BELARUS: NINTH ANNUAL TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP) REPORT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 15 MINSK 000086

SIPDIS

STATE FOR G/TIP, G-ACBLANK, INL, DRL, PRM, EUR/UMB, EUR/PGI

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KTIP KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG ASEC PREF ELAB BO
SUBJECT: BELARUS: NINTH ANNUAL TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS (TIP) REPORT

REF: A) 08 STATE 132759, B) EUR/UMB-ROFMAN TELCON 02/26/09

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1. (U) This is Embassy Minsk's submission for the ninth annual
TIP report. Responses, based on information received March 12,
2009, are keyed to ref A and subsequent tasking ref B.


2. (SBU) This report identifies anti-TIP NGOs and international
organizations by name. However, for security reasons, post
requests that the Department protect their identity and not/not
publicly disclose them.


23. THE COUNTRY'S TIP SITUATION
--------------

-- A. What is (are) the sources(s) of available information on
trafficking in persons? What plans are in place (if any) to
undertake further documentation of human trafficking? How
reliable are these sources?

-- (SBU) Reliable sources of information in Belarus on
trafficking in persons include the Ministry of Interior (MOI),
the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, the Ministry of
Justice, the International Organization for Migration Minsk
office, the Young Women's Christian Association of Belarus
(BYWCA)/La Strada, the Belarusian Red Cross, the Business
Women's Association, and the Women's Crisis Center Radislava.

-- (SBU) The following international organizations and NGOs work
with trafficking victims in Belarus:

-- (SBU) The Young Women's Christian Association of Belarus
(BYWCA)/La Strada runs prevention and victim assistance and
reintegration programs. The NGO's anti-trafficking efforts
include operation and management of Belarus' first toll-free
trafficking hotline and a shelter to accommodate victims. The
hotline provides callers with legal information, advice about
working abroad and marriage to foreign nationals, review of work
contracts, and information about where to seek help if trouble
arises. It has received over 14,000 calls and 400 email
inquiries since its inception in 2001. The organization, which
has a prominent public campaign including materials placed
around Belarus and at Minsk's international airport, also plays
a significant role in developing educational materials for
distribution through government channels, training government
officials, and curriculum development for the MOI's Anti-TIP
Center.

-- (SBU) The International Organization for Migration (IOM)
implements a counter trafficking program that addresses
prevention, prosecution, and protection. IOM's network of 21
Belarusian NGOs tackling human trafficking and providing
assistance to victims have helped over 1,700 human trafficking
victims. IOM runs a preventive program for women living in the
regions of Belarus who were most at risk for being victims of
trafficking to teach them basic job and job-seeking skills and
possibly help them find employment. The organization has run
extensive public awareness campaigns throughout Belarus, and in
conjunction with the Brest-based Association of Business Women
operates toll-free information hotline in Brest through funding
from the USG and the Swedish Development Agency (SIDA). SIDA
also funds IOM law enforcement activities and victim
repatriation, and the Department's PRM Bureau funds prevention
and protection activities. IOM has excellent relations with the
Ministry of the Interior and the State Border Committee.

-- (SBU) The Women's Crisis Center "Radislava" opened in 2002
and assists victims of trafficking and domestic violence in
Minsk. The Center operates a mini-shelter that provides
temporary room and board. As the services were not tailored to
specifically assist victims of trafficking, UNDP and IOM opened
a mini-shelter with Radislava for trafficking victims. The
mini-shelter is equipped to accommodate short stays for two
adults and two minors. Radislava reported receiving
newly-renovated facilities at a territorial social center in
Minsk from the authorities to aid victims of trafficking and
domestic violence and reported over 1,180 assistance requests in

2008.

-- (SBU) The Business Women's Association continues to run its
own anti-trafficking hotline in Brest; this hotline began
operations in 2002 and registered 2,260 calls in 2008. The city
of Brest is the largest crossing point along the

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Belarusian-Polish border. IOM provided funding for the hotline
project and BYWCA implemented training for hotline
administrators and counselors. The Association also assists in
training seminars in the Brest Region, usually sponsored by IOM
or La Strada, and continues to develop contacts across the
border in Poland to facilitate anti-trafficking efforts in the
region.

-- (SBU) The Red Cross provides preventative information and
assistance and victim protection. The organization established
seven consultation centers throughout Belarus with financial
help from the IOM. Each center has an advisory council that
consists of Red Cross staff and representatives of local health,
education, and law enforcement organization. The organization
provides victims with medical, psychological, legal, and
material assistance and has programs designed to help victims
acquire professional skills and acquire jobs. The Red Cross
assisted over 110 victims in 2008.

-- B. Is the country a country of origin, transit, and/or
destination for internationally trafficked men, women, or
children? Does trafficking occur within the country's borders?
If so, does internal trafficking occur in territory outside of
the government's control (e.g. in a civil war situation)? To
where are people trafficked? For what purposes are they
trafficked? Provide, where possible, numbers or estimates for
each group of trafficking victims. Have there been any changes
in the TIP situation since the last TIP Report (e.g. changes in
destinations)?

-- (SBU) Belarus is a country of origin and transit for
internationally trafficked persons, particularly women.
However, the trafficking of male victims to Russia for labor
continues to be a problem. For 2008, the Ministry of Interior
(MOI) reported 69 cases of trafficking in persons. Authorities
also registered 591 trafficking victims, of whom 458 were
trafficked for sexual exploitation (including 103 minors) and
133 for labor exploitation. 244 victims were recruited for
sexual exploitation (including 96 minors) and 2 for labor
exploitation on the territory of Belarus. Out of 591 victims,
366 were female (including 42 minors) and 225 male (including 61
minors).

-- (SBU) In 2008, the Minsk office of the International
Organization for Migration (IOM) assisted 218 victims of
trafficking, including 25 minors, accordingly. For
January-February 2009, 17 victims (including two minors) were
assisted. Of the victims IOM assisted, 153 in 2008 and 11 in
January-February 2009 suffered sexual exploitation at their
destination point compared to 134 in 2007, while 63 and 6,
accordingly, were forced to perform manual labor (as compared to
47 in 2007).

