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The Committee takes note of the Government’s first report and of the communication of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) concerning the problem of trafficking in persons for the purpose of sexual and labour exploitation. Referring to the comments made by the Committee under the Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29), in so far as Article 3(a) of Convention No. 182 provides that the worst forms of child labour include “all forms of slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage and serfdom and forced or compulsory labour”, the Committee is of the view that the issue of the sale and trafficking of children can be examined more specifically under this Convention. The Committee requests the Government to supply further information on the following points.

Article 3. Worst forms of child labour. Clause (a). Sale and trafficking of children. The Committee notes that, according to the communication of the ICFTU, thousands of persons are trafficked from the Russian Federation to other countries, including Canada, China, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Spain, Thailand and the United States. Internal trafficking within the Russian Federation is also taking place; women are generally forced to work as prostitutes while men are trafficked into agricultural or construction work. There are said to be confirmed cases of children being trafficked for sexual exploitation. The Committee further notes that the Committee on the Rights of the Child in its concluding observations (CRC/C/15/Add.274 of 30 September 2005, paragraph 80) while welcoming the recent introduction of norms prohibiting the trafficking of human beings in the Criminal Code, was concerned that not enough was being done to effectively implement these provisions. The Committee on the Rights of the Child also expressed its concern that protection measures for victims of trafficking of human beings were not fully in place and that reported acts of complicity between traffickers and state officials were not being fully investigated and punished.

The Committee observes that section 127.1 of the Criminal Code prohibits the sale and trafficking in human beings, defined as the purchase and sale of persons or their recruitment, transport, transfer, hiding or receipt, if committed for the purposes of exploitation. Subsection (2) of section 127.1 provides for a higher penalty when this offence is committed in relation to a known minor (defined in section 87 as a person aged 14 to 18 years). The Committee also notes that subsection (2) of section 240 of the Criminal Code prohibits transporting another person across the state border of the Russian Federation for the purposes of engaging that person into prostitution or illegal detention abroad. A higher penalty is provided when this offence is committed against a minor.

The Committee notes the Government’s information that during the period 2003-05, work has been under way on a draft Law on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings which is based on the Palermo Protocol and provides for appropriate measures to ensure legal protection and social rehabilitation for victims of trafficking. The Committee also notes the Government’s information that in 2002, ten cases of criminal proceedings for trafficking in minors were instituted, and 21 in 2003. In 2004, three cases of trafficking in minors were uncovered, of which two involved children aged between 1 and 3 years, and the other involved a child of 16 years.

The Committee consequently notes that, although the trafficking of children for labour or sexual exploitation is prohibited by law, it remains an issue of concern in practice. It recalls that, by virtue of Article 3(a) of the Convention, the sale and trafficking of children is considered to be one of the worst forms of child labour and is therefore prohibited for children under 18 years of age. The Committee requests the Government to take the necessary measures as a matter of urgency to ensure that persons who traffic in children for labour or sexual exploitation are in practice prosecuted and that sufficiently effective and dissuasive penalties are imposed. In this regard, it requests the Government to continue to provide information on the number of infringements reported, investigations, prosecutions, convictions and penal sanctions applied for violations of the legal prohibitions on the sale and trafficking of children. The Committee also asks the Government to inform it on the progress in the elaboration of the draft Law on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and to provide a copy thereof once it has been adopted.

Article 7, paragraph 2. Effective and time-bound measures. Clause (a). Prevent the engagement of children in the worst forms of child labour. The Committee notes the Government’s information that efforts are being made to improve collaboration between the media and non-governmental organizations in combating cross-border trafficking in women and children. Thus, it is becoming increasingly common for the major television networks to broadcast programmes on trafficking in women and children, shedding light on this problem and explaining the work done by internal affairs officials to identify and prosecute traffickers in accordance with the new provisions of the Criminal Code. It also notes that in 2004, the organization “Independent voluntary assistance centre for victims of sexual assault” (“Sisters”) helped to conduct a series of one-day training sessions on the theme of “Making general use of Russian and international experience in combating trafficking in persons”. The Committee further observes that the association of women’s crisis centres “Let’s stop violence!” has opened a national information line on the problem of preventing trafficking in persons. Its purpose is to provide information on Russian and international organizations that provide assistance to victims of trafficking in the Russian Federation  and abroad, Russian embassies and consulates abroad, and personal security plans for persons travelling abroad. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on the impact of the above measures on preventing the sale and trafficking of children.

Clause (b). Direct assistance for the removal of children from the worst forms of child labour and for their rehabilitation and social integration. The Committee notes the Government’s detailed information on a system of social institutions which provide for the rehabilitation and social integration of children engaged in the worst forms of child labour. In particular, it notes that, compared to 2003, the number of establishments functioning within the social protection bodies of the constituent units of the Russian Federation and local self-government bodies increased by 144, reaching 3,373 by 1 January 2005 (the corresponding figures were 3,059 in 2002 and 3,229 in 2003). It also notes that social rehabilitation centres for minors, centres to provide social assistance to families and children, social shelters for children and adolescents, centres for children left without parental care, telephone hotlines for emergency psychological assistance and other measures are being actively developed. The development of social rehabilitation centres for minors was stepped up in 2004 (with the addition of 163 new centres compared to the year 2002). The Committee also notes the Government’s information that in recent years, the Russian law enforcement authorities have been collaborating closely with organizations which help victims of violence. For example, the National Central Office of Interpol receives information from crisis centres on cases of unlawful detention and sexual exploitation abroad of Russian women, including under-age girls. The Committee requests the Government to continue to provide information on effective and time-bound measures taken to assist child victims of trafficking and to provide for their rehabilitation and social integration.

Article 8. International cooperation and assistance. 1. International cooperation. The Committee notes that the Russian Federation is a member of Interpol, which helps cooperation between countries in the different regions especially in the fight against trafficking of children. The Committee also notes that the Russian Federation has ratified the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its supplementary Protocols against Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, as well as the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children. The Committee asks the Government to provide information on any steps taken to assist other member States or on assistance received giving effect to provisions of the Convention through enhanced international cooperation and assistance, in particular, on the issue of combating the trafficking of children.

2. Regional cooperation. The Committee notes the Government’s information that since 1998, joint operations have been under way with the countries of the Council of Baltic Sea States with a view to preventing cross-border smuggling of children. Under the auspices of that body’s executive committee, so-called “contact officers”, including some from the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, are dealing with specific cases requiring action to prevent trafficking in children for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Following a decision by the Interpol Operative Committee for the Baltic Sea States, available data on the cross-border smuggling of children for the purpose of prostitution is being analysed and the principal trafficking routes are being mapped. The Committee asks the Government to continue to provide information on regional cooperation with the countries of the Council of Baltic Sea States with a view to preventing cross-border trafficking of children.

The Committee is also addressing a direct request to the Government concerning other detailed points.