TRAFFICKING IN HUMAN BEINGS IN CONFLICT AND POST CONFLICT SITUATIONS

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1 TRAFFICKING IN HUMAN BEINGS IN CONFLICT AND POST CONFLICT SITUATIONS

2 Syrian refugees in the region 1,622,839 1,179, , , ,244 In 2014, Lebanon become the country with the world s highest concentration of refugees compared to its total population

3 The situation of refugees in Lebanon Recent limitation of entry to Syrian and Palestinian refugees from Syria Lebanon is the highest per capita concentration of refugees worldwide UNHCR in Lebanon is currently registering around 2,500 new refugees a day, meaning about 2 persons per minute from Syria to Lebanon

4 The war in Syria is forcing one family a minute to leave their home. Many of the refugees leave their home empty-handed, even without any financial savings. Most of them are suffering from trauma (depression and anxiety) because of their experience in Syria and/or their escape to Lebanon. Life is much more expensive in Lebanon than in Syria

5 Syrians are facing great difficulties to find a job. Many children are not attending school but are working to help their parents earn money to survive or just hang out all day. Shelter options are extremely limited because of the staggering number of refugees in the country. Some families are so desperate that they abandon their newborns on the street as they can t provide for them

6 Available statistics on THB In 2013: 27 victims of trafficking 24 offenders arrested 2014: 24 victims identified 24 offenders arrested In most of these cases: girls were directly brought in from Syria and forced into prostitution in Lebanon, either by their husbands or by relatives : 118 victims identified, 7 Lebanese (6%), 86 Syrians (73%) 25 other victims from Eastern Europe countries (21%),

7 Feelings of insecurity and vulnerabilities Some settlements are highly visible to outsiders (pitched in the middle of flat, open fields, etc.) which leaves families feeling exposed. The unusually high economic burden shouldered by Syrian families: some resort to engaging in types of work that they otherwise would not engage in, and to sending their children to work Families economic situation gradually declining over time as cash reserves are depleted

8 To survive, families incur debts and need to find a way to pay them back Social isolation: no contact with loved ones in Syria, living in a place that is not their own, no contact with the Lebanese community (feeling of discrimination, lack of financial means to socialize), children bullied at school In case of problem, they don t know who to report to, where the police station is, what to do Many of them have no ID or are illegal and afraid to be arrested

9 Children s vulnerabilities Children are often less able to flee and defend themselves from the physical threats inherent to wars and humanitarian crises During war and displacement, children are at high risk of being separated from their families, of being kidnapped, of sexual abuse and of being recruited into armed hostilities. Displacement from home, lack of education, and poor health care carry significant long-term repercussions that extend past childhood. Given their anatomic and physiologic differences, children are more likely to suffer from dehydration, malnutrition, hypothermia and infectious diseases than are adults

10 Forms of THB in Lebanon Sexual exploitation and forced prostitution Early marriages Child labor

11 Sexual exploitation Women / girls married in Syria and brought with their husband to Lebanon Promised to get a decent work (ex: as domestic workers) but forced into prostitution Cases reported of: pleasure marriages (mainly in Jordan) A Syrian woman having sexual relations with an NGO employee in exchange for additional aid vouchers Survival sex to be able to provide for the family 10% of Syrian refugee women and Lebanese women in host communities have been exposed to gender-based violence, including early marriage, rape, and domestic violence (UNHCR)

12 Early marriages Parents marry off their young daughters: as protection and safety for them (rich husband) or for economical reasons (a person less to feed) Between $150 $200 USD as a typical amount for a man to pay for a Syrian bride (according to Syrians) Reports of an office in Northern Lebanon that supposedly helps facilitate the marriages of Syrian girls and women to foreign men: they are presented with several Syrian girls and women from which he could choose a bride, then they travel back to their home country with their new bride

13 Lebanese law allows child marriage for girls as young as 12 or 13, and in some confessions even as young as they are mature (depending on the religion) Risks for the young girls to be exploited after being sent away from her family

14 SYRIAN GIRLS IN TURKEY (1) Numerous cases of Syrian girls in Turkey being forced to marry and become the second or third wife were reported. The usual scenario : Turkish men, generally quite old, contact Syrian negotiators to find Syrian wives aged between 13 and 25. Once the deal has been made, they go to areas on the Syrian border in the south of Turkey. The Syrian negotiator then crosses the border with the wife and hands her over to the future husband in exchange for the sum of money negotiated beforehand. The amount is much smaller than what is paid for Turkish women; it gives the opportunity to men over the age of 50 to have a young, beautiful wife.

