COMBATING HUMAN TRAFFICKING

The classes were conducted by Tukhan Ediev, program director of the Chernihiv Public Committee for Human Rights, and Iryna Kisilevich, trainer of the Lviv non-governmental city public organization “Girls’ Club Yunka”.

The listeners discussed the causes of such a phenomenon as human trafficking, ways and mechanisms for prevention. The situation regarding human trafficking, in particular child trafficking in European countries, was considered. The experience of these countries in resolving this shameful phenomenon of modern times was covered in detail. Attention was focused on the fact that it is representatives of executive authorities working in the juvenile service who will contribute to the protection of the rights of children – the most vulnerable segment of our society.

FOR INFORMATION: Article 149 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine “Human Trafficking or Other Illegal Transactions with a Person”:

1. Human trafficking or other illegal transactions involving a person, as well as the recruitment, movement, concealment, transfer or receipt of a person, committed for the purpose of exploitation, using deception, blackmail or a vulnerable state of a person, shall be punishable by imprisonment for a term of three to eight years.

2. The actions provided for in Part One of this Article, committed against a minor or against several persons, or repeatedly, or by prior conspiracy by a group of persons, or by an official using his official position, or by a person on whom the victim was in material or other dependence, or combined with violence that is not dangerous to the life or health of the victim or his relatives, or with the threat of the use of such violence, shall be punishable by imprisonment for a term of five to twelve years with or without confiscation of property.

3. The actions provided for in parts one or two of this article, committed against a minor, or by an organized group, or combined with violence dangerous to the life or health of the victim or his relatives, or with the threat of using such violence, or if they have caused grave consequences, shall be punishable by imprisonment for a term of eight to fifteen years with or without confiscation of property.

Note. 1. In this article, human exploitation means all forms of sexual exploitation, use in the pornography business, forced labor or forced provision of services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude, involvement in debt bondage, removal of organs, conducting experiments on a person without his or her consent, adoption for profit, forced pregnancy, involvement in criminal activity, use in armed conflicts, etc.

2. In Articles 149 and 303 of this Code, a vulnerable state of a person shall be understood as a state of a person caused by physical or mental properties or external circumstances, which deprives or limits his ability to be aware of his actions (inaction) or to control them, to make independent decisions of his own free will, to resist violent or other unlawful actions, a combination of serious personal, family or other circumstances.

3. Liability for the recruitment, movement, concealment, transfer or receipt of a minor or minor under this article shall arise regardless of whether such actions were committed using deception, blackmail or the vulnerable state of the said persons or using or threatening to use violence, using official position, or by a person on whom the victim was in material or other dependence.