-- (SBU) There were no territories in Belarus outside of the
government's control.

-- (SBU) BYWCA/La Strada, an NGO that plays a significant role
in Belarus in trafficking prevention and victim assistance, and
IOM reported cases of trafficking in persons within Belarus
where women from low-income families were trafficked from the
regions to Minsk mainly for sexual exploitation. IOM also
reported on an ongoing criminal case against Roma residents in
the Minsk and Mogilyov Oblasts for trafficking Russian homeless
persons into servitude.

-- (SBU) According to the MOI and IOM, Belarusian single,
unemployed females between the ages of 16 to 30 were most at
risk of being trafficked. Most victims of trafficking are
seeking a way to escape bad economic circumstances or troubled
domestic situations. Local NGOs assert that more government
intervention against the related problems of domestic violence,
prostitution, drugs and alcoholism would greatly reduce the
number of women seeking employment abroad. Of the victims IOM
assisted in 2008, 95 were between 18 and 24 years of age, and 56
were between 25 and 30. Of women assisted by IOM in
January-February 2009, nine were between 18 and 24 and two were
between 25 and 30. In addition, traffickers have continued to
target males of all ages for forced manual labor, primarily in
Russia. IOM statistics reported that a vast majority of victims
would be considered poor and uneducated by GOB standards.


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-- (SBU) The MOI reports indicated that traffickers were members
of loosely organized crime networks with connections to larger
international highly organized crime rings, brothels, clubs, or
bars in destination countries. Traffickers lured victims
through advertisements and personal approaches through friends
and relatives, offering well-paid jobs abroad and soliciting
marriage partners. Victims were often told that they would be
providing escort services at their destination countries;
however, traffickers withheld victims' documents and used
physical and emotional abuse, fraud, and coercion to control
victims and force them into sexual exploitation. Because of the
MOI's effective preemptive investigatory measures, traffickers
frequently communicated with their potential victims over the
internet to avoid personal contact. The MOI added that
traffickers were often Belarusian citizens living abroad with
business ties to their home country along with the citizens of
Russia, Poland, Germany and Israel. For example, in December
2008 the court sentenced a German citizen to 12 years in high
security jail with property confiscation for trafficking
Belarusian women for sexual exploitation in Poland and running a
brothel for foreign tourists in Brest in 2006-2008.

-- (SBU) As part of an effort to restrict common channels of
trafficking, in March 2005 the GOB introduced stricter controls
on modeling, employment, and marriage agencies. As a result
traffickers began to rely more on informal recruitment networks
to approach potential victims personally to lure women and men
with false promises of lucrative financial opportunities abroad.
Most recruiters were acquaintances or a friend of a friend of
the victim. According to IOM and La Strada, traffickers
frequently approach potential victims at bars or discos for
sexual exploitation work and widely use advertisements for
construction sites to lure victims for labor exploitation. IOM
and La Strada reported that the majority of their victims were
approached personally by a trafficker or recommended a job by a
friend of a friend or even a relative.

-- (SBU) Traffickers often use vehicle and train crossings with
Russia, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. The GOB has made efforts
to tighten borders and train border guards to monitor and
prevent TIP-related border crossings. Traffickers increasingly
opted to send more victims through Russia, both because of the
open border there, and because the EU has implemented stricter
visa requirements. According to La Strada, trafficking victims
primarily exit Belarus on legal documents and valid tourist
visas, making it extremely difficult to identify victims.
Traffickers sometimes falsified a variety of documents to move
victims including passports, training certificates, and
government stamps and seals; however, according to the MOI, such
incidents did not take place in 2008.

-- (SBU) Reports from the IOM and MOI indicate victims were
mainly trafficked in 2008 to European Union countries
(particularly Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania,
Latvia, Austria, the Netherlands),the Middle East (particularly
Israel and the United Arab Emirates),Turkey, Egypt, Russia,
Ukraine and the Republic of Togo. Trafficking to Russia
presents a particular problem because of its open border.
Although primarily a country of origin, its central location
also makes Belarus a country of transit to eastern and western
destinations. The MOI reported that it shut down 59 trafficking
channels to 10 foreign states in 2008.


25. INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS
-------------- --------------

-- E. Law Enforcement Statistics: Did the government prosecute
any cases against human trafficking offenders during the
reporting period? If so, provide numbers of investigations,
prosecutions, convictions, and sentences imposed, including
details on plea bargains and fines, if relevant and available.
Please note the number of convicted traffickers who received
suspended sentences
and the number who received only a fine as punishment. Also, if
possible, please disaggregate numbers of cases by type of TIP
(labor vs. commercial sexual exploitation) and victims (children
under 18 years of age vs. adults). What were the actual
punishments imposed on persons convicted of these offenses?

-- (SBU) Belarusian law prohibits all forms of trafficking in
persons and criminalizes trafficking in persons for sexual,

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labor, or other kinds of exploitation. Article 181 of the
criminal code, which entered into force in 2001 and was amended
in 2005, penalizes trafficking in persons for the purposes of
sexual or other kinds of exploitation, including labor
exploitation. In December 2008, the GOB introduced a
sub-Article 181 that criminalizes servitude. The penalty for
trafficking is a minimum of five years' imprisonment with
property forfeiture, while the punishment for severe forms of
trafficking is a minimum of 10 years' imprisonment with
forfeiture. The penalty for servitude ranges from a minimum of
two years' imprisonment up to 12 years in jail with forfeiture.

-- (SBU) Other laws which pertain to trafficking in persons
include: Article 18, organized crime; Article 171, pimping and
operating a brothel for the purpose of prostitution; sub-Article
171 (introduced in December 2008),engaging into prostitution or
forcing to continue prostitution; Article 173, engaging a minor
into antisocial behavior (applied to TIP-related offenses
only/only until December 2008); Article 182, kidnapping human
beings for the purpose of exploitation; and Article 187 (amended
in 2008),illicit recruitment of human beings for employment
abroad. A March 2005 presidential decree allows the
confiscation of property of convicted traffickers and increased
prison sentences.

