Human
Trafficking in Central Asia
9/6/13
Human
trafficking is not a topic that immediately comes to mind when discussing
security issues in Central Asia. Issues such as the arms smuggling that plagues
much of the former Soviet Union, and narcotics trafficking from the poppy
fields of Afghanistan to the markets in Russia and Western Europe, have been
much more broadly discussed with reference to the region, and better documented.
However, the economic struggles of the region since independence and the
deteriorating situation for many of its inhabitants has created a very
susceptible target for human traffickers that they have increasingly exploited.
Moreover, the lucrative nature of human trafficking has attracted a diverse
array of groups not strictly limited to organized crime, and has likely brought
in terrorist groups as well looking for additional funding. Several authors
have done analysis on this growing problem, and I would to like to bring out
their important points in a general overview to help build a better
understanding of the issue and the literature regarding it.
These
key points were drawn from:
·
Gonzalez, Elsie. 2013. “The Nexus
between Human Trafficking and Terrorism/Organized Crime: Combating Human
Trafficking by Creating a Cooperative Law Enforcement System”
·
Sulaimanova, Saltanat. 2004. “Migration Trends
in Central Asia and the Case of Trafficking of Women”
·
Tverdova, Yuliya. 2011. “Human Trafficking in
Russia and Other Post-Soviet States”
A definition of
human trafficking from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime:
Article 3, paragraph (a) of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking
in Persons defines Trafficking in Persons as the recruitment, transportation, transfer,
harbouring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or
other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of
power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of
payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over
another person, for the purpose of exploitation.
Sulaimanova summarizes
this definition and introduces us to scope of the problem, “Trafficking in
women is a modern form of slavery that exists in most countries of the world. It
is a transnational global problem and one of the fastest growing criminal
enterprises.” (p. 383) Sulaimanova’s focus on women stems from the fact that the
majority of victims are women pulled into prostitution by traffickers. Beyond
prostitution, the exploitation of victims branches into forced labor for little
or no pay, begging, and drug running. Moreover, she points out that the
trafficking of women is a relatively new issue for Central Asia, “Prior to 1992
virtually no cases of trafficking in women were reported from this region to
the West; since the break-up of the Soviet Union, the phenomenon has reached
epidemic proportions.” (p. 384)
Trafficking has several “push and pull” factors that drive the trade.
Sulaimanova sees many push factors in the region that are unlikely to disappear
in the near future: high unemployment across the region, poverty, little hope
for the future with few job opportunities, and an idealistic view of life in wealthier
countries that encourages victims to be lured abroad. Kidnapping is only one
method used by traffickers, as many victims are unknowingly “recruited”. Several
methods include offering “young women highly paid work abroad as waitresses,
dancers, or shopkeepers,” mail-order bride agencies, friends and relatives, and
sending previously trafficked women back home to recruit. (p. 388) “Pull”
factors have been the attractive combination of low risk and high reward for
traffickers. High demand in wealthier countries has kept profits high, and a lack
of international awareness and confusion on how to deal with the problem through
law enforcement has led to inefficiencies in cracking down on traffickers. Even
if a trafficker is caught, relatively weak punishments are imposed.
Tverdova explains the problem of anti-trafficking enforcement in
Central Asia. The “absence of a functional legal system” significantly aided the
rise in trafficking in the 1990s. The speed at which the old regime collapsed
with the USSR was not accompanied by an equally speedy reformation of the legal
system. The system was based on Soviet legal code, which had no provisions for
prosecuting traffickers unless victims were kidnapped or raped. It took nearly
a decade for relevant laws to emerge. Compounding the problem today is
corruption and complicity within law enforcement itself. Low pay and little
accountability has made it a simple exercise for traffickers to bribe officials
and obtain the necessary documents to take their victims across borders.
Gonzalez brings the issue into perspective with the numbers involved
internationally: “it is estimated that traffickers can earn about $250,000 for
each woman trafficked. The United Nations estimates human trafficking to be a
$5 billion to $7 billion a year industry. According to Interpol, profits from
this trade top $19 billion annually. Congressional sources estimate that 50,000
persons are trafficked into the U.S. annually and two million worldwide.
Statistics as to the number of persons trafficked worldwide range from 700,000
to 4 million new victims a year.”(p. 5) That last, extremely broad estimation
illustrates how little is truly known about the problem.
Sources:
Gonzalez, Elsie. 2013. “The Nexus between Human
Trafficking and Terrorism/Organized Crime:
Combating Human Trafficking by Creating a Cooperative Law
Enforcement System.” Student Scholarship. Paper 227. http://erepository.law.shu.edu/student_scholarship/227
Sulaimanova, Saltanat. 2004. “Migration Trends in Central Asia and
the Case of Trafficking of Women,” in In the Tracks of Tamerlane: Central
Asia’s Path to the 21st Century, eds. Dan Burghart and Theresa Sabonis-Helf.
Washington, D.C.: National Defense University, Center for Technology and
National Security Policy, 377- 400. Available online
Tverdova, Yuliya. 2011. “Human Trafficking in Russia and Other
Post-Soviet States.” Human Rights Review 12(3): 329-344.
Interesting post on a topic about which I know almost nothing. I wonder how the locals look at this phenomenon, and whether they regard such ‘job opportunities’ as trafficking. I know from my own experience that many Central Asians illegally working in Russia use their employment to send remittances back home to their struggling families. If the trafficking practice was stopped, how would these workers make money/survive? And it also seems just a tad disingenuous for the US (who has profited mightily from unbridled capitalism) to now claim that they are affronted at certain employment practices. Most Americans would place their desire for full shelves at Walmart above any human rights concerns.
ReplyDeleteThat's a great point, this is one of the factors that makes the trafficking problem so difficult to address. You're right, much of Central Asia relies on family members working illegally in Russia, and they have to do it illegally because it is so difficult to go abroad legally to work within the existing system. One author asserts that 99% of the labor migration within this region is outside the law (Sulaimanova, 2004). But if labor migration was restricted, I think most agree that it would be devastating to much of Central Asia due to the heavy dependence on foreign workers, and the deteriorating economies at home.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, I agree this view is very disingenuous, an interesting study really puts it into perspective: (http://www.npr.org/2013/05/01/180154279/would-you-pay-a-higher-price-for-ethical-clothing); as soon as you start to raise prices, people change their mind. I think you might see a similar view (apathy towards employment practices) fairly common in Russia, much of whose business benefits from the cheap labor brought in illegally.