June 25, Pozirk. Belarus is one of 13 countries with documented patterns of human trafficking in government-funded programs, the United States Department of State said in its recent report.
The 2024 Trafficking in Persons Report also lists Afghanistan, Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Russia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Turkmenistan.
Authorities in Minsk do “not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking,” failing to make a significant effort to eradicate it, despite labor migration awareness-raising campaigns, the report noted.
The Belarusian government continues operating specialized labor therapy centers, known as LTPs, where people with drug or alcohol addictions, political prisoners and persons reportedly leading an “asocial lifestyle” are subjected to forced labor, it stressed.
Minsk also shut down NGOs that helped trafficking victims as a part of the ongoing political crackdown and cut back on trafficking-related investigations, Washington said.
Forced transfers of Ukrainian children and state-sponsored entry into Belarus of third-country foreigners who are not stopped from trying to cross illegally into the European Union increase the number of people highly vulnerable to trafficking, the report noted.
The US urged Minsk to cease the use of forced labor, stop displacing Ukrainian children and amend criminal legislation to ensure that no penalties involving compulsory labor are imposed for the peaceful expression of political views.
