Национална комисия за борба с трафика на хора



Overview

Bulgaria is still mainly a country of origin for victims of trafficking in human beings (THB) given the global migratory situation, and to a lees extent a country of transit. Registered victims, formally or informally identified, are also mainly Bulgarian citizens, and according to the statistics of the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Bulgaria, in 2019 the majority of the registered cases the victims are girls and women.

Both internationally and at a European level, and in Bulgaria, the majority of trafficked cases are for the purpose of sexual exploitation, but at the same time there is a reported increase in the trafficking of Bulgarian citizens for the purpose of organized begging and labor exploitation alongside other less recognizable forms of trafficking.

In 2019 there are several trends in trafficking in human beings, the fight against the crime and support for its victims in Bulgaria. The growth in trafficking for labor exploitation, which is also evident in previous years, continues. Secondly, there are increasing incidents of trafficking for the purpose of forced begging, mainly of men, to countries in Western Europe such as France and Sweden. Thirdly, the importance of the Internet and ICT for all elements and phases of trafficking - the recruitment of victims by traffickers, the organization of transport, the promotion of "services", the control of victims and the communication between traffickers and organized crime groups (OCGs), but also in the work of detecting and investigating the crime by law enforcement. ICT is becoming an increasingly important factor in both law enforcement and crime prevention work.

There are no significant changes in the risk profiles of victims of trafficking and smugglers in 2019. A leading form of trafficking remains the purpose for sexual exploitation (debauchery) with the main victims being young women and girls. Isolated cases of men and boys who are victims of the same crime are reported.

At the same time, the data obtained during police operations indicated that the cases of trafficked women and girls for the purpose of labor exploitation in EU countries increases. In recent years, there has been a tendency of increasing the number of cases of this kind of exploitation, although it traditionally involves mainly men and boys.

Foreign nationals on their way to Western European countries or seeking international protection, are also vulnerable to being more easily involved in trafficking and exploitation.

Human trafficking is mostly the work of organized crime groups (OCG’s), where the final destinations are countries from EU like Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Belgium, Spain and others and also countries where prostitution is legal. Internal trafficking with the purpose of sexual exploitation mostly happens in the bigger cities of the country.

According to the information submitted by Bulgaria to the US Department of State for the 2020 trafficking in Persons Report, in 2019 employees of the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDCOC) at the Ministry of Interior are conducting investigations into the organized crime groups (OCGS) involved in all forms of human trafficking.

Regarding the methods of trafficking, there has been an increasingly rare use of violent methods, coercion and threats in recruiting and controlling the victims and an increasingly high use of the so-called ‘’soft’’ methods where there an emotional connection is established between the victim and the trafficker. One of the most used methods is the “Loverboy” method, where the victim falls in love with the trafficker and they build a strong emotional connection and dependence, where she sees no fault in being trafficked.

INSTITUTIONAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL MEASURES

In 2019 the National Program for Combating THB and Protection of the Victims for 2019 was adopted by the Council of Ministers and the Local Commissions for Combating THB.

The NCCTHB held three sessions, one of which was extraordinary and was focused on helping alleged victims of human trafficking with the purpose of labor exploitation in the Kingdom of Spain. The secretaries of the local commissions were invited to participate in the NCCTHB sessions. There was also a meeting of the Permanent Working Group at the NCCTHB.

Meetings were held the local commissions and their secretaries within the framework of the NCCTHB – conducting online meetings with a view to strategic planning of prevention during the summer period, workshops on presenting regional trends and discussion of opportunities and activities in 2020.

PREVENTION

• Campaign for combating trafficking in human beings for the purpose of labor exploitation: in the period March-May 2019, involving more than 10 information sessions with representatives of vulnerable groups, carried out by local committees. The campaign began with a press conference held in Sofia, attended by representatives of the NCCTHB, LCCTHB, the Executive Agency “General Labor Inspectorate” (EA GIT), the Employment Agency (EA).

• Anti-Trafficking Volunteer Academy, held at the end of March in Burgas, aimed at upgrading the network of volunteers to the LCCTHB, focusing on human trafficking and safe internet use. The Academy was attended by 60 volunteers, 10 local secretaries and a team of trainers from the Safe Internet Center.

