Human Trafficking in Ukraine: The Origin of a Stereotype

Every year, the U.S. State Department releases a Trafficking in Persons report which rates countries on their efforts to combat human trafficking. Each week, I'll be providing a brief glance at human trafficking in one of those countries, based off the 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report, with my own (often snarky) analysis added. This is just a snapshot of what's going on in the country.  For more information, you can check out the full text of the 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report here.

This Week's Country ...  Ukraine

Basic Info

The U.S. State Department ranks Ukraine on the Tier 2 Watch List, meaning there's a darn good reason why "Ukrainian women forced into prostitution" is what most often comes to mind when people think about human trafficking. Ukraine proves that stereotypes sometimes start in truth, and the stereotype that all trafficking victims are Ukrainian women comes from the truth that a lot of Ukrainian women have been trafficked. The long recovery from Communism may have ignited the trafficking epidemic there, but since then, ineffective government programs and high demand have done little to slow it. Despite being one of the early flashpoints of human trafficking awareness, Ukraine remains a source, transit, and, to a lesser extent, a destination country for trafficking victims, both internationally and internally.

So does Ukraine have the political and economic stability to truly tackle trafficking? They've had both the scrutiny and the resources of the international anti-trafficking community for longer than many countries, which has been both a help and a hindrance. But ultimately, it will be up to Ukraine to display the true political will it will take to make a dent in their significant trafficking problem.

Who Are the Victims and What Are They Doing?

Having identified the problem long ago, Ukraine has better information on human trafficking than most. About 48% of victims are women and children trafficked into the commercial sex industry. Women who aren't used in commercial sex are most often trafficked into domestic servitude, service industries, and textile and other light manufacturing. Men were mostly exploited abroad in construction, factory, or agricultural work. Occasionally, men were forced to assist in criminal enterprises like running chop shops. Children are most commonly trafficked for commercial sex or for forced begging.

Where Are They Coming From and Where Are They Going?

The short answer is anywhere but the Ukraine, where finding a job is about as easy as reforming health care in the U.S. Ukrainian women are trafficked to almost every country in Europe, across the Middle East, and to Canada and the U.S. The men, on the other hand, are being sent primarily to Russia and other parts of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. Some internal trafficking takes place within the Ukraine, but much of it involves moving Ukrainians to wealthier markets abroad.

What's Gotta Happen?

Ukraine needs to be tougher on traffickers all around, including giving them appropriately long sentences and showing prosecutors how to prosecute these cases. They also need to increase funding for victims' services. This is especially true for child victims, who need specialized services but aren't getting them here in Ukraine. Finally, Ukraine needs to work on reducing demand for both labor and sex trafficking.

Photo credit: Mateyev Andreyev