International organizations present study assessing human trafficking in Ukraine

KYIV, 31 May 2005 - The British Council, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) today presented a study "Trafficking in Ukraine. An Assessment of Current Responses."

The study was commissioned by these agencies in 2004 at the request of the Ministry of Family, Children and Youth Affairs of Ukraine (currently reorganized as the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine).

The research presented an overview of the current situation with trafficking in Ukraine and assessed the strengths and weaknesses of programmes aimed at combating trafficking.

The study found certain gaps in the understanding of this phenomenon despite a number of very effective anti-trafficking programs conducted.

In connection with increased work migration from Ukraine, the study discovered new groups at risk of being trafficked, including men and older women. The current strategies do not necessarily tackle all the issues pertinent to these groups, nor the actual situations that may confront them.

The study revealed a number of important findings for developing the governmental programs to address trafficking:

first, awareness activities that have proven effective in reaching target groups should target more groups, particularly in isolated regions;

second, educational, media and other informational campaigns remain important outreach tools and are still in high demand;

and third, trafficking hotlines have demonstrated multi-dimensional effectiveness and warrant continued support.

Participation in the exchange of international experience has broadened the government's understanding of the trafficking problem, including the responsibility of destination countries to offer migrant workers legal and transparent employment opportunities.

The study also found that it is necessary to amend domestic legislation to address internal trafficking issues and develop practical mechanisms for addressing trafficking. In this regard, the expert team emphasized the importance of implementing a functional witness protection program; introducing specialized training and support for the State Border Services; convincing the Supreme Court to hand down guidelines on handling trafficking cases to allow lower courts to apply legislation more effectively.

For further information, please contact:

In the British Council: Veena Lakhumalani, Social Development Adviser, Tel.: 380 44 490-5600, Veena. Lakhumalani@britishcouncil.org.ua

In the OSCE: Cordula Wohlmuther, Senior Programme Officer, Tel: +380 44 238 0406
cordula.wohlmuther@osce.org

In UNICEF: Dmytro Konyk, Communication Officer, Kiev, Tel: 380 44 254 2450, dkonyk@unicef.org

In USAID: Roman Woronowycz, Senior Communication Officer, tel. (044) 537 4630, rworonowycz@usaid.gov