15 SYRIAN GIRLS IN TURKEY (2) On the victims' side, the many testimonies collected by NGOs and journalists have made it possible to understand the recruitment procedure. The victims explain that they were obliged by their uncle or father to take a Turkish husband. If they agreed, it was to help their family financially through the dowry money paid to the family. According to their accounts, the amount was between $150 and $200. On arriving in Turkey, the victims found that the negotiator (often a relative or neighbor) had deceived them about the husband's material circumstances and family status.

16 EARLY MARRIAGES IN THE REGION The various stakeholders interviewed for our research in Lebanon spoke of the risks associated with the growing practice of marrying Syrian refugee girls to Lebanese or foreign adults. These practices are legal under the domestic legislation. Girls as young as 12 are allowed to marry. Depending on the many family codes in force (15 in all), in some communities the marriageable age can even be lowered to 9. In rural Syria, early marriage was common practice before the conflict, but it was part of a tradition that gave the wife a certain number of guarantees and protections. Among refugee families in Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Turkey, such marriages have been perverted. They are losing their symbolic value as a uniting of two families and becoming a means for the parents to find a safe haven for their daughter and/or obtain money. These strategies are not without risk for the health of the young brides. If they fall pregnant rapidly, their morphology is not yet sufficiently developed and their health is jeopardized.

17 Child labor Children are working on the streets, in the fields, at construction sites, or in commercial locations cleaning floors, carrying grocery bags, shining shoes, selling chewing gum, hawking flowers, and collecting scraps of garbage. Reports of Syrian families forced to work by the owner of the field where they settled and children over are expected to work as well

18 Mistreatment (verbal and physical abuse) from the supervisors in the fields Syrian children mistreated in the street: they are yelled at, pushed or slapped because they are being overly aggressive in approaching people for money or employment.

19 The Lebanese anti-trafficking law (2011) Entry into force in September 2011, Clearly defines the crime of THB, This law prescribes a punishment from 5 to 10 years imprisonment. It should be more for public officials. Provides protective measures for victims and witnesses, Exempts from penalty persons who notified the administrative or judicial authorities crimes listed in the law or who gave information to help prevent the crime or arrest the criminals or accomplices Gap: the law focuses on the crime s penalty rather than on prevention.

20 In 2013 the first Resolution of the UN United Nations Human Rights Council resolution against child, early, and forced marriages was adopted. The resolution recognizes child, early, and forced marriage as involving violations of human rights which prevents individuals from living their lives free from all forms of violence and that has adverse consequences on the enjoyment of human rights, such as the right to education, [and] the right to the highest attainable standard of health including sexual and reproductive health."

21 Challenges to combat THB Narrow mandate for the antitrafficking department (Internal Security Forces): only for sexual exploitation and forced prostitution. Other cases treated by the police Police officers not trained to combat THB Waiting for a decree to be signed by the Council of Ministers to have their mandate extended Only 30 officers all over Lebanon to investigate trafficking cases

22 Misconception of some judges about what is THB No specific shelter to accommodate victims of trafficking Few protection measures taken for the victims after identification

23 Caritas role to combat these forms of trafficking Process to receive minor victims of THB, Brochures to inform about Caritas services (psychological support, legal assistance, etc.), Group discussion and awareness about risks due to early marriages and exploitation (sexual, domestic, etc.), Pedagogical tools for facilitators of group discussion for potential victims of THB