): http://animusassociation.org/en/, Bulgarian Family Planning Association: http://www.safesex.bg/en, Safer Internet Centre: https://www.safenet.bg/bg/novini, Centre for the Study of Democracy: http://www.csd.bg/index.php?id=2, RiskMonitor: http://www.riskmonitor.bg/en, Together Against Trafficking in Human Beings, https://www.mlsp.government.bg/index.php?section=HOMEN2&lang=_eng, https://www.aref.government.bg/index.php/en/. In 2009, 51 of the 83 convicted trafficking offenders were sentenced to imprisonment, a significant increase from 25 convicted offenders sentenced to serve time in prison in 2008. As a high reward-low risk activity, many fear it will continue as long as there is demand for sexual exploitation and cheap labour, along with an endless supply of victims escaping from economic or social instability. Assya Pascalev - Bulgarian Center for Bioethics, Bulgaria . Bulgarians of Turkish ethnicity and Romani women and girls, some as young as 13 years old, account for most of the sex trafficking victims identified in Bulgaria. WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT: The 20-year-old Bulgarian, seen covered in bruises and scars, was routinely beaten after being made to walk the streets in The Hague, Holland. Human trafficking refers to illegally trading a person for either exploitation or commercial gain. The majority of adult victims were assisted by privately funded NGOs, although both the national and local governments did provide limited in-kind assistance to six anti-trafficking NGOs. Signed: 22 November 2006 Ratified: 17 April 2007 Entry into force: 1 February 2008. California, Texas and New York are considered top states for human trafficking, due to being major travel hubs. World. Reality: The majority of human trafficking victims are adult women. The most prevalent form of trafficking has been that for the purpose of sexual exploitation, followed by trafficking for labour exploit… The local government in Varna, in partnership with an employment agency and the local university, organized a prevention campaign that educated students about forced labor titled “Where Are You Traveling?” The National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings provided information to more than 350 students about human trafficking and organized an essay and art contest for students to share and discuss their impressions of human trafficking; the Commission presented 50 awards for anti-trafficking illustrations and 30 awards for essays during this contest. During the reporting period, 14 clients of children in prostitution were prosecuted and convicted and sentenced to up to three years’ imprisonment. Erika was a 17-year-old student in Romania when … Julie Etchingham. Human Trafficking. Bulgaria is a source and, to a lesser extent, a transit and destination country for women and children who are subjected to trafficking in persons, specifically forced prostitution and men, women, and children subjected to conditions of forced labor. Kidnapping refers to taking someone away illegally against their will usually for ransom. These penalties are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape. Ethnic Roma women and children account for approximately 15 percent of Bulgarian trafficking victims. In 2009, the government identified 289 victims of trafficking – including 44 children – and referred nearly all of them for assistance, compared with 250 victims identified in 2008. There, traffickers have a keen eye for those made vulnerable by their desperation to leave, making the girls ideal victims. However, organ trafficking holds a... Continue reading Some Bulgarian children are forced into street begging and petty theft within Bulgaria and also in Greece and the United Kingdom. In order to make real change, though, we need to understand the issue—which is even larger and more complex than most people realize. [1], The Government of Bulgaria sustained its overall victim assistance and protection efforts during the year, though it penalized two identified victims of trafficking for crimes committed as a direct result of being trafficked. Foreign victims are sex trafficked into the country. Frederike Ambagtsheer - Erasmus MC University Hospital Rotterdam, The Netherlands . The government investigated trafficking-related complicity among officials at various levels of government, although efforts to prosecute complicit officials remained limited. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided training to its officials posted at its embassies regarding the identification and treatment of trafficking victims, including how to refer Bulgarian victims of trafficking found overseas to local NGOs for assistance. According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, Phoenix ranked 16th on the list in 2016 with 478 calls, making up 1.76 percent of calls nationwide. [1], There were continued reports of trafficking-related complicity of government officials during the reporting period. These penalties are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with … During the reporting period, the government partnered with NGOs and IOM to provide trafficking-specific training to 34 judges, 19 prosecutors, 60 labor inspectors, and 60 police officers. 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