-- (SBU) The GOB also relates the following criminal code
articles to TIP offenses: Article 343, producing and
distributing pornographic materials or objects; sub-Article 343
(introduced in December 2008),producing or distributing
pornographic materials or objects depicting a minor. The
articles stipulate various penalties of up to 13 years in jail
with property confiscation and allow the GOB to prosecute
pedophiles and child pornography manufacturers. These laws
taken together appear to be adequate to cover the full scope of
TIP crimes.

-- (SBU) Even though prosecutors and law enforcement officials
use Article 181, many trafficking investigations were still
opened under Articles 187, 171, 182, due to the difficulty of
collecting evidence for prosecution. Similarly, convicted
traffickers were sentenced under these articles. However,
prosecutors and judges were becoming more familiar with Article
181; training by IOM and MOI officials improved the judiciary's
ability to use Article 181 effectively.

-- (SBU) According to Ministry of Interior data, in 2008
authorities registered 333 "trafficking in persons" crimes,
including 129 serious ones. Of those, 120 cases involved
transporting 345 victims abroad for the purpose of exploitation.
There were 53 cases of labor exploitation involving 133
victims. The MOI and the Justice Ministry reported that 112
people were convicted of various TIP-related offences in 2008,
17 of which were sentenced for human trafficking to
incarceration terms from three to 15 years. The majority of
traffickers were jailed for over eight years with their property
confiscated. The courts also convicted 54 persons under the
Article 343.

-- (SBU) The MOI provided the following breakdown of the number
of trafficking related crimes for 2008: pimping, maintaining
brothels, prostitution (Article 171) - 121 cases; involving
minors in antisocial behavior (Art. 173) - 25 cases; trafficking
in persons (Art. 181) - 69 cases; kidnapping human beings for
the purpose of exploitation (Art. 182) 6 cases; illicit
recruitment of human beings for employment abroad (Art. 187) -
14 cases; producing or distributing pornographic materials (Art.
343) - 98 cases.

-- (SBU) Based on the recommendations from a series of UNDP
conferences aimed at improving Belarus' anti-trafficking
legislation, President Lukashenka issued Decree No. 3 "On Some
Measures to Combat TIP" in March 2005, which raised the
punishment for trafficking via amendments to Articles 171, 181,
182, and 187 of the Criminal Code. Although many of the
possible penalties remain the same, amendments to the criminal
code made after this decree ensure that those convicted of
trafficking receive longer sentences than they would have prior
to the decree. The decree also amended the law to comply with
the Palermo Protocol which mandates that trafficking victims are
not to be held responsible for illegal acts committed while a
victim and enables the government to confiscate the property of

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convicted traffickers.

-- (SBU) Legal experts noted that prosecutions under the
original language of Article 181 were hindered by legally
referring to the victim as a "dependent person." This allowed
defense lawyers to challenge the extent of dependency, causing
cases to be prosecuted under the less effective Article 171
(pimping and operating a brothel) instead. The GOB subsequently
modified the criminal code to broaden the language to include
any person being exploited, thus enabling investigators and
prosecutors to build stronger cases against traffickers and
increase the number of convictions made under Belarus'
trafficking law.

-- (SBU) Penalties for traffickers increased under the
amendments to the criminal code brought about by Decree No. 3
"On Some Measures to Combat TIP." The penalty for trafficking
is now a minimum of five to seven years' imprisonment with
forfeiture of property (previously three to six years with or
without property forfeiture). If the crime was premeditated,
committed intentionally against a minor, involved two or more
victims, was done for the purpose of sexual exploitation or any
other kind of exploitation, involved the sale of organ tissue,
or involved organized crime, the penalty is now a minimum of 10
to 12 years' imprisonment with forfeiture of property
(previously five to ten years with or without property
forfeiture). If the crime involved the unintentional death of
the victim, or caused severe injury to the victim, the penalty
is 12 to 15 years' of imprisonment with forfeiture of property
(previously eight to fifteen with or without property
forfeiture).

-- (SBU) The maximum penalty for rape or forcible sexual assault
is 15 years' imprisonment. The maximum penalty for severe forms
of trafficking is 15 years' imprisonment with property
confiscation.

-- (SBU) Prostitution is illegal under Article 162 of Belarus'
administrative code. The administrative penalties for
prostitution are a written warning, a fine or a 15-day arrest, a
measure that the GOB introduced in 2008. Pimps and brothel
owners may be held liable under Article 171 and sub-Article 171
of Belarus' criminal code. The penalty for pimping, engaging
into prostitution, or operating a brothel for the purpose of
prostitution is imprisonment for up to ten years. Clients of
prostitutes are not liable under Belarus' criminal or
administrative laws. Amendments to the Criminal Code added a
new provision to Article 171, which describes the penalties for
pimping or operating a brothel in connection with transporting
someone abroad for prostitution. If the above acts are done by
a governmental official abusing authority, by an organized
group, by a person charged with offences stipulated in Articles
171 or 181, or using a minor for prostitution, the penalty is
imprisonment from seven to ten years' imprisonment with property
confiscation.

-- I. Is there evidence of government involvement in or
tolerance of trafficking, on a local or institutional level? If
so, please explain in detail.

-- (SBU) There were no indications of government involvement in
or tolerance of trafficking on a local or institutional level.

-- (SBU) The MOI body responsible for investigating public
corruption is the Office to Combat Organized Crime and
Corruption. The State Control Committee also investigates
allegations of official corruption through the Interagency
Commission for Combating Crime, Corruption and Drug Trafficking.
During the past year, there have been no indications of
official government involvement in trafficking.

-- J. If government officials are involved in trafficking, what
steps has the government taken to end such participation?
Please indicate the number of government officials investigated
and prosecuted for involvement in trafficking or
trafficking-related corruption during the reporting period.
Have any been convicted? What sentence(s) was imposed? Please
specify if officials received suspended sentences, or were given
a fine, fired, or reassigned to another position within the
government as punishment. Please indicate the number of
convicted officials that received suspended sentences or

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received only a fine as punishment.

-- (SBU) There were no indications that government officials
were involved in trafficking.

