Trafficking affects thousands of women and men in Russia. Women are trafficked from all over the country and forced to work as prostitutes or domestic workers and men are trafficked into agricultural or construction work. They are taken to countries throughout the world including Germany, Greece and Portugal as well as the United States and Israel. In the Russian Far-East women may be trafficked to China, Japan or Thailand.

As well as trafficking from Russia, increasing numbers of women from poorer neighbouring countries such as Ukraine, Belarus and Moldova are trafficked to Russia and forced into prostitution in Moscow and other cities.

Traffickers exploit people's desperation to escape from the deteriorating economy which has affected much of Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Organised criminal gangs take advantage of the lack of possibilities for legal migration. They operate through false employment agencies offering "good jobs" abroad as waitresses, dancers, nurses, au pairs or labourers. The salaries promised are well above what they can hope to earn in Russia and in many cases the agency arranges their transport and visas.

However, the reality is often very different and the dream of a bright future soon turns into a nightmare. On arrival their papers are taken away. Women are forced to work in brothels as prostitutes and are controlled through mental abuse and physical violence including beatings and rape. Men are forced to work long hours for little or no pay on construction sites or in agriculture.

The traffickers may also force their victims to repay the "agency" for the cost of transportation, thus controlling them through a system of debt bondage. Debts can be as high as US$30,000.

Lack of support

For those women and men who manage to escape or are deported back to Russia there is limited support available to them. Despite having endured mental and physical abuse there is no government programme to provide counselling, medical assistance or retraining. While some women's organisations conduct awareness raising campaigns and offer basic counselling most trafficking victims are left to get on with their lives without any help. Many are too ashamed to tell their families what happened. Others may face threats from the people who trafficked them when they return home. This often prevents them from speaking about their experiences.

Government action

In February 2003, a draft anti-trafficking Bill, the Federal Law on Countering Trafficking in Persons, was presented to the Russian Parliament (the Duma). Currently under consideration, the Bill contains measures to prevent trafficking, identify and tackle its causes, research the extent and nature of trafficking in Russia, and provide support and rehabilitation to people who have been trafficked, as well as punish traffickers. It also requires the Government, which has voiced its support for the Bill, to provide shelters for victims of trafficking, temporary rights of stay for people who have been trafficked to Russia, and residence permits for those who assist in investigations.

Case study: Sergey's story

Sergey is 27 years old and from Perm in Russia. In 2001 he saw an advert in a local newspaper for a job agency recruiting construction workers to work in Spain. The salary offered was US$1,200 per month. This was much more than his monthly salary of just $200 and more than he could ever hope to earn in Perm. He applied to the agency who booked his plane ticket to Madrid on the condition that he would pay back the money when he started work.

On arrival in Spain, Sergey was picked up by a person from the "agency" who took his passport. He was taken to Portugal and forced to work on a construction site without pay for several months. The site was surrounded by barbed wire. Without his passport he was afraid that the Portugese authorities would arrest him. One day Sergey managed to escape and begged his way to Germany. Because he did not have a passport the German authorities arrested him. He stated the police beat him and took away what little money he had before deporting him to Russia.

Now back home, Sergey is very traumatised by his experience. He suffered psychological problems and for several months was unable to work. He received no counselling or support to help him overcome his ordeal. Meanwhile his traffickers remain unpunished.