September 20, 2005
U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John E. Herbst and Minister of Family, Youth, and Sports Yuriy Pavlenko hosted a roundtable discussion today about eliminating the stereotypes often attached to victims of human trafficking. Speakers at the event included Ukrainian singer and presidential adviser Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, who is preparing to launch a European tour highlighting trafficking in persons issues; Natalka Samolevska, Head of the NGO Women's Consortium of Ukraine; Holly Wiseman, U.S. prosecutor and the Resident Legal Adviser at the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau, Moldova; and Anton Topchii, a trainer for media NGO Internews Ukraine. First Deputy Minister Illya Shevliak moderated the discussion.
In his remarks, Minister Pavlenko highlighted the Ukrainian government's efforts to establish a National Bureau for Countering Human Trafficking, draft an Action Plan for 2006-2010, and coordinate between all players in the field.
Ambassador Herbst called on the audience to recognize that to prevent trafficking, to reintegrate victims of trafficking, and to prosecute those responsible for trafficking, victims must not feel embarrassed or ashamed, but rather respected and safe. Ambassador Herbst urged those present at the seminar to help bring trafficking and its victims out of the shadows by naming trafficking the crime that it is, acknowledging that victims come from all levels of society and education, and accepting that sexual exploitation is just one kind of trafficking -- victims of trafficking also include men trafficked as forced labor as well as children.
Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, Ukrainian singer and presidential adviser, noted that because Ukrainian society is not familiar with the problem of trafficking, information campaigns must continue. He also emphasized that victims of trafficking should not keep silent about their tragedies. They should address relevant government authorities to ask for help.
Natalka Samolevska of the NGO Women's Consortium of Ukraine identified five stereotypes typically associated with victims of trafficking in persons and noted that these stereotypes are not true. She also shared some statistics about trafficking in persons in Ukraine. Holly Wiseman, U.S. prosecutor and the Resident Legal Adviser at the U.S. Embassy in Chisinau, Moldova, discussed law enforcement’s need to treat traffickers as organized criminals, and the importance of victims serving as witnesses in these criminal cases. Ms. Wiseman underscored that victims must feel respected, and encouraged prosecutors, police, and judges to exercise extreme sensitivity in their conversations with this vulnerable population. She also pointed out that given the resources and scope of organized crime, it is not surprising that men, women, and children alike fall victim to their schemes.
The final presenter, Anton Topchii of Internews Ukraine, encouraged the media to be better aware of the false stereotypes typically associated with victims of trafficking in persons, and, as responsible journalists, to eliminate these false stereotypes from their articles and reports.