• A campaign to prevent trafficking for sexual exploitation and forced prostitution was carried out in May-July.

On the occasion of the International Day for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, various prevention campaigns have been implemented in the country which built on the capacity of specialists to counter crime and protect victims of seminars.

At the initiative of the secretary of the Local Commission - Blagoevgrad, the national team of Taekwon-Do ITF became the ambassador of the campaign "Together Against Trafficking in Human Beings / WE SAY NO TO HUMAN TRAFFICKING".

Within the framework of the Campaign, the Local Commission in Varna, together with Varna Municipality, conducted training of ICPSPPMN professionals, public tutors, MRF inspectors from the municipalities of Varna District on the topic of the impact of the Internet and the crime of trafficking in human beings. LCCTHB Plovdiv, together with the NCCTHB and with the support of the Hanns Seidel Foundation, conducted specialized training of police officers from the Police Department at the Ministry of the Interior - Plovdiv on the topic, "Trafficking in human beings - risks and consequences. First Level Identification '.

• As part of the campaign on 18 October for EU Anti-Trafficking Day:

An international conference on “Public-Private Partnership in Combating Trafficking in Human Beings: How Government and Business Handle Trafficking in Human Beings” in Sofia was organized on 26.09.2019 by the National Commission and the British Embassy Sofia. The international forum was opened by HE Emma Hopkins, Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Bulgaria, and Prof. Nikolay Prodanov, Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Chairman of the National Commission.

The National Commission held a press conference on 18 October, EU Anti-Trafficking Day. The event was attended by Prof. Nikolay Prodanov, Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Chairman of the National Commission and, members of the NCCTHB. The press conference launched an information campaign focusing on the rights of victims of trafficking at the initiative of the European Crime Prevention Network and Europol. The campaign was conducted simultaneously in 24 European countries, and in Bulgaria it was implemented in partnership between the NCCTHB and General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime of the Ministry of Interior.

Experts at the NCCTHB Secretariat were involved in conducting 7 information-prevention lectures for students. The participants in the meetings were approximately 80 people.

More than 70 prevention activities and small projects for work with vulnerable persons, children, volunteers, etc. were carried out with the assistance of the LCCTHBB.

CAPACITY BUILDING AND TRAINING

During the reporting period, 7 training seminars were held for specialists from 8 LCCTHB on human trafficking and Internet use and new technologies, with over 200 professionals, educators and school specialists attended (March - May).

- In the period May-July and October, a series of 4 seminars were held with the financial support of the Hanns Seidel Foundation, for representatives of the Ministry of Interior. More than 100 employees have been trained. Apart from the trainings co-financed by the Foundation, 3 more were implemented - in Veliko Turnovo, Blagoevgrad and Varna, with over 45 participants.

- On November 7-8, 2019 in Albena a Bulgarian-German seminar was held for prosecutors and investigators on the topic "Combating Trafficking in Human Beings", organized by the Hanns Seidel Foundation. - 30 investigators and prosecutors participated in the session.

- Trainings were conducted by the LCCTHB with the assistance of the NCCTHB: each local committee organized and participated in an average of 2 trainings per year. Some LCCTHB also carried out specialized sessions with focus on specific target groups - for example, sessions with parents and children, conducted by the LCCTHB Sliven, Burgas and Blagoevgrad, regarding early sexualization of adolescents etc.

- Representatives of the NCCTHB Secretariat were invited as lecturers in training sessions (in Sofia and Hisarya) to counter trafficking in human beings, including the identification of potential victims and crime prevention (participants in the session were representatives from over 250 municipalities in the country). The approximate number of participants in 4 sessions was 600 people.

- In connection with the implementation of Activity 3.6. of Section III of the 2019 National Program on 04.10.2019 a workshop was conducted with a focus on first-level identification and referral of victims of trafficking. The target group of the training was social workers and specialists from the mobile teams working with asylum seekers, migrants, as well as persons granted status in Bulgaria. This includes mediators, translators, psychologists and legal counsels.