-- M. If the country has an identified problem of child sex
tourists coming to the country, what are the countries of origin
for sex tourists? How many foreign pedophiles did the
government prosecute or deport/extradite to their country of
origin? If your host country's nationals are perpetrators of
child sex tourism, do the country's child sexual abuse laws have
extraterritorial coverage (similar to the U.S. PROTECT Act) to
allow the prosecution of suspected sex tourists for crimes
committed abroad? If so, how many of the country's nationals
were prosecuted and/or convicted during the reporting period
under the extraterritorial provision(s) for traveling to other
countries to engage in child sex tourism?

-- (SBU) Belarus does not have an identified child sex tourism
problem either as a source or as a destination. Belarus acceded
to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the
Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution, and Child
Pornography in January 2002. Presidential Decree No. 3 "On Some
Measures to Combat TIP" criminalized child pornography
distribution. Manufacturing, distributing or storing child
pornography is punishable by up to four years' imprisonment for
an individual or five to 13 years' imprisonment by an organized
group of people.

-- (SBU) In 2008, police registered 98 crimes related to
production and dissemination of pornographic materials,
including three cases of trafficking minors. In March 2008, the
MOI arrested three Belarusian and three Russian citizens,
members of an organized criminal group, on the charges of
maintaining brothels in Belarus, for establishing a pornography
studio at a rented apartment in Minsk, and selling and posting
pornographic materials picturing minors on over 270 websites
based in Cyprus over the period 2005 to 2008. The Ministry also
assisted their Ukrainian counterparts in detaining a Ukrainian
citizen, a member of the same criminal group, who had been
recruiting minors for production of pornography materials
production. The MOI reported 94 victims in the case, of which
61 were minors, including two Russians and one Ukrainian. Law
enforcement completed the investigation in November 2008 and
filed the case with the court. The trial was still ongoing at
the end of the reporting period.

-- (SBU) According to Article 7 of the criminal code, Belarusian
citizens cannot be extradited to a foreign country if provision
for such action is not covered by an international agreement
with the Republic of Belarus. Foreign nationals residing in
Belarus can be extradited to a requesting state in accordance
with international agreements with the Republic of Belarus. If
no agreement exists between the Republic of Belarus and the
requesting state, a foreign national can be extradited on the
basis of reciprocity. Belarus ratified the Convention Against
Transnational Organized Crime that provides a legal basis for
cooperation in extradition with other states that are parties to
the Convention.


26. PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS
--------------

-- A. What kind of protection is the government able under
existing law to provide for victims and witnesses? Does it
provide these protections in practice?

-- (SBU) The August 2005 anti-TIP Presidential decree defines
the status of trafficking victims and enumerates the services
that they should be provided free of charge. The edict ensures
victims' safety, social security and rehabilitation care, and
requires Belarusian diplomatic missions and consular sections
abroad to render necessary assistance to victims. Social
security and rehabilitation services include providing victims
with temporary room and board, providing free legal assistance,
and arranging medical and psychological care by state-run
medical institutions. Full-time employment assistance will also
be offered. The GOB uses its partnerships with NGOs and
international organizations to provide many of the above
services.


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-- (SBU) The Criminal Code provisions regulate that where there
is reason to believe that a witness, their family members, close
relatives, or other persons closely related to the witness have
been threatened with murder, violent actions, or destruction of
property, the witness' personal data and signature should not be
included in the witness report. Upon receipt of information or
statements regarding threats made against a witness, the
authorities must register, consider, and provide a decision
regarding the claim within three days, or no more than 10 days
if time for verification is necessary and there is sufficient
reason for instituting a criminal case. To protect their
safety, the identity of the witness may be kept confidential
from the court until just before the witness is called to
testify. According to MOI officials, the witness protection
programs were efficiently enforced in 2008.

-- B. Does the country have victim care facilities (shelters or
drop-in centers) which are accessible to trafficking victims?
Do foreign victims have the same access to care as domestic
trafficking victims? Where are child victims placed (e.g., in
shelters, foster care or juvenile justice detention centers)?
Does the country have specialized care for adults in addition to
children? Does the country have specialized care for male
victims as well as female? Does the country have specialized
facilities dedicated to helping victims of trafficking? Are
these facilities operated by the government or by NGOs? What is
the funding source of these facilities? Please estimate the
amount the government spent (in U.S. dollar equivalent) on these
specialized facilities dedicated to helping trafficking victims
during the reporting period.

-- (SBU) The Belarusian Government mandates that victims receive
a variety of services. Much of the assistance was provided by
IOM, La Strada and the Women's Crisis Center Radislava.
According to the MOI, because of budget shortfalls and
"expediency", the GOB looks to NGOs to cover much of the
associated costs.

-- (SBU) There were 156 territorial social centers under the
Ministry of Labor and Social Security around Belarus, but they
do not specialize in trafficking victim assistance and render
services to the victims of any kind of abuse over 15 years of
age. Law enforcement officials generally refer TIP victims to
NGO shelters and crisis centers to provide rehabilitation and
reintegration services, including the shelters run by IOM, La
Strada, and Radislava. According to Radislava, only seven of
the 156 territorial centers have crisis specialists or drop-in
centers that were ready to accept trafficking victims. Each
territorial center reportedly had an operating helpline;
however, their specialists also referred victims to the NGOs for
tangible assistance.

-- (SBU) In 2006, IOM opened a Medical Rehabilitation Shelter
that offers medical and psychological assistance to trafficking
victims. Radislava and La Strada also run mini-shelters for TIP
victims, Radislava mainly providing consultative services to the
victims. Approximately 30 NGOs render legal, psychological and
other assistance across Belarus. To fund their activities,
government facilities and NGOs have the right to sue traffickers
for reimbursement. The GOB by no means provides financial
support for the NGOs' activities.

-- (SBU) There are 146 child social care and education centers
under the Ministry of Education where victims three to 15 years
of age can be sent. In 2008, IOM registered 25 minors as
trafficking victims, two minors were registered as victims in
January-February 2009. The Ministry of Education established
ten specialized children's homes for rehabilitating toddlers of
three years of age and younger. The MOI informed that there
were no TIP-related cases involving children of such age, and 38
victims of trafficking sought medical assistance at state-run
rehabilitation facilities in 2008.

