Two women have been arrested in the Azerbaijan capital Baku, on charges of trafficking women into sexual exploitation in both the United Arab Emirates and Turkey. The Azerbaijan Interior Ministry press agency said that Baku resident Mahhabat Huseynova and Saatli resident Sevda Ahmadova had been arrested as part of the government’s drive against human trafficking. To read more about this and related stories, please visit APA by clicking here.

Ten Bulgarians have been arrested on suspicion of human trafficking. The men are accused of trafficking at least 105 Bulgarian girls into France during the years 2002 to 20056, where they were forced into prostitution. Three other men were not in Bulgaria and escaped arrest. Five men were arrested in Marseille on charges of being part of the gang. To read more about this and related subjects, please visit IOL by clicking here.

Four Russian citizens have been charged with sex trafficking in Sweden, and twenty Swedish men have been charged with buying sex. In Sweden, the law prosecutes the client not the prostitute. Usually men are fined, but in order to prosecute the traffickers, it was necessary to bring charges against the men so their testimony could be used. Prosecutor Thomas Ahlstrand said “The testimonies are necessary for the evidence in the case and there is also a need to differentiate between the sentences depending on the circumstances surrounding the purchase.” Human trafficking may only be provable in one case, with eight other women coming to Sweden from Russia to engage in prostitution of their own free will. To read more about this and related issues, please visit thelocal.se, by clicking here.

There is a growing number of Mongolian women being trafficked into forced marriages with Chinese men. The women lose all rights in their new country, are often beaten and forbidden to leave the house. In some instances the women are forced into prostitution. There is little understanding of the problem of human trafficking in Mongolia. B. Ganbayasgakh, Leader of The Gender Equity Center said “All victims of human trafficking in Mongolia are cheated by the information of the intermediary when they first become a victim of this crime,”
“Most of the victims of human trafficking had no awareness about what sexual exploitation is and no information about human trafficking abroad. Also, the victims had not studied about the country they were being sent to and they didn’t know how they could contact the Mongolian council or where the Mongolian embassies are located in these countries,” said Ganbayasgakh.
Captain B. Otgonbayar, Senior Inspector of the State Investigation Office said;
“We took a study from senior pupils of a secondary school asking, ‘Would you go abroad as a result of a person’s information or announcement by the media promising help to enter a job with a high salary?’ Unfortunately, 75 percent of them said they would directly go,”
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Ireland has signed the European Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, a major step forward for a country that is still formulating its first legislation on the subject. Following a growing realisation that there was a problem with the trafficking of women and children into exploitation in the country, Tánaiste Michael McDowell said “Signing this Convention is a further and visible demonstration of Ireland’s continuing commitment to the global fight against human trafficking. Trafficking is an insidious criminal practice, which preys on vulnerable people and the Government will not tolerate it in this country. While instances of trafficking have been rare to date we cannot assume that this will continue and in this context it is important to send an appropriate signal of the Government’s approach.”
It is important that Ireland now ratifies the convention and then puts in place the legal measures which will make prosecutions possible and also provide protection and care for victims.
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http://www.irishexaminer.com/breaking/story.asp?j=216208264&p=zy6zx897x&n=216209024