On June 12 Kyiv hosted the international seminar, Public Initiatives in the Prevention of Trade in Women. The topic has been discussed for years and remains urgent. The absence of positive changes in the economies of most post-Soviet states makes an increasing number of women to look for ways to earn a better living. In most cases such seekers of fortune wind up in Turkish, Greek, Serbian, and Macedonian brothels. Some even hold special auctions as in Africa. The dominance of white slaves from the former Soviet republics has resulted in the usage of Natasha as a synonym for foreign prostitute and with reason. Official statistics show that some 400,000 Ukrainian girls have left in search of jobs abroad, of whom over 100,000 have gotten caught up in the sex industry. Nor should these statistics be taken at their value, because white slavery is done illicitly and girls disclosing any information risk paying with their lives for it. Experts believe such figures are approximate; in reality the number of white slaves may be several times larger. Of course, one can understand such Ukrainian girls; they are promised good jobs and an opportunity to do what is generally known as self-realization, on the one hand; on the other, they have no money or prospects at home. Mounting unemployment especially among women (62.1% in 2001) and low pay (27.6% less than men on the average) is evidence that there is a trend toward the feminization of unemployment in Ukraine. On the other hand, the chance to get a well-paying job abroad, especially in the Balkan peninsula, is rather illusory. In Macedonia, the unemployment rate is 27% of the entire able-bodied population, which reduces a foreign woman’s employment opportunity to nil even theoretically. Verkhovna Rada Ombudsman Nina Karpachova says the problem has become global, meaning that it can be solved only by means of a coordinated effort by recipient and donor countries. Even though the Ukrainian Criminal Code stipulates punishment for what is termed as “trade in people,” the nation’s legislation is very scarce in this sphere. Europe relies on 1949 and 1956 conventions, because the European Union and Council of Europe cannot agree on the notion of slavery. This ambiguity is reflected in the Ukrainian legislation. True, in 1999, the cabinet adopted a program to prevent trade in women and children, including analysis of Ukrainian legislation’s conformity to international law, measures to prevent women’s unemployment from rising, enhancing the amenability of firms arranging for trips and employment abroad, and measures to rehabilitate the victims. Oksana Morhunova, of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), says that much has been and is still being done to this end. Tremendous information work has been carried out among the population, although 40% of the respondents in an IOM poll made it clear they could be next in line; they see no risk in venturing such employment trips abroad. Ms. Morhunova points to women’s rehabilitation centers actively operating in Ukraine. Jointly with the La Strada Foundation against Trafficking in Women, a hot line and women’s first-aid stations have been set up. At these stations women can also consult psychologists, who say that many patients, apart from various physical ills, exhibit serious mental disorders: all kinds of neuroses, phobias, and manias. IOM also helps women get employment as much as possible. The organization runs foreign language, computer, and accounting training courses to help women fulfill themselves in their native land. Yet struggle against white slavers remains the number one priority. This is made considerably harder by most victimized girls being reluctant to cooperate and testify in court. Despite this, the number of actions brought as under Article 124 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine has increased significantly (86 white slavery cases have been opened to date). Cordule Wohltmuter of the OSCE says that such criminal groups cannot be combated only at the national level, because the problem is transnational. The criminal networks have their own hierarchy and are excellently organized, which makes combating them considerably more difficult. To date, despite a number of measures taken, the status of white slavery remains practically unchanged. The economic situation in Ukraine, overall atmosphere of despair, and result chronic depression encourages people to begin selling their bodies. The notion that anywhere else must be better than here has become predominant in the Ukrainian mentality, meaning that the problem actually remains unsolved. There is some hope that media coverage of Ukrainian women being turned into white slaves abroad will make potential victims think twice before venturing on such fortune quests; they might decide to give Ukraine another try rather than risk their health, dignity, and sometimes lives. This is why the organizers of such initiatives attach such importance to television and the print media in discussing the problem.
