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Counter trafficking protest
in Yaroslavl.
TRAFFICKING IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

In 1999, MiraMed Institute became the first American non-governmental organization in Russia to begin work on preventing trafficking of girls and women for sexual exploitation.  In 1999, MiraMed co-founded Russia’s leading coalition of Russian NGOs uniting together to combat human trafficking throughout the CIS.  Since then, MiraMed’s counter-trafficking activities have expanded to:

 

Prevention activities in the form of information campaigns, trainings for embassies, trainings for at-risk groups, and hotline consultations and work with regional, national and international media;

Rescue and repatriation of victims with the help of an international toll-free hotline, and the Angel Coalition Trafficking Victim Assistance Center (TVAC); and

Protection of victims through the operation of regional safe houses, law enforcement trainings, research and publication of best practices on victim rehabilitation, and trainings for high-level regional and federal government officials.

 

Shelter for trafficked girls in St. Petersburg.


2003-2007 THE RUSSIAN PROJECT

In 2003-2007, MiraMed received funding from the Trafficking in Persons Office of the U.S. State
Department and a congressional appropriation to carry out a four-year anti-trafficking initiative, The Russian Project. The result has been the creation of the only organizational network in Russia that initiates and coordinates the rescue, repatriation and rehabilitation of trafficking victims.

MiraMed in partnership with The Angel Coalition, Moscow, has achieved the following:
  • Russia 's first fully operational Trafficking Victim Assistance Center
  • (TVAC)
  • Russia 's first network of 9 safe houses with operational protocols specific to the unique needs of victims of trafficking.
    Angel Coalition Counter Trafficking
    Protocol used by governments and NGO's.
  • Russia 's first 24 hour toll-free national and international rescue/help-lines for trafficking victims (Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Russia)
  • Direct help-line assistance in Russia and 13 other countries to more than 9,000 people—including victims, families and those seeking information about the risks of working abroad.
  • Successful TVAC international rescues and repatriations of more than 900 Russian-speaking trafficking victims.
  • Rehabilitation of 150 trafficking victims by the shelter network.
  • Partnering with Russian and international law enforcement to instigate 2 ongoing, full-scale international investigations of criminal trafficking rings.
  • Working with survivor witnesses, police and regional prosecutors to develop 50 cases now going to court in Russia with 15 successful criminal prosecutions of traffickers.
  • Performing multiple emergency interventions in partnership with the Russian police to prevent trafficking from occurring at Russian borders.
  • Initiating more than 20 successful missing
  • Training 2500 police officers in how to work with victims.
  • Training programs in 13 shelters and Russia's largest child detention center teaching staff how to recognize and help trafficked children.
  • Initiating successful missing persons cases through the police in destination countries including the United States , Israel , Turkey, Arab Emirates and EU.
  • Participating as experts on more than 100 television programs, in over 100 news interviews, and in 16 newspaper investigations of the issue of trafficking to, from and within Russia .
  • Publication of the “Counter-trafficking Protocol and Plan of Action for the Russian Federation,” (DOWNLOAD PDF) written with input from NGO ' s and Russian and international governmental agencies and used as the template for NGO/government counter-trafficking partnership.
    Anti-trafficking workshop in Ashkabat, Turkmenistan.
  • Publication of the “Victim Assistance Protocol” (DOWNLOAD PDF) as a standard of “best practice” for the operation of safe houses in the Russian Federation .
  • Serving as consulting trainers for the National Training Academy of the Ministry of Interior to develop a law enforcement counter-trafficking and victim profiling curriculum that will be taught to cadets in 2006.

 

OUR KEY ACTIVITIES:

 

Informational Activities

  • Three large-scale information campaigns have been organized and carried out by Angel Coalition and MiraMed:  in 2001 (6 Russian cities), 2005 (3 Russian cities), and 2006-7 (Moscow), directly reaching millions of people.
  • MiraMed regularly supplies the two Moscow international airports with brochures informing travelers about the problem of human trafficking, which results in more calls to the hotline, and more trafficking cases prevented.
  • Angel Coalition and MiraMed experts have been interviewed by journalists from all over Russia and Europe; the United States, and Israel.

 Research and Training

  • In 2007, MiraMed and Angel Coalition co-authored, with the Office of the General Prosecutor of the Russian Federation, an instructional textbook entitled “Prevention, Manifestation, and Investigation,” with our contribution detailing best practices for victim assistance and protection.
  • In 2006, Angel Coalition president Natalya Khodyreva published a book entitled “The Modern Debate on Prostitution.  A Gender Approach,” analyzing modern-day prostitution and various viewpoints related to this phenomenon.
  • MiraMed and the Angel Coalition have recently published two protocols to assist those working to prevent trafficking and assist victims:  The Counter-Trafficking Protocol and Plan of Action for the Russian Federation (2004) and The Repatriation and Rehabilitation Protocol for the Russian Federation (2005).
  • Since 2004, MiraMed has supported Angel Coalition member NGOs in hosting 12 high-level regional trainings in 10 Russian cities and Tajikistan.  These trainings, targeting regional and federal governmental structures, have served as a catalyst for regional prevention programs and adoption of best practices in counter-trafficking activities.
  • Since 2002, the TVAC has held a series of 2-day trainings for consular staff of embassies representing:  Switzerland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland, and the Czech Republic.  Staff are given an overview of the human trafficking problem, and taught how to identify possible trafficking situations in their work.

 International Hotline

  • A toll-free, Russian-language hotline is currently operating in Russia, the United States, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland.
  • Data from hotline calls is collected and analyzed in order to assist the TVAC in identifying “problem” regions, and in case follow-up.

 Regional Safe Houses

  • Since 2003, with funding from the United States Department of State, MiraMed has supported some of the more active Angel Coalition regional partners in operating safe houses for trafficking survivors.
  • Using community and staff resources, safe houses have been able to offer housing, comprehensive legal, psychological, and medical assistance; and, in some cases, vocational training and job placement to trafficking survivors.

 

The Moscow Child Rescue Project:  Combating Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

  • Through the Moscow Child Rescue Project, two therapy rooms have been equipped at the Center for the Temporary Care of Juvenile Delinquents:  a playroom and a sensory room.  These rooms are used in the Center’s daily therapeutic work with victimized children.
  • Law enforcement and social services personnel have been trained on daily work with victimized children, working with victimized teenagers, and questioning minors.
  • Trainings have been held for children at camps, schools, and social services facilities on myths and realities of working abroad, and on commercial sexual exploitation of children.

 For detailed information click on the following:
CLICK HERE TO LINK TO THE ANGEL COALITION WEBSITE

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PUBLIC INFORMATION CAMPAIGN