The United States has released a list of countries sponsoring human trafficking. Among other things, Russia and Belarus were included in it.
Points of attention
- Russia and Belarus were included in the list of US sponsors of human trafficking due to their policy of human rights violations.
- Ukraine reacts to the inclusion of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus in this list, pointing to Russia's aggressive activities in Ukraine.
- Russia's forced deportation of 11.5 million Ukrainians creates a humanitarian crisis and raises questions about human trafficking in wartime conditions.
- The problem of forced relocation of Ukrainians to the Russian Federation and Belarus indicates a violation of international humanitarian law.
- In Ukraine, they are paying attention to the huge number of displaced persons and are actively responding to this situation at various levels.
Russia and Belarus are on the US human trafficking list
The report covers the following 13 countries that have documented "policies or patterns" of human trafficking, trafficking in government-sponsored programs, forced labor in government-related health services or other sectors, sexual slavery in government camps, and employment or recruitment of child soldiers.
The US State Department press service reported.
In particular, the list includes such countries as:
Afghanistan;
Belarus;
Myanmar;
China;
Cuba;
Eritrea;
Iran;
North Korea;
Russia;
South Sudan;
Sudan;
Syria;
Turkmenistan.
Ukraine's reaction to Russia, Belarus enlisting as sponsoring countries of human trafficking
Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said that such information is not surprising, because the Russian Federation is an aggressor country that has been violating human rights in Ukraintenfor 10 years.
However, such lists, which involve other states condemning Russia's actions, can ultimately have a powerful effect on stopping crimes and bringing the guilty to justice.
Dmytro Lubinets
Ombudsman of Ukraine
Since February 24, 2022, Russia forcibly deported 11.5 million Ukrainians
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Russian Federation forcibly displaced over 11.5 million Ukrainians within Ukraine and abroad. In times of war, human trafficking poses new challenges.
In the conditions of a full-scale invasion, a full-scale war and the humanitarian crisis we have today, the problem of human trafficking takes on a new urgency. This year, as part of the "16 days against violence" campaign, we are talking about preventing and combating human trafficking not only in the context of labor, sexual exploitation, involvement in criminal activity. Today, we face such a problem as the forced relocation and deportation of Ukrainians, particularly children, to the Russian Federation, Belarus and temporarily occupied territories, said Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Kateryna Pavlichenko.
According to her, Russia forcibly deports Ukrainian citizens, forces them to undergo filtering measures and forcibly deports them for the sake of "rescue".
Since the beginning of the invasion of the Russian Federation, more than 11.5 million people have been transported within the state and abroad. This is a gross violation of international humanitarian law, and Ukraine raises this issue at all levels, the deputy minister emphasised.