- On 15/04/2019: the NCCTHB Secretariat participated in a lecture/training module on human trafficking, within the framework of a training program at the Diplomatic Institute of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – 18 participants

- March, 2019 - Training module on human trafficking, identification and referral with health mediators (organized by BFPA) - trained over 60 people from all over the country.

Research, analysis and data collection on trafficking in human beings

In terms of numbers, the Supreme Prosecutor’s Office of Cassation in Bulgaria provides the following statistics (it is the official source on formally identified victims of trafficking in Bulgaria); it is important to keep in mind that, although the NCTCHB Secretariat is the coordinator of the National Mechanism for Referral and Support of Victims of Trafficking (NRM), not all alerts and especially those in need of support or information are directed to the Commission. It is also important to keep in mind that in the framework of the joint operations of the investigators with other Member States (JITs), in September 2019 and in the framework of the joint operation of the Bulgarian and French law enforcement agencies, an organized crime group for trafficking in Bulgarian citizens for the purpose of labor exploitation in the agricultural sector in France was neutrilized. About 167 people were identified as victims of an organized criminal group for trafficking .

| |2019 г. |

|1. Total number of received signals |77 |

| Of which are for human trafficking |63 |

|2. Total number of person on all HT alerts including 2.1+2.2 |94 |

|2.1. Male |44 |

|minors, 0-14 years old |4 |

|minors, 14-18 years old |3 |

|2.2. Female |50 |

|minors, 0-14 years old |6 |

|minors, 14-18 years old |3 |

|3. Internal traffic - number of alerts * |11 |

|3.1. number of persons on internal traffic alerts |12 |

|4. External traffic - number of alerts * |51 |

|4.1. number of persons on external traffic alerts |82 |

|5. Total number of persons formally identified |47 |

|6. Total number of persons informally identified |47 |

|Number of signals by form of exploitation |

|7. Sexual exploitation |30 |

|7.1. number of persons |31 |

|Male |0 |

|minors, 0-14 years old |0 |

|minors, 14-18 years old |0 |

|Female |31 |

|minors, 0-14 years old |2 |

|minors, 14-18 years old |2 |

|8. Labor exploitation |15 |

|8.1. number of persons |45 |

|Male |34 |

|minors, 0-14 years old |3 |

|minors, 14-18 years old |2 |

|Female |11 |

|minors, 0-14 years old |3 |

|minors, 14-18 years old |0 |

|9. Begging |10 |

|9.1. number of persons |10 |

|Male |8 |

|minors, 0-14 years old |0 |

|minors, 14-18 years old |0 |

|Female |2 |

|minors, 0-14 years old |0 |

|minors, 14-18 years old |0 |

|10. Forced marriage |1 |

|10.1 number of persons |1 |

|Male |0 |

|minors, 0-14 years old |0 |

|minors, 14-18 years old |0 |

|Female |1 |

|minors, 0-14 years old |0 |

|minors 14-18 years old |0 |

|11. Servitude |0 |

|11.1. number of persons |0 |

|Male |0 |

|minors, 0-14 years old |0 |

|minors, 14-18 years old |0 |

|Female |0 |

|minors, 0-14 years old |0 |

|minors, 14-18 years old |0 |

|12. Organ removal |0 |

|12.1. number of persons |0 |

|Male |0 |

|minors, 0-14 years old |0 |

|Minors, 14-18 years old |0 |

|Female |0 |

|minors, 0-14 years old |0 |

|minors, 14-18 years old |0 |

|13. Risk of being trafficked |6 |

|13.1. брой лица |6 |

|Male |2 |

|minors, 0-14 years old |1 |

|minors, 14-18 years old |1 |

|Female |4 |

|minors, 0-14 years old |0 |

|minors, 14-18 years old |2 |

|14. Pregnant women for selling their new-born babies |1 |

|Female |1 |

|minors, 0-14 years old |0 |

|minors, 14-18 years old |0 |

|15. number of persons, who suffered from crimes |13 |

|Illegal border crossing |0 |

|Questionable job offers |0 |

|Sexual assault and abuse |0 |

|Domestic violence |2 |

|Victims of trafficking with disabilities |0 |

|Violated labor rights |2 |

|Child at risk |5 |

|Others |4 |

* One signal from the total (63) lacked information on whether it is internal or external human trafficking.