-- (SBU) Victims can independently seek medical assistance,
including HIV/AIDS testing, through state clinics free of charge
under Belarus' system of healthcare, though the centers do not
specialize in trafficking victims. Most victims decline to seek
medical assistance due to reluctance to divulge information to
clinic and hospital staff. Regional social centers and
employment offices in theory can also provide social services to
returned victims. Financial restraints and a lack of resources

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and training undermine the government's ability to provide
comprehensive care to victims.

-- (SBU) Ministries of Labor and Social Security, Education,
Interior, Healthcare as well as the NGOs, including IOM, set up
an advisory council in the framework of an international project
to combat trafficking in order to elaborate a comprehensive
mechanism of streamlining and boosting efficiency of the
rehabilitation assistance to the victims of trafficking. IOM is
due to outline their recommendations before March 20, 2009. The
group is to report to President Lukashenka in mid-2009.

-- C. Does the government provide trafficking victims with
access to legal, medical and psychological services? If so,
please specify the kind of assistance provided. Does the
government provide funding or other forms of support to foreign
or domestic NGOs and/or international organizations for
providing these services to trafficking victims? Please explain
and provide any funding amounts in U.S. dollar equivalent. If
assistance provided was in-kind, please specify exact
assistance. Please specify if funding for assistance comes from
a federal budget or from regional or local governments.

-- (SBU) Ministries and government agencies allow anti-TIP
international organizations and NGOs to operate with little
interference, and despite red tape and time-consuming project
registration procedures, delays were significantly reduced in
the past year. The government makes mostly in-kind
contributions to the activities of these organizations such as
personnel, technical and administrative support, and assistance
with transportation, lodging or conference space, and allows the
NGO Radislava to operate a small anti-TIP shelter in a
government building housing a territorial social center in
Minsk. The MOI continues to devote significant human and
material resources to investigation and detection efforts as
well as to provide representatives to participate in
NGO-sponsored victim assistance training seminars as guest
speakers or presenters. La Strada informed that the GOB did not
raise its lease payments following President Lukashenka's April
24, 2008, edict removing NGOs' benefits and automatically
increasing their leases tenfold.

-- (SBU) The GOB increased its in-kind assistance efforts and
has made administrative matters significantly easier for
anti-TIP NGOs. Radislava reported receiving newly-renovated
facilities from the authorities for its mini-shelter for
victims of trafficking and domestic violence, and the Red Cross
reported receiving favorable leasing terms and pricing for its
facilities. Government sources stated that NGOs also receive
waivers for customs duties. Most government assistance comes
from the federal budget. IOM reported that the GOB provided
approximately 20 percent and above of all conference costs,
amounting to approximately USD 50,000 in 2007 (no figures
available for 2008),and provides venues for conferences and
seminars, transportation, security, lodging for participants and
general logistical support.

-- (SBU) IOM indicated that thanks to its successful cooperation
and partnerships with the MOI departments in the regions, their
victims were able to receive free training at state-run
employment centers in Gomel and Minsk. Moreover, a number of
victims from the regions were placed in Minsk-based dormitories
free of charge to continue studies after their rehabilitation at
IOM facilities. In Mogilyov, victims were rendered extensive
medical assistance at state-funded clinics. However, IOM
reported that their victims often experienced hindrances in
obtaining quality medical services at state-funded clinics and
preferred seeking aid from private doctors.

-- (SBU) The 2005 edict also mandates reimbursement by the
offender/trafficker, enforceable in a court of law, of all costs
incurred by the state in helping TIP victims. Local governments
and administrative agencies, district centers of social
services, children's social shelters, and prosecutors all have
the right to demand such reimbursement through the courts.
However, La Strada has noted that the procedure is complicated
and burdensome. To address this, the new 2008-2010 plan
includes the possibility of reinforcing the reimbursement
mechanism by creating a standing victim compensation fund to
cover expenses related to repatriation and physical and
psychological damage. The fund will be subsidized with assets

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confiscated from convicted offenders.

-- (SBU) According to the Justice Ministry data, in 2002-2008
Belarus' courts heard 122 lawsuits on moral damages compensation
in TIP-related crimes and declared to reimburse to the victims
of trafficking almost USD 79,000 (as of December 31, 2008),70
percent of what the plaintiffs originally sought.

-- (SBU) According to the MOI, the GOB allocated in 2008
approximately USD 345,000 (as of December 31, 2008) to fund
measures, including victims' rehabilitation, outlined in the
2008-2010 plan. The Ministry had requested the GOB to
appropriate USD 380,000 (as of January 1, 2009) for 2009. No
exact funding amount was available at the end of the reporting
period.

-- (SBU) The government is seeking assistance from international
organizations and foreign nations to return victims to Belarus.
According to the MOI, Belarus Foreign Ministry's Consular
Department ensured the safe return to Belarus of a number of
trafficking victims. IOM is attempting to expand their victim
repatriation program to meet this need. Given the lack of
financial resources to address all the new anti-TIP initiatives,
the GOB relies on its partnerships with NGOs and international
organizations to implement anti-TIP regulations.

-- (SBU) Because of the GOB's increased focus on training, law
enforcement officials more frequently referred victims to NGOs
in Belarus (125 referrals in 2008) that can provide medical,
shelter and financial assistance. In some cases law enforcement
officials provided transportation to and from home to NGOs or to
other assistance providers for victims who requested
reintegration help.

-- D. Does the government assist foreign trafficking victims,
for example, by providing temporary to permanent residency
status, or other relief from deportation? If so, please explain.

-- (SBU) The government does assist foreign trafficking victims.
The law allows for authorities to grant temporary residency
status to foreign victims. In January 2008, immigration
officials granted a minor from Ukraine temporary residency
status and shelter in Belarus. During the reporting period,
other foreign victims have received assistance, including from
IOM, though three were Russian citizens and because of standing
bilateral immigration agreements with Russia did not need any
adjustment in residency status.

