Regular meeting held by the Local Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings Sliven
On 23.11.2022 in Hall 119 of the Municipality of Sliven, the Local Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings Sliven held a regular meeting. The meeting was opened by Ms. Pepa Chilikova the Deputy Mayor of Sliven Municipality and Chairperson of the LCCTHB Sliven.
The meeting was attended by the members of the Local Commission, and representatives of the following institutions: the District Prosecutor's Office Sliven, Sector "BOP" Sliven, Sector "Criminal Police", Department "Counteracting Crime" at the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of the Interior Sliven, Department "Child Protection" Sliven, Primary School "Dr. Ivan Seliminski" and Association "Doctors of the World" Sliven.
During the regular session, statistics were presented on the cases of human trafficking monitored by the District Prosecutor's Office - Sliven in 2022. For the period 01.01.2022 - 31.10.2022, 9 cases concerning the crime of "Human trafficking" were pending at the Regional Prosecutor's Office Sliven. Two of these cases were initiated in 2021 and the remaining seven cases were initiated in previous years. One of the cases is supervised by the territorial department of the Sliven Regional Police in Nova Zagora, and the rest by the Sliven Regional Police. There were 47 victims of trafficking in the above cases. Of these, 30 men, and 8 women were victims of trafficking for labor exploitation. The remaining victims were women trafficked for sexual exploitation. There were 10 people convicted of the offense. The texts under which the above criminal proceedings were conducted are as follows:
- Art. 159d, Art. 159b, Paragraph 1, Art. 159a, Paragraph 1, Art. 1 of the Criminal Code - international trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation in the conditions of dangerous recidivism - 1 pc.
- Art. 159b, Paragraphs 1 and 2, Art. 159a of the Criminal Code - international trafficking for sexual exploitation - 3 pcs.
- Art. 159b, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code - international trafficking for forced labor - 2pcs.
- Art. 159a, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code - domestic trafficking in human beings for sexual exploitations - 3 pcs.
Out of the 9 monitored proceedings with the subject "Human trafficking", 6 are in the "Pre-trial" phase. Of these, 4 are suspended for witness tracing and 2 proceedings are pending. One of the cases was sent to the Regional Police - Sliven by the Regional Police - Stara Zagora, but the same was sent back to the Regional Police - Stara Zagora for investigation, following a decree of the Supreme Prosecutor's Office Sofia. Two of the proceedings initiated on indictments from previous years have resulted in convictions which have not yet entered into force:
In 2021, 1 person was convicted of an offense under Article 159d, in conjunction with Article 159b, Paragraph 1, in conjunction with Article 159a, Paragraph 1, of the Criminal Code - international trafficking in the conditions of dangerous recidivism. A penalty of 3 years' imprisonment was imposed under an initial "strict" regime. On appeal of the convicted person, the sentence was revoked by the SJC and the case was remanded to the SJRC. The proceedings are currently pending.
In 2020, 1 person was acquitted on charges under Article 150a, Paragraph 1, in conjunction with Article 26, Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code. An appeal proceeding was initiated before the SJC on the protest of the remanded to the SJRC. By the verdict of 31.10.2022. The Sliven District Court sentenced the person to 2 years imprisonment and a BGN 5000 fine. At present, the sentence has not entered into legal force.
The current trends in the crime of human trafficking on the territory of Sliven region, monitored by the BOP Sector Sliven at DG BOP, were discussed. The main form of human trafficking in Sliven district is trafficking for sexual exploitation, with cross-border human trafficking /for EU countries/ being the main form of trafficking. According to unofficial data from the police services of the Kingdom of Belgium, no large number of prostituted women from Sliven district in the cities of the country has been identified at the moment. A small number of women have been detected prostituting on the areas of highways in Sliven and its surroundings as well as in the city. As a rule, most of these women were also practicing the profession abroad. They are mainly of Roma origin, working on the principle of one pimp - one prostitute. There has been a sharp decline in females willing to cooperate with the police and testify against their pimps. This is probably due to the fact that almost all arrangements previously made between the two are honored by the pimp. There is a relatively higher number of women who go into prostitution on their own, or current prostitutes who continue in this line of work after they have ended relationships with their former pimps. As for those who decide to work alone and go abroad for this purpose, it is typical that in most cases they are assisted by their friends or acquaintances who also work as prostitutes. The large number of persons of Roma origin who prostitute themselves in various cities in Germany remains.