Summary of persons received support and protection in services to the NCCTHB in 2019:

In total, the specialised services for victims of THB in 2019 accommodated 25 adults. From them: Men - 5 persons, women - 20 persons;

In addition, 4 minors children of accommodated women victims of trafficking were also accommodated.

The forms of exploitation suffered by the supported victims of trafficking:

- Sexual exploitation - 19 persons (women);

- Organized begging - 4 people (3 men and 1 woman)

- Trafficking for forced labor - 2 persons (men)

With the accumulation of previous years, ie. from pending or criminal proceedings - there were 387 people as of September 2019 formally identified by the prosecutor's office as victims of trafficking, the same number as in January-September 2018. The following is a breakdown of victims by gender and traffic target:

|Victims |Nine months of 2018 г. |Nine months of 2019 г. |

|Total number of victims |387 |387 |

|Female |332 |327 |

|minors (14-18 years old) |51 |30 |

|minors(under 14 years old) |2 |0 |

|Male |55 |60 |

|minors (14-18 years old) |3 |2 |

|minors(under 14 years old) |1 |1 |

|Allocation of victims according to the purpose of trafficking |

| Sexual exploitation |257 |258 |

|Female |255 |255 |

|minors (14-18 years old) |48 |24 |

|minors(under 14 years old) |1 |0 |

|Male |2 |3 |

|minors (14-18 years old) |0 |0 |

|minors(under 14 years old) |0 |0 |

|Forced labor |61 |56 |

|Female |13 |7 |

|Male |48 |49 |

|Organ removal |2 |7 |

|Female |0 |3 |

|Male |2 |4 |

|Servitude |8 |14 |

|Female |5 |11 |

|Male |3 |3 |

|Pregnant women for selling their new-born babies |58 |51 |

|Art. 182b of the Bulgarian Penal code |1 |1 |

|Minor girls(under 14 years old) |1 | |

|Minor boys (under 14 years old) | |1 |

In its role as a national rapporteur, through its administration, the NCCTHB organised: A visit of the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) with the Council of Europe Convention in December 2019. In June, the NCCTHB Secretariat, as the coordinating body for Bulgaria, prepared and submitted to the Council of Europe a reply to a questionnaire on the implementation of the Convention on Action against THB, including contributions from all competent institutions. Bulgaria has made significant efforts in countering human trafficking, according to the US Department of State's Trafficking in Human Beings Report published in June 2019.. Annually, the NCCTHB Secretariat prepares a National Report on the implementation of the National Program for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and Victim Protection for the previous year.

SUPPORT FOR FORMAL AND INFORMAL IDENTIFIED VICTIMS OF TRAFFICKING IN HUMAN BEINGS:

25 victims of trafficking received support in specialized services for victims of trafficking with the National Commission in 2019. Of these, 19 were sexually exploited, two were trafficked, and four were involved in trafficking for forced begging.

The services run jointly with the non-governmental organizations ”SOS Foundation - Families at Risk“ and the ”Demetra Association“ which provide accommodation for adults, including their children, immediately upon their return to the country in cases of cross-border trafficking or, where necessary, cases of internal traffic.

According to the specific needs, humanitarian, psychological, social, medical assistance as well as legal counseling are provided to the victims. The services provide reintegration programs for victims, including assistance in preparing documents, finding employment for adults, retraining courses and / or reintegration into the education system.

Following the provision of the so-called “recovery and reflection period”, all clients of the shelters assisted the investigators in detecting the crime.

In 2019, the functioning NCCTHB services are 5 - two in the Varna region and three located in the Burgas region. Additionally, after successfully completing a three-year project in the beginning of the year under the Bulgarian-Swiss Cooperation Program, the NCCTHB administration undertook renovations to prepare two premises, provided free of charge by the Ministry of Defense, to reopen two services in Sofia in 2020.