-- E. Does the government provide longer-term shelter or housing
benefits to victims or other resources to aid the victims in
rebuilding their lives?

-- (SBU) The GOB relies on the anti-TIP NGOs to provide
longer-term sheltering. However, IOM reported wide cooperation
with state-run employment and job training agencies that were
often able to render their victims vocational training,
educational support free of charge. IOM also named isolated
instances when the GOB provided permanent housing or certain
housing benefits to the trafficking victims.

-- F. Does the government have a referral process to transfer
victims detained, arrested or placed in protective custody by
law enforcement authorities to institutions that provide short-
or long-term care (either government or NGO-run)?

-- (SBU) An NGO referral system exists, which IOM established in
September 2002. It consists of 21 partner organizations
involved in both prevention and reintegration activities. In
2008 and January-February 2009, these organizations referred 174
and 9 victims, accordingly, to IOM for reintegration assistance.
Some NGOs have commented in the past that law enforcement
officials have made inaccurate referrals, and recommended
additional training for officers to learn how to properly
identify and refer victims of trafficking. Authorities have
been successfully addressing this problem through officer
training at the MOI's Anti-TIP Training Center. Additionally,
under the auspices of IOM's memorandum of understanding with the
border guards, IOM held seminars and victim identification
training sessions for government officials.

-- G. What is the total number of trafficking victims identified

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during the reporting period? Of these, how many victims were
referred to care facilities for assistance by law enforcement
authorities during the reporting period? By social services
officials? What is the number of victims assisted by
government-funded assistance programs and those not funded by
the government during the reporting period?

-- (SBU) In 2008, the Minsk office of the International
Organization for Migration (IOM) assisted 218 victims of
trafficking, including 25 minors. In January-February 2009, 17
TIP victims (of which two were minors) were assisted by IOM. Of
the victims IOM assisted, 153 in 2008 and 11 in January-February
2009 suffered sexual exploitation at their destination point
compared to 134 in 2007, while 63 and 6, accordingly, were
forced to perform manual labor (as compared to 47 in 2007). The
MOI registered 591 victims and referred 125 to anti-TIP NGOs for
rehabilitation assistance. 38 victims of trafficking sought
medical assistance at state-run rehabilitation facilities in

2008.

-- H. Do the government's law enforcement, immigration, and
social services personnel have a formal system of proactively
identifying victims of trafficking among high-risk persons with
whom they come in contact (e.g., foreign persons arrested for
prostitution or immigration violations)? For countries with
legalized prostitution, does the government have a mechanism for
screening for trafficking victims among persons involved in the
legal/regulated commercial sex trade?

-- (SBU) According to the MOI, the government has a system of
"methodological recommendations" to monitor and control various
categories of people crossing Belarusian borders. The 2006-2010
State Migration Program created a mechanism of state regulation
of migration trends throughout Belarus. Belarus has taken steps
to increase border security. Border authorities are currently
working on the Bombel Program, a joint project with the European
Commission and UNDP designed to raise Belarusian border
management to EU standards. Phase one was completed in 2007 and
focused on increasing border security, providing training for
border guards in EU standard practices, and continuing
development of an automated passport system. Phase two is under
way and is aimed at improving migration control

-- (SBU) Prostitution in Belarus is illegal.

-- I. Are the rights of victims respected? Are trafficking
victims detained or jailed? If so,for how long? Are victims
fined? Are victims prosecuted for violations of other laws,
such as those governing immigration or prostitution?

-- (SBU) NGOs in Belarus generally agree that the legal rights
of victims are respected. Trafficking victims are not detained,
jailed or fined. Belarus ratified the Palermo Protocol in 2003,
and follows its policy that states that even if a woman had
previously consented to prostitution, she should still be
considered a victim. In addition, the August 2005 anti-TIP
decree mandates that TIP victims may not be deported or
otherwise held administratively accountable for offences
committed in connection to TIP crimes against them such as
prostitution or immigration violations.

-- J. Does the government encourage victims to assist in the
investigation and prosecution of trafficking? How many victims
assisted in the investigation and prosecution of traffickers
during the reporting period? May victims file civil suits or
seek legal action against traffickers? Does anyone impede
victim access to such legal redress? If a victim is a material
witness in a court case against a former employer, is the victim
permitted to obtain other employment or to leave the country
pending trial proceedings? Are there means by which a victim
may obtain restitution?

-- (SBU) Official policy forbids coercion of victims, and it
appears that this is taken seriously by the Ministry of Interior
leadership. Several NGOs have reported an improvement in the
area of victim coercion citing fewer reports that pressure to
cooperate with investigations does occasionally occur with less
experienced officers at the local level or during victims'
questionings to enable the law enforcement curbing and
preventing trafficking attempts in advance. The State Border
Committee now allows IOM to take and shelter victims for several

MINSK 00000086 011.2 OF 015


days before calling in investigators. Law enforcement agencies
permit La Strada and IOM specialists to attend interrogations
and even closed court hearings upon victims' requests. In 2008,
the State Border Committee encouraged a La Strada representative
to meet and assist a TIP victim deported from Israel on the
airplane at the Minsk international airport. The issue of
pressuring victims is one area that the TIP Academy emphasizes
during its training of local TIP-specialist police officers.

-- (SBU) Victims are allowed to file civil suits and/or seek
legal action against the traffickers, and IOM, La Strada and
Radislava provide legal assistance to victims of trafficking. A
counter-trafficking manual for law enforcement officials and
repeated law enforcement trainings by international
organizations and NGOs in Belarus' regional centers have
improved law enforcement officers' interviewing skills. Local
NGOs reported in the past, however, that victims occasionally
encountered judgmental and hostile attitudes from some law
enforcement personnel, particularly in smaller cities and towns,
though this issue continues to be addressed through further
training.

-- K. Does the government provide any specialized training for
government officials in identifying trafficking victims and in
the provision of assistance to trafficked victims, including the
special needs of trafficked children? Does the government
provide training on protections and assistance to its embassies
and consulates in foreign countries that are destination or
transit countries? What is the number of trafficking victims
assisted by the host country's embassies or consulates abroad
during the reporting period? Please explain the type of
assistance provided (travel documents, referrals to assistance,
payment for transportation home).

