November 2002

Volume 14 No. 9 (D)

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

HOPES BETRAYED:

TRAFFICKING OF WOMEN AND GIRLS TO POST-CONFLICT BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA FOR FORCED PROSTITUTION

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Supplementary Materials
Order this report
Press Release:
•	in English
Summary and Recommendations
•	in Bosnian
Supplemental Materials
•	The U.S. government recently released documents on human trafficking in Bosnia and Herzegovina in response to multiple Freedom of Information Act requests by Human Rights Watch.
•	In 2003, the Department of Defense Inspector General launched an investigation into human trafficking in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Inspector General's findings largely confirm Human Rights Watch's own conclusions. Click here to see a copy of the Department of Defense report.

I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

II. KEY RECOMMENDATIONS

To the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina
To the United Nations
To the U.N. Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina
To the U.S. government
To the Stabilization Force (SFOR)

III. BACKGROUND

The International Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina

IV. WOMEN'S AND GIRLS' EXPERIENCES OF TRAFFICKING INTO THE BOSNIAN SEX INDUSTRY

Women's and Girls' Reasons for Migrating
Recruiting Practices
Trafficking Routes and Transportation
Sale of Women and Girls
Conditions in the Nightclubs
Police Raids
Prosecutions of Victims
Escaping from the Nightclubs
Returning Home

V. INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC LEGAL PROTECTIONS AGAINST TRAFFICKING

International Law Protections
The Trafficking Protocol
Standards Relevant to the Trafficking of Children: The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution, and Child Pornography
Convention on the Rights of the Child
Other Relevant Standards for Combating Trafficking of Women and Girls
Domestic Legal Protections
The Federation: Criminal Law
Criminal Charges against Corrupt Officials
Confiscation of Assets and Compensation of Victims
Republika Srpska: Criminal Law
Criminal Charges against Corrupt Officials
Confiscation of Assets and Compensation of Victims
Brcko Criminal Code

VI. LOCAL POLICE INVOLVEMENT IN TRAFFICKING

Direct Links to Trafficking of Women and Girls
Police As Bar/Brothel Owners and Traffickers
Police As Employees of Establishments Holding Trafficked Women and Girls
Police Complicity and Corruption: Bribes and Freebies
Police Visitors to the Nightclubs
Tip-offs about Raids
Involvement by Police Foreigners' Departments
Fake and Forged Documents
The International Police Task Force (IPTF) and Monitoring the Local Police

VII. THE BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT RESPONSE

Failure to Prosecute Traffickers
Failure to Prosecute or Discipline Corrupt Police Officers
Prosecution and Deportation of Trafficking Victims
Lack of Witness Protection
Lack of Regularized Immigration Status

VIII. THE U.N. RESPONSE

Failure to Define Trafficking in accordance with International Law
Failure to Provide Safe Shelter outside the Capital

IX. LEGAL IMMUNITY AND IMPUNITY FOR INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS INVOLVED IN TRAFFICKING

The Stabilization Force (SFOR)
International Police Task Force (IPTF)
The U.S. Government Position

X. IPTF AND TRAFFICKING

IPTF Officers As Clients
The Prijedor Case
Clients and "Contracting"
Purchases of Women from Brothels
Alleged Retaliation against Whistleblowers
Lack of Transparency in U.N. Internal Investigations
UNMIBH's Response in the Prijedor Case
Operation Makro
A Record of Impunity

XI. SFOR CONTRACTOR INVOLVEMENT

U.S. SFOR Contractors and Trafficking
Impunity for SFOR Contractors Engaged in Trafficking-Related Crimes
DynCorp and Corporate Responsibility

XII. CONCLUSION

Additional Recommendations
To the Bosnian Government
To the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH)
To the IPTF
To DynCorp
To the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
To the Stability Pact for the South Eastern Europe Task Force on Trafficking in Human Beings
To the Council of Europe

Acknowledgments

ABBREVIATIONS

BiH Bosnia and Herzegovina

CEDAW Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women

CRC Convention on the Rights of the Child

ECHR European Court of Human Rights

EUPM European Union Police Mission

ICCPR International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

IOM International Organization for Migration

IPTF International Police Task Force

KM Convertible Mark

MEJA Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act

ODIHR Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights

OHCHR Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights

OHR Office of the High Representative

OSCE Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe

RS Republika Srpska

SFOR NATO-led Stabilization Force

SRSG Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General

STOP UNMIBH Special Trafficking Operations Program

UNMIBH United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina