2008 TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT RELEASED, UKRAINE RATED TIER TWO

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice released the 2008 Trafficking in Persons Report at the State Department in Washington DC on Wednesday, June 4. As directed by the U.S. Congress, the State Department prepares reports for all countries in the world. The goal of these reports is to stimulate action and create partnerships around the world in the fight against modern-day slavery.

The current report lists Ukraine as a Tier 2 country. This is because although the Government of Ukraine is making significant efforts to eliminate trafficking, it still does not fully comply with the minimum standards.

The report determines that Ukraine is making modest but tangible progress in improving the punishment of convicted traffickers, prosecuting labor trafficking, training the judiciary and carrying out prevention activities. For example, the Interior Ministry reported that the number of prosecutions for labor trafficking increased from three in 2006 to 23 in 2007.

The report also mentions that although local governments have made some progress on victim assistance, there was little evidence of efforts to curb trafficking complicity of government officials and of concrete steps to protect and assist trafficking victims at the national level.

The Embassy currently works with the government of Ukraine to combat trafficking in persons. We are committed to helping Ukraine increase its efforts to meet anti-trafficking standards.

U.S. Government programs to help Ukraine improve its anti-trafficking efforts include: USAID support to anti-trafficking NGOs that provide counseling, job-skills training, employment referral, and awareness campaigns to inform the public about trafficking. USAID assistance has helped over 2,000 victims of trafficking reintegrate into Ukraine. The Embassy is also helping the Ministry of Interior strengthen investigation and information technology capabilities of their anti-trafficking department. The U.S. Embassy also actively participates in the working group on visa and document fraud in human trafficking that has been recently established by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

The complete text of the 2008 Trafficking in Persons Report can be found in English at www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2008. The chapter on Ukraine can be found in Ukrainian at kyiv.usembassy.gov/files/080604_TIP_Report_2008_Ukraine_Ukr.html