-- (SBU) The Belarusian government has demonstrated a noticeable
increase in political will to combat trafficking and has used
its efforts to combat TIP to establish itself as a responsible
member of the international anti-TIP community and to raise its
international profile. The MOI has increased its training
resources and has made a concerted effort to improve specialized
anti-TIP training in victim identification, protection,
communication and referral to relevant social services for
members of law enforcement, courts, and the Prosecutor General's
Office. However, the high turnover rate for law enforcement
officials and bureaucratic red tape continue to hinder Belarus'
ability to address the problem, though this issue is slated to
be addressed during the government's new 2008-2010 anti-TIP
action plan. Overall corruption is not a problem related to
anti-TIP efforts.

-- (SBU) The GOB trained officers to fight TIP more effectively
and assist and protect victims. The Ministry of
Interior-sponsored new Anti-TIP Training Center at the National
Police Academy graduated its first class of trainees in July

2007. It trained four groups of the CIS and Belarus' law
enforcement officers and TIP specialists of local police
districts in 2008. Also, 13 police officers from the United
Arab Emirates took the courses at the Center in 2008. These TIP
specialists are trained in law-enforcement, victim assistance
and protection. The Ministry of Interior invested USD 149,000
in the facility, financing 90 percent of its startup costs.
Partial funding was provided by IOM, and training materials were
developed in conjunction with La Strada.

-- (SBU) According to the August 2005 edict, Belarusian
diplomatic missions and consular sections must field inquiries
from Belarusian citizens abroad about legislation to combat
trafficking in persons and protect victims in the host country
and in Belarus, guarantee full compliance of the host country's
laws in relation to the citizens of Belarus, and ensure the
return of victims who are Belarusian citizens to their place of
residence. The MFA reported that Belarusian embassies' consular
sections assisted and repatriated several victims from the Gulf
States and the Middle East region in recent years. The MFA
included anti-TIP training in its annual consular conference and
invited NGO and government TIP specialists to provide training.
La Strada created a booklet for Belarusian embassies abroad on
anti-TIP legislation, victim identification and the MFA's role
in combating TIP, including contact information for embassies,
consulates and international anti-TIP NGOs and shelters. IOM
has disseminated information about Belarusian NGOs that assist

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returned victims of trafficking in Belarus to the MFA, which has
in turn passed the information to embassies and consulates in
destination countries.

-- (SBU) The August 2005 anti-TIP decree ensures victims'
safety, social security and rehabilitation care, and requires
Belarusian diplomatic missions and consular sections abroad to
render necessary assistance to Belarusian victims abroad.


27. PREVENTION
--------------

-- A. Did the government conduct anti-trafficking information or
education campaigns during the reporting period? If so, briefly
describe the campaign(s),including their objectives and
effectiveness. Please provide the number of people reached by
such awareness efforts, if available. Do these campaigns target
potential trafficking victims and/or the demand for trafficking
(e.g. "clients" of prostitutes or beneficiaries of forced
labor)? (Note: This can be an especially noteworthy effort
where prostitution is legal. End note.)

-- (SBU) The government's latest initiative is the adoption and
implementation of its 2008-2010 State Program on Countering
Trafficking in Human Beings, Illegal Migration and Related
Illicit Activities. This program is aimed at decreasing
TIP-related and child pornography crimes, irregular migration
and prostitution, increasing protection and rehabilitation for
victims of trafficking, enhancing the efficiency of the state
authorities' prevention efforts, further improving TIP-related
legislation, and developing cooperation with concerned states
and organizations. A major currently implemented component of
the plan is to create a series of public service announcements
to be aired on national and regional television stations. This
information campaign is led by the Ministry of Interior and will
receive funding from the Ministry of Information.

-- (SBU) State-controlled media outlets continued to increase
news coverage of trafficking stories in state newspapers and
aired talk shows, television documentaries about
counter-trafficking and illegal migration efforts, and
interviews with GOB officials about the problem of trafficking
in Belarus. During 2008, the GOB officials continued to conduct
press conferences and briefings to increase awareness of the
problem. Over 40 correspondents of Russian and Belarus mass
media outlets participated June 3-6, 2008, in a GOB-sponsored
"press tour" that had proved to be effective in expanding
information campaigns. The printed media extensively covered
anti-TIP situation and the activities of rehabilitation centers
to raise awareness and prevent illegal recruitment for
employment abroad and trafficking of foreign victims for labor
exploitation in Belarus, curb fraud and coercion through
marriage and modeling agencies and to inform the victims who had
been reluctant to seek assistance about the rehabilitation and
integration services. The Citizenship and Migration Department
conducted its own public awareness campaign on working abroad
which included television appearances, radio spots and printed
informational articles. The Education Ministry also prepared
and distributed among its agencies and schools a manual for
teachers and instructors on how to effectively organize
activities to prevent trafficking. It also provided schools
with updated legislative information to broaden students' legal
knowledge about their rights and possibilities for protection
under domestic and international laws.

-- (SBU) In addition, the MOI continued in 2008 to monitor
advertising media for potential TIP recruitment messages.

-- (SBU) The information about the number of people reached by
awareness efforts is unavailable; however, the MOI asserted that
campaigns mainly targeted potential trafficking victims and
their families.

-- (SBU) Though in the past IOM complained of long delays in
receiving approval for its own anti-TIP television spots, it
reported a marked improvement in the approval process in 2007.
Three of the four television messages IOM proposed were approved
without delay. IOM also reports that its public awareness
billboard messages that can be seen throughout Minsk have been
provided free of charge by the authorities. Due to the
financial constraints, IOM did not release any new television or

MINSK 00000086 013.2 OF 015


billboard messages in 2008 but reported no hindrance from the
GOB in airing their messages. Educational materials developed
by IOM and La Strada are now displayed and distributed at all
land border crossings and at the Minsk international airport.

