Naujienos

Jungtinių Tautų moterų statuso komisijos 57-osios sesijos proga vykusiame renginyje "Prekyba moterimis ir mergaitėmis kaip smurto prieš moteris forma: ES atsakas" kaip viena pagrindinių pranešėjų pasisakiusi ambasadorė Raimonda Murmokaitė pažymėjo, kad Lietuva yra ne vien prekybos žmonėmis kilmės, bet ir tranzito bei tikslo šalis. Ambasadorė taip pat pastebėjo, kad didžiausią dėmesį reikia skirti prevencijai per švietimą.

Pasisakymo tekstas (anglų kalba)

Statement by Ambassador Raimonda Murmokaitė,

Permanent Representative of the Republic of Lithuania,

at the EU Side Event “Trafficking of Women and Girls as a Form of Violence Against Women: the EU’s Response” during the 57^th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women

6 March 2013

Lithuania is a source, and to some extent, transit and destination country for trafficking in human beings. Prosecutors estimate that some 1200 women become victims of trafficking every year.

In 2002, the Government adopted its first national action plan for the prevention and control of trafficking in human beings; we have had four national action plans since. While the earlier action plans had a specific focus on trafficking for sexual exploitation and prostitution, the most recent ones aim tackling other kinds of trafficking as well.

The anti-trafficking coordination system in the country includes three levels: the national coordinator, first appointed in 2007, an interdepartmental task force, and teams of police officers in major municipalities, assigned to tackle human trafficking in cooperation with other responsible institutions and NGOs (social workers, educators, etc.).

Last year, a special interagency working group was set up, with the aim to improving the coordination of actions undertaken by governmental, municipal, and non-governmental organisations.

The primary focus on prevention has yielded positive results. In the past couple of years, victim identifications have doubled, and anti-trafficking investigations have tripled. All convicted offenders have been sentenced to prison terms. Government funds for NGOs providing care to trafficking victims have been increased.

Information campaigns have been carried out across the country, including more remote areas- providing information on the risk of human trafficking, the ways traffickers work and on available assistance to the general public and more specifically to vulnerable groups.

As elsewhere, typically, it is marginalized groups who are prime victims of trafficking. Women and girls from alcoholic families, victims of domestic violence, women suffering from long term unemployment, special needs women and girls, girls from orphanages and state foster homes- are easy prey for traffickers.

Discussions and lectures on the risks of trafficking have been organized in areas with especially high unemployment levels, in special needs centres and foster homes- primarily by NGOs. As a whole, NGOs play a crucial role in combatting human trafficking, especially since the assistance to/rehabilitation of trafficking victims falls almost exclusively on them.

We are trying to adjust the medium of outreach and the message itself in accordance with the local realities. E.g. polls show that on the average, more respondents learn about the risks of trafficking from television than from other sources of information; or that radio is a better medium to reach out to rural populations. Likewise, providing information in local/regional newspapers may be more practicable in terms of outreach than the same information in national papers.

In the context of the campaign regarding violence against women, mobile shops bringing basic commodities to remote village areas were used to deliver information leaflets and posters, with hotline numbers printed on the packaging of the basic goods.

Targeted information campaigns before major sports events. For example, a preventive campaign “No to prostitution and human trafficking during Eurobasket 2011”- anti-trafficking posters during the period leading up to the games and during the games on busses, at bus stops, distribution of leaflets to fans in hotels and locations linked to the games, detailed information on who to ask for help, including a relevant hotline.

Identifying potential victims- by identifying dysfunctional families, teenagers as potential flights risks, drug abuse victims, domestic violence victims unemployment –depends on active involvement of local social workers, municipal police, local NGOs who can foresee trouble and act before it happens, providing early advice and suggesting alternatives to the persons at risk.

An extensive analysis and data base is operated by the Trafficking in Human Beings Investigation Unit of the Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau which works in close cooperation with other governmental bodies and relevant NGOs.

An integrated national information system linked to INTERPOL and EUROPOL employs a crime analysis system based on “hit/no hit” approach, where a hit on one kind of suspicious data triggers detailed data analysis regarding the suspect, enabling early identification of potential traffickers.

Empowering women through employment and skills training. The government is currently working on relevant employment programmes, including youth employment. Interventions for women’s economic empowerment seek to address unequal gender relations that marginalize women economically.

Robust efforts to combat violence against women- adoption of relevant legislation and its active implementation; providing victims of domestic violence with adequate protection and shelter, offering psychological advice and helping them to regain their confidence and get back on their feet.

Combatting gender stereotypes and enabling women to speak openly about their traumatic experiences. In a fairly traditional society this is not easy. Victims may be reluctant to talk about it out of shame, in order not to be stigmatized or condemned (“prostitutes deserve it” victimizes the victim)- or because they are not sure of protection if they testify against traffickers.

On the other hand, changing stereotypes about typical male and female roles is essential. Such efforts are directly linked to reducing demand through education. Among other things, we have sought to use male role models in campaigns aimed at combatting violence against women (e.g. well known basketball stars, or the world’s strongest man ads/T-shirts with an educational/awareness message).

Starting early with human rights education: school curricula include education on human rights, gender relations and gender equality, also special classes on human rights abuses, including human trafficking in high schools, distribution of reading materials, leaflets, short films on the subject.

On the government level: capacity building includes training of prosecutors, judges, law enforcement officers, consular workers, border and customs control officers, social workers, NGOs.

The pervasive nature of trafficking is addressed through regional cooperation : Baltic Nordic projects, Council of the Baltic Sea states projects, involving neighbouring Belarus and Russia (e.g. CBSS Task Force against Trafficking in Human Beings etc.

In July last year the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania with the financial support from the EU ISEC programme, together with regional partners, the European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control (HEUNI), and other partners started a 24-month longs international project ADSTRINGO – addressing trafficking in human beings for labor exploitation through improved partnerships, enhanced analysis and intensified organizational approaches involving 9 countries of the Baltic Sea Region.

Combatting human trafficking was a high priority during Lithuania’s OSCE chairmanship in 2011 where we used the rallying power of the chair of the organization to address the issue during a series of event.

At the same time, Lithuania still needs to do more in terms of more systematic and predictable financing for NGOs working with trafficking victims; better outreach to problem areas and target groups; and in changing attitudes to violence against women in general and trafficking in particular.