With regard to the service for children, the NCCTHB administration provided a fully equipped and ready premises for the Sofia Municipality, in which a crisis center with priority to accommodate children victims of trafficking in human beings should continue to operate. A procurement procedure was carried out and in December 2019 a contract was signed to start the service with the PULS Foundation. The service opened officially on 5 February 2020. Regarding the shelter for temporary accommodation for adults, in 2019 the NCCTHB administration applied for and won a grant of 450 thousand BGN under a project of the European Union Internal Security Fund. The service is scheduled to be restarted in 2020.

PARTICIPATION IN LEGISLATIVE CHANGES

In October, the National Assembly adopted amendments to the Combating Trafficking in Human Beings Act. The amendments prepared by the NCCTHB Secretariat were tabled by the Council of Ministers. The changes include: 1) A clear definition was introduced in the law of a period of unconditional support for victims of trafficking in human beings with a clear regulation of its functions and timeframe of minimum 30 days (the so-called "recovery and reflection period"), in accordance with the recommendations of the GRETA and the CoE Convention; 2) The role of the NCCTHB as a national coordinator for the implementation of the NRM and as a national rapporteur is strengthened; 3) The possibility of opening specialized shelters for long-term reintegration of victims of trafficking in human beings is regulated under the NCCTHB functions.

INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION

• On July 23, 2019, the Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of North Macedonia signed a Protocol for Cooperation in the Field of Combating Trafficking in Human Beings. The Protocol provides for cooperation in support and protection of victims, exchange of experience, common projects and information and awareness campaigns.

• During the reporting period, the NCCTHB carried out activities under the international project “Swiss-Bulgarian Cooperation for Identification and Long-Term Assistance to Children and Adult Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings”. The project is worth 761 822 Swiss francs (BGN 1 210 197), for the period from 01.10.2015 to 31.03.2019. The co-financing by the NCCTHB budget is 15%.

• 04.04.2019 - Meeting between the Deputy Minister of Justice and the Vice-Chairman of the NCCTHB Prof. Nikolay Prodanov and the NCCTHB expert with Ms. Mod de Bor-Buquicchio, UN Special Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography in Bulgaria.

• On October 15, 2019, a meeting with Ms. Dubravka Simonovic, UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women and its causes and effects, was held at the NCCTHB administration.

• A meeting of Anti-Trafficking Coordinators, National Rapporteurs or equivalent mechanisms was organized between October 22-23 and organized by the OSCE and the Council of Europe in Bratislava, Slovakia. On the Bulgarian side, the Secretary of the National Commission took part in the event.

• On 8 October 2019, a meeting with the Stockholm Administrative Board was held at the NCCTHB office. During the meeting, cases of trafficking in people with a focus on organized begging were discussed, as well as targeted measures to work together to prevent crime.

• Participation of an expert at the NCCTHB, presenting trends, challenges and good practices in an international conference "Increasing the Counteraction to Trafficking in Human Beings in the Black Sea Region" (02.12.2019, Athens). The conference is co-organized by the International Center for Black Sea Studies (ICBSS)

• Participation of NCCTHB experts in international fora and trainings, such as the International Stakeholder Conference within the Multilateral Research Project "Sustainability of Trafficking in Human Beings and Vulnerability on the Road to Europe (STRIVE)", organized by ICMPD, Athens , Greece, International Trafficking in Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation, organized by the US Department of State, Budapest, Hungary, etc.

REPORT OF THE LCCTHBs FOR THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2019 NATIONAL AND LOCAL PROGRAMMES FOR PREVENTION AND COUNTERACTION OF TRAFFICKING IN HUMAN BEINGS AND PROTECTION OF THE VICTIMS

For 2019 - over 20 specialized trainings; more than 700 specialists (police officers, prosecutors, social workers, pedagogues, members of the LCCTHB) have been trained.

More than 70 prevention projects have been implemented, such as campaigns and projects for working with vulnerable persons, mainly from the Roma community, as well as working with children and volunteers; more than 40,000 people have been reached.

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