-- (SBU) The Ministry of Interior continues to run a TIP
information hotline, though its single goal is to offer
information regarding the licensing status and legitimacy of
marriage and modeling agencies and agencies involved in work and
study abroad. The Ministry acknowledges that NGO-run hotlines
are more effective at providing a broader range of services, and
that they refer callers to those hotlines. La Strada and IOM
reported continued significant cooperation between the
government hotline and their own hotlines in Minsk and Brest. A
La Strada official acknowledged that it would be ideal for
callers to receive all necessary information in one call, but
notes that the government hotline refers the majority of the
callers to them and that authorities do not hinder or interfere
with their work. NGOs have reported close cooperation from
authorities in distributing educational materials. Authorities
supported distribution of public service announcements produced
by the Red Cross and IOM, airing them on state television and on
television screens at subway stops free of charge.

-- B. Does the government monitor immigration and emigration
patterns for evidence of trafficking?

-- (SBU) Attention to trafficking detection by Belarus' State
Border Committee (SBC) continued to increase due to training by
international organizations and attention from the highest
levels of government. SBC has increased emphasis on training
border guards, sending officers to take part in numerous
seminars on counter-trafficking strategies organized in Belarus
and abroad. In addition, IOM noted that GOB officials
investigate all Belarusians who return from abroad without
travel documents. SBC officials have reported several cases
where officers were able to identify potential victims at
borders and convinced them to turn back.

-- C. Is there a mechanism for coordination and communication
between various agencies, internal, international, and
multilateral on trafficking-related matters, such as a
multi-agency working group or a task force?

-- (SBU) The single point of contact for all anti-trafficking
efforts government-wide is the head of the MOI's Department on
Combating Drug Trafficking and Trafficking in Human Beings which
serves as a coordinating agency. All ministries involved in
anti-TIP efforts report to this Department on a regular basis
for evaluation. Every six months the Department itself submits
a status report to the Presidential Administration and the
Interagency Commission for Combating Crime, Corruption and Drug
Trafficking under the State Security Council. The MOI reports
directly to the Security Council every quarter and to the
President once a year.

-- (SBU) In March 2005, the GOB formed an Interagency Commission
of government officials under the Security Council to implement
the President's decree and to improve the efficiency of
international programs against human trafficking in Belarus.

-- (SBU) Other government agencies involved in anti-trafficking
activities include: the Council of Ministers, the Supreme Court,
the Presidential Administration, the Prosecutor General's
Office, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Labor and
Social Security, the Ministry of Information, the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Healthcare, the Ministry of
Education, the Ministry of Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of
Transport, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of
Telecommunications, the State Security Committee (Belarusian
KGB),and the State Border and Customs Committees. The National
Academy of Sciences, the National Broadcasting Company and
Oblasts' executive committees also contribute to the anti-TIP
activities. The Interagency Commission has a separate standing
working group on issues of counter-trafficking that unites the
abovementioned agencies along with the representatives from the
Parliament, National Center for Legislation and Legal Research,
Ministries of Culture and Economy. NGOs are not represented on
the Commission and the working group; however, actively
participate in an advisory council established in the framework
of an international project to combat trafficking. In 2008, the

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council convened in April and December. NGOs are generally more
active in prevention, rehabilitation and assistance to the
trafficking victims. Government sources stated that victims
were more likely to trust NGOs than government sources of
assistance.

-- (SBU) The MOI is responsible for monitoring the
implementation of the government's national strategy to combat
trafficking in persons. In the past, anti-trafficking
organizations were often frustrated by a lack of
inter-ministerial communication and coordination, as well as the
lack of a single point of contact within the government on
trafficking issues. However, during 2007-2008, anti-TIP NGOs
reported that communication with government officials
significantly improved.

-- (SBU) In 2001, the Council of Ministers approved its first
five-year action plan to combat trafficking in persons and
prostitution. The strategy called for the formation of an
interagency working group to address the trafficking problem and
proposed measures for prevention, prosecution, victims'
assistance and international cooperation. The government is
continuing its efforts with the adoption of its new 2008-2010
State Program on Countering Trafficking in Human Beings,
Irregular Migration and Related Illicit Activities. This
program is mainly aimed at decreasing irregular migration and
prostitution, and increasing protection and rehabilitation of
victims of trafficking and further improving TIP legislation.
The plan also includes training to enhance the efficiency of
prevention efforts improving cooperation between government and
non-government entities. Exact budget figures for the
implementation of the program are unavailable.

-- (SBU) The government agencies involved in developing the plan
include: the Interior, Foreign Affairs, Education, Labor and
Social Security, Economic, Health, Justice, Labor, Culture,
Information, and Sports Ministries; State Customs and Border
Committees; the Prosecutor General's Office; the Committee for
State Security (the Belarusian KGB); the National Academy of
Sciences; the Scientific Research Institute of Criminology,
Criminal Analysis and Judicial Experts; Belarusian State
Insurance Organization; Belarusian TV/Radio Broadcasting
Company; Institution of Social and Political Research under the
Presidential Administration. Prior to enacting this plan, the
Ministry of Interior consulted extensively with IOM and its
partner NGOs experts.

-- (SBU) The MOI reported that Belarusian law enforcement
officials successfully established direct TIP enforcement
contacts with their counterparts in the main destination
countries - Russia, Ukraine, Spain, Poland, Lithuania, the
United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Israel, and
Turkey. Belarusian law enforcement officials actively
investigated cases of trafficking throughout the year and worked
jointly with officials abroad to break up several trafficking
rings.

-- (SBU) In an investigation that concluded in 2008, Belarusian
police worked closely with German and Dutch authorities to shut
down an organized criminal ring that trafficked over 30
Belarusian women to brothels in Germany and the Netherlands.
German, Dutch and Belarus law enforcement authorities arrested
nine criminals, and courts in Belarus sentenced three local
citizens to imprisonment of five to eight and one-half years.
In a separate case, the Ministry of Interior worked closely with
their Polish and German counterparts to investigate recruiting
and trafficking in 2001-2006 of over 30 Belarusian women to
brothels in Germany and Poland by two persons in the Brest
Oblast.

-- (SBU) In 2008, Belarus tabled draft resolutions at the United
Nