Human trafficking in Belarus

Abstract

Human trafficking is still a pressing issue for Belarus, despite its efforts to prevent it and the country’s accession to international conventions. Belarus was, in fact, the first among CIS countries to start an active combat against human trafficking. In the human trafficking context it can be regarded as a donor for many countries, and Russia is a leader among them. The Ministry of Interior is the main source of information about human exploitation offenses, hence available statistics mostly represent the results of criminal investigations. We have assessed the situation focusing on the following aspects: • Crimes against personal freedom • Human-trafficking victims • Exploitation channels