During the period in question, partial information was received from the police services of the Swiss Confederation on the presence of a limited number of prostituted women from the region of Sliven on the territory of that country. During the period from the beginning of 2022 to the present time, work has been carried out in cooperation with the police services of the Netherlands, with one investigation completed and two persons extradited to the Netherlands. During the above-mentioned period, one investigation has been concluded in respect of a person involved in pimping activities and he has been declared for extradition to the Kingdom of Belgium.
During the regular session, the current trends in the at-risk groups of children in Sliven municipality were presented. At present, the Children's Protection Department of the SSP Sliven is working on 1048 cases of "children at risk", against whom a protection measure has been taken, provided for in the provisions of the Children's Protection Act. Of these, a total of 31 children have been placed in families of relatives, 33 children in professional foster families, and 32 children in residential social services. In the remaining cases, a family protection measure was taken under Article 23 of the Children's Protection Act - "Assistance, support, and services in a family environment" and Article 4, Paragraph 10 of the Children's Protection Act - "Provision of preventative measure for the safety and protection of the child." Various social services are provided to children and families, such as family counseling and support, work with a psychologist, prevention of children's abandonment and institutionalization, prevention of school drop-out, etc. The main groups of children at risk in the cases in which the DPO/SPA Sliven is involved are:
- Pregnant minors, mothers, and their children. It is important to bear in mind that underage pregnant women and mothers interrupt their education, which is a prerequisite for social exclusion and the impossibility of professional realization in the future;
- Children born into so-called socially weak families who are unable to provide them with the necessary environment and conditions for their upbringing and development;
- Children born with disabilities, in a serious health condition requiring treatment and medical interventions, who are placed in social and integrated health and social services for residential care on medical grounds;
- Children who have dropped out of the education system or are at risk of dropping out due to unexcused absence or those who are not included in the education system for various reasons - migration of families to different locations, residence abroad, parents' refusal to ensure their presence in school, etc.;
- Children, perpetrators of antisocial acts, in respect of whom actions have been taken in accordance with the relevant legislation /by the Pedagogical Council, the ICBPM, and the RS/.
In the current year 2022, the OPD staff participated in 67 meetings of the ICBPM. Most often, children's deviant behavior and antisocial behaviors are due to: criminality in the family, conflict and violence in the family environment; lack of positive behavior patterns, low education and culture of parents, problems in communication between parents and children; irresponsibility and impunity of parents, weak parental control and their disinterest in children's problems, emotional alienation in the family and neglect of children, etc. The number of cases of children, including minors /mostly females/, using psychoactive substances /according to their data - pico "drugged tea", marijuana and drugs/ is increasing. In the cases of these children, measures for protection in a family environment have been taken, the District Prosecutor's Office Sliven has been contacted, and appropriate social services in the community have been provided, including the Emergency Reception Centre. In the current year 2022, the DPO/SPA Sliven has not worked on cases of trafficked unaccompanied children.
Association "Doctors of the World" Sliven made a presentation on the activities of the association in Nadezhda district, Sliven in the line of psychological support for children living in precarious conditions. Specific outreach activities aimed at children were presented, including the organization of a summer festival "Beautiful Nadezhda: and the painting of the underpass through which one enters the neighborhood. Emphasis was placed on creating partnerships with existing social services in the city, and in particular with the Community Support Centre, which uses the Doctors of the World center in the neighborhood, adapting their activities to reach children in need. The association's outlook is to create a friendly urban environment for children. Information was presented on the line of implemented activities in the prevention of human trafficking among at-risk groups in Nadezhda neighborhood. Six information sessions have been held with children aged between 12 and 15, with a focus on the prevention of trafficking for sexual exploitation. Screenings of the animation "Two Little Girls" were carried out. 40 children were reached from Nadezhda district with whom long-term work is carried out.
During the regular meeting, the focus was on planning activities to prevent and counter human trafficking to be implemented in 2023 at the local level. The discussion focused on the policies on the prevention of human trafficking with the most at-risk and vulnerable groups. Again, the focus was on issues related to risky behavior in children, including unsupervised use of the Internet, through smart devices, early sexualization, early marriage, and drug use - risk factors that could lead to involvement in trafficking. The need for specific targeted prevention activities, including with parents, as well as specialized training of experts to build their capacity and achieve better interaction and coordination is identified.