Posted on 12-5-2004

Trafficked Have Human Rights

"We were his property he said. By buying us, he had the right to beat us,
rape us, starve us, and force us to have sex with clients." "Even when it
was cold weather I had to wear thin dresses... - was forced by the boss to
serve international soldiers and police officers."
Testimonies of trafficked women and girls.

Despite some positive measures, trafficking of women and girls remains a
disgraceful human rights abuse in Kosovo. The international community is
responsible for the growth of a sex-industry based on the abuse of
trafficked women, said Amnesty International at a press conference
revealing the result of its research into the trafficking of women and
girls in Kosovo.

"Women and girls are sold into slavery. They are threatened, beaten, raped
and effectively imprisoned by their owners. With clients including
international police and troops, the girls and women are often too afraid
to escape and the authorities are failing to help them," said Amnesty
International.

The report, "So does that mean I have rights?" Protecting the human rights
of women and girls trafficked for forced prostitution in Kosovo, reveals
that trafficked women and girls are exposed to a series of human rights
abuses, including abduction, deprivation of liberty and denial of freedom
of movement, torture and ill-treatment, including psychological threats,
beatings and rape.

Young women and girls, often vulnerable because of economic deprivation or
for having already been physically abused, are easy targets. They dream of
a better life which the traffickers use when they offer them "work" in the
West. Instead of getting a proper job the women and girls find themselves
trapped, enslaved, forced into prostitution.

According to reports the number of establishments in Kosovo where
trafficked women and girls may be exploited has increased from 18 in 1999
to over 200 in 2003. At the same time, the number of prosecutions for
trafficking offences remains low.

"Having escaped one set of human rights abuses, trafficked women and girls
are subjected to a second set of violations at the hands of traffickers.
If they manage to get away, they are often subjected to a third set of
violations, this time by the authorities," Amnesty International said.

Despite some positive measures by the authorities to combat trafficking in
Kosovo, trafficked women and girls are often still treated as criminals -
prosecuted for being unlawfully in Kosovo, or charged with prostitution
following raids by UNMIK police. When arrested, the women and girls are
not given the basic rights guaranteed to all detainees. They are not
informed about their rights, they are not allowed access to a lawyer and
girls are often interviewed without a legal guardian present.

Amnesty International found that the UN Interim Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK),
the NATO-led international military force in Kosovo (KFOR), and the
Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Kosovo (PISG) have failed
to protect and respect the human rights of these women and girls.

Members of the international community are estimated to constitute 20 per
cent of the people using trafficked women and girls and they generate a
significant part of the industry's income.

"It is outrageous that the very same people who are there to protect these
women and girls are using their position and exploiting them instead - and
they are getting away with it. It has devastating effects on these girls'
and women's lives," said Amnesty International.

Amnesty International is particularly concerned that girls under 18 make
up between 15 and 20 per cent of the women working in bars. They are
suspected of having been trafficked for forced prostitution. Instead of
removing these girls, registered by UNMIK, they are left in the bars,
subject to further human rights abuses, including being raped and beaten.

Although trafficked women and girls are able to receive assistance from
local NGOs and international organizations, Amnesty International is
concerned that UNMIK have failed to implement an administrative directive
that would guarantee them access to redress and reparation. The
organization also reports that few women receive the long-term protection
they need, such as witness protection for those prepared to testify in
proceedings against their traffickers.

"Trafficking of women and girls in Kosovo and other post-conflict
situations will never end as long as the perpetrators go free and as long
as civilian and military personnel are allowed to commit human rights
violations with impunity," said the organization.

Amnesty International calls on the Kosovo authorities, including UNMIK and
PISG, to implement measures to end the trafficking of women and girls to,
from and within Kosovo for forced prostitution. The authorities should
also ensure that measures are taken to protect victims of trafficking, and
to afford them the right to redress and reparation for the human rights
abuses they have suffered.

The organization also called on the UN and NATO to implement measures to
ensure that any members of military and civilian peacekeeping forces
suspected of criminal offences associated with trafficking are brought to
justice.

Trafficking of persons, in particular women and girls, in situations that
amount to enslavement is included among the most serious crimes in the
Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).


For the full report visit:
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGEUR700102004

Amnesty International is running a global campaign to end violence against
women. For more information and news related to the campaign "Stop
violence against women" visit: http://news.amnesty.org/mav/actforwomen