La Roumanie et le trafic d'enfants
par J. Alexander Baumann, conseiller national, Kreuzlingen (TG)
Conseil national – heure des questions du 2 juin 2008
Selon les estimations de l'OSCE et du HCR-ONU, environ 120 000 femmes et enfants sont vendus chaque année dans les pays membres de l'UE. Parmi les pays d'origine de ces victimes, l'OSCE cite notamment la Fédération russe, l'Albanie et la Roumanie. Ainsi, selon l'OSCE, une fillette vendue sur le marché de Timisoara en Roumanie coûterait entre 45 et 175 euros. Cela fait des années que l'œuvre d'entraide "terre des hommes" se bat contre le trafic international d'enfants. Actuellement, la section suisse des cette organisation faite une collecte en faveur d'enfants roumains enlevés et vendus.
Quelles mesures le Conseil fédéral prévoit-il dans le contexte de l'extension de la libre circulation des personnes à la Roumanie pour éviter que la Suisse ne devienne complice des injustices commises dans et par cet Etat? (UDC)
Le trafic d'etres humain est un commerce atroce dans lequel sont exploitées de nombreuses personnes. L'association FIZ à Zurich sponsorise par ailleurs une campagne sur ce sujet lors de l'EURO. On peut déplorer que le conseil d'etat de Genève ait refusé de diffuser ce video clip très poignant.
Néanmoins, depuis lundi dernier, les victimes de la traite d'êtres humains à Genève disposent d'une hotline, gratuite et anonyme. Cette première en Suisse romande permettra d'identifier les victimes, de leur fournir de l'aide et de sensibiliser la population à ce sujet. Elle a été créée par Friends of Humanity, une association active pour l'amélioration des conditions de vie des personnes, et End Human Trafficking Now!, une campagne d'actions regroupant des entreprises privées. Le numéro gratuit 0800 20 80 20 leur tend la main du lundi au vendredi de 14h à 19h.
Egalement, le département d'Etat américain vient de publier son rapport 2007 sur la question:
Le paragraphe sur la Suisse est le suivant:
SWITZERLAND (Tier 1)
Switzerland is a destination and, to a lesser extent a transit country for women trafficked from Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Moldova, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Thailand, Cambodia, Nigeria, and Cameroon for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. Limited cases of trafficking for the purposes of domestic servitude and labor exploitation were also reported.
The Government of Switzerland fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. In January 2007, the Swiss government amended its penal code to provide for extraterritorial jurisdiction to prosecute traffickers; Swiss authorities are now able to prosecute any Swiss citizen, or foreign national present in Switzerland, for trafficking offenses committed abroad, regardless of whether trafficking is a crime in that country. The government continued to work well with NGOs and provided adequate funding for victim assistance and public awareness campaigns, both domestically and in source countries. The government should increase the number of convicted traffickers who serve time in prison.
Prosecution
The Government of Switzerland continued to make progress in its law enforcement efforts during the reporting period. Switzerland prohibits both trafficking for sexual exploitation and trafficking for labor exploitation under the new Article 182 of the Swiss penal code. Penalties prescribed range up to 20 years' imprisonment and are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with penalties prescribed for other grave crimes, such as rape. During the reporting period, authorities conducted 39 investigations, up from 30 in 2005. At least 20 suspected traffickers were prosecuted, up from 16 in 2005. Convictions were obtained against 20 traffickers, compared to 22 convictions obtained in 2005. The majority of the convicted traffickers served no time in prison. Of the 20 traffickers convicted in 2006, only seven served time in prison, with sentences ranging from two to six years. The remaining 13 traffickers received suspended sentences and served no time in prison. This is compared to 2005, when 6 of 22 convicted traffickers served between 5 and 16 months in prison, while 16 traffickers served no time in prison. Swiss authorities cooperated with other governments in the investigation and prosecution of numerous trafficking cases.
Protection
The government continued to improve its victim protection efforts during the reporting period. In 2006, cantonal immigration authorities offered 39 trafficking victims 30-day stays of deportation, up from 30 victims in 2005. The government continued to encourage victims to participate in trafficking investigations and prosecutions. Three victims were offered short-term residency permits to stay in Switzerland for the duration of the legal proceedings against their traffickers, down from 18 in 2005. Three victims were granted long-term residency permits on the grounds of personal hardship, down from eight in 2005. The government provided funding to NGOs for trafficking assistance services and shelter; local victim assistance centers counseled 126 victims during the reporting period, up from 84 the previous year. In 2006, three cantons signed written agreements with NGOs that formalized victim referral processes. Federal authorities successfully raised awareness among cantonal immigration authorities in order to reduce the possibility of trafficking victim deportations. NGOs report that regulations staying deportations and improved coordination with law enforcement officials have led to a considerable increase in the number of victims participating in trafficking investigations and prosecutions. The government ensured that victims were not penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of their being trafficked.
Prevention
Switzerland continued its prevention efforts during the reporting period. The government again provided more than $1 million for victim assistance and trafficking prevention programs in multiple source countries, including Moldova, Montenegro, Russia, Lebanon, and Iran. The government provided approximately $225,000 to support a trafficking hotline in Russia. In January 2007, the government appropriated funding for the launch of trafficking awareness prevention campaigns in preparation for the 2008 European Soccer Cup.
-
11 Juin 2008 à 18:18 dans
- Général
