2009 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT RELEASED, UKRAINE RATED TIER TWO WATCH LIST

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released the 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report at the State Department in Washington DC on Tuesday, June 16. As directed by the U.S. Congress, the State Department prepares reports for all countries in the world. The goal of these reports is to stimulate action and create partnerships around the world in the fight against modern-day slavery.

The current report lists Ukraine as having been downgraded to the Tier 2 Watch List. This is because although the Government of Ukraine is making significant efforts to eliminate trafficking, it still does not fully comply with the minimum standards.

The report determines that Ukraine did not show evidence of sufficient progress in punishing trafficking offenders, addressing complicity of government officials, and providing sufficient protection for trafficking victims. The report notes that the Government of Ukraine made progress in prosecuting labor trafficking cases during the past year, though these efforts were overshadowed by inadequate punishments imposed on both sex and labor trafficking offenders and a lack of effort to address official complicity in human trafficking.

The report also mentions that to improve its anti-trafficking performance, the Government of Ukraine could:

• Seek sentences for convicted trafficking offenders that require more of them to serve appropriate jail time;
• Take steps to curb trafficking complicity by government officials;
• Continue trafficking-specific training for prosecutors and judges;
• Increase funding for victim protection and assistance;
• Develop formal systems to guide law enforcement in proactive identification of trafficking victims and referral of victims to available services;
• Take steps to provide specialized rotation and assistance to child trafficking victims;
• Consider awareness initiatives targeted at potential clients of the sex trade and labor trafficking beneficiaries to reduce the demand for human trafficking.

The Embassy currently works with the Government of Ukraine to combat trafficking in persons. We are committed to helping Ukraine increase its efforts to meet anti-trafficking standards.

U.S. Government programs to help Ukraine improve its anti-trafficking efforts include: USAID support to anti-trafficking NGOs that provide counseling, job-skills training, employment referral, and awareness campaigns to inform the public about trafficking. USAID assistance has helped over 2,000 victims of trafficking reintegrate into Ukraine. The Embassy has also helped the Ministry of Interior develop guidelines for investigators of anti-trafficking cases. The U.S. Embassy also actively participates in the working group on visa and document fraud in human trafficking that has been recently established by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

The complete text of the 2009 Trafficking in Persons Report can be found in English at www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2009/index.htm. The chapter on Ukraine can be found in Ukrainian on the Embassy’s website at kyiv.usembassy.gov/main_ukr.html.