It is through Bulgaria that men, women, and children from Ukraine, Romania, and Moldova are brought to be forced afterward into prostitution or slavery in countries such as Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Norway, the Czech Republic, Poland, Greece, Turkey, and Macedonia.
The U.S. State Department’s annual report on human trafficking published on June 16 follows the situation in 175 countries worldwide over the past year.
In Bulgaria, women and children of Roma background remain most vulnerable to trafficking, according to the report. The Bulgarian government has not completely met the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking, but makes significant efforts to implement laws against human trafficking, reported the U.S. State Department.
The document also notes that in the past year, Bulgaria slightly decreased the number of convicted and imprisoned traffickers. The report contains the State Department’s recommendations to the Bulgarian authorities.
Bulgaria needs to vigorously investigate, pursue, condemn, and punish government officials who are complicit in trafficking, stated the recommendations.
On Tuesday, June 16, around the railway station in Frankfurt, Germany, 150 illegal prostitutes, most of them from Bulgaria, were captured after a 3-month police investigation, reported the German newspaper Bild. In addition, the police captured 82 pimps, and 73 drug marketers and drug users.
The Spanish online edition of 20 Minutos published an extensive article about organized prostitution networks in Spain. According to the article, most women were from Romania and Bulgaria. After Bulgaria and Romania became members of the European Union in 2007, people have freely crossed borders, according to the article. Daily El Pais also wrote about a month ago that one of the largest groups among female sex workers in Spain are Bulgarians who work for organized crime networks.
Meanwhile, the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice reported the state of prisons for 2008. According to the data, a total of 8,273 people were imprisoned last year, and 9,114 people were set free. Among them, 93 are on parole, 31 have been extradited, and 50 died behind bars for various reasons while serving out sentences. The population of Bulgaria is approximately 7 million; 2 million have retired, and about 1.5 million are children.
The U.S. State Department’s annual report on human trafficking published on June 16 follows the situation in 175 countries worldwide over the past year.
In Bulgaria, women and children of Roma background remain most vulnerable to trafficking, according to the report. The Bulgarian government has not completely met the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking, but makes significant efforts to implement laws against human trafficking, reported the U.S. State Department.
The document also notes that in the past year, Bulgaria slightly decreased the number of convicted and imprisoned traffickers. The report contains the State Department’s recommendations to the Bulgarian authorities.
Bulgaria needs to vigorously investigate, pursue, condemn, and punish government officials who are complicit in trafficking, stated the recommendations.
On Tuesday, June 16, around the railway station in Frankfurt, Germany, 150 illegal prostitutes, most of them from Bulgaria, were captured after a 3-month police investigation, reported the German newspaper Bild. In addition, the police captured 82 pimps, and 73 drug marketers and drug users.
The Spanish online edition of 20 Minutos published an extensive article about organized prostitution networks in Spain. According to the article, most women were from Romania and Bulgaria. After Bulgaria and Romania became members of the European Union in 2007, people have freely crossed borders, according to the article. Daily El Pais also wrote about a month ago that one of the largest groups among female sex workers in Spain are Bulgarians who work for organized crime networks.
Meanwhile, the Bulgarian Ministry of Justice reported the state of prisons for 2008. According to the data, a total of 8,273 people were imprisoned last year, and 9,114 people were set free. Among them, 93 are on parole, 31 have been extradited, and 50 died behind bars for various reasons while serving out sentences. The population of Bulgaria is approximately 7 million; 2 million have retired, and about 1.5 million are children.
