Belarus women most likely victims of sex slavery in Poland
Experts reckon our girls travel to the neighboring country and end up as sex workers.
There are more and more cases of slavery and trafficking in people in Poland. In most cases, the victims are from Belarus and Ukraine, Anna Rostowska, the head of the International Immigration Bureau in Poland, told journalists from Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova and Russia.
Currently, in the framework of the good neighborhood program, the government of Poland has opened its labor market for the citizens of Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova and Russia. In order to come to Poland, the nationals from these countries should have just a promise of an employer to offer a job. But along with the legal employment, there are more cases of forced labor, says Anna Rostowska.
As an example, she told about the case when a group of migrants from Azerbaijan was locked on the territory of a tobacco factory and forced to work for food only. They were not allowed to leave the venue. Such cases are not frequent, but they are there.
However, the most ruthless facts are about trafficking in people for prostitution. Belarus and Ukraine women are the most frequent victims in this regard, says Anna Rostowska.
Anna Rostowska: "There are cases of trafficking in people for prostituion. Most often, they are women from Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova. But the thing is that prostitution is legal in Poland. It is banned to make profit from somebody's prostitution. And, trafficking in people is also banned".
The situation gets more complicated when our female compatriots do not wish to change their job and to begin making money in a different way. The majority knew from the beginning what they would be doing in Poland, says Anna Rostowska.
The International Migration Bureau assists migrants in a difficult situation to returm back home. For some, they buy a ticket if a person has ended up without any money; for some, the bureau helps to process necessary documents. Last year, the bureau assisted 1600 people. Rostowska would not elaborate if there were Belarusians among them.
Что же касается нелегальной миграции в Польше, то действительных объемов ее не знают даже в этой неправительственной организации.
Martin Pawlowski from the Polish Ministry of Labor told Euroradio that they issued more than 29000 work permits, including 1700 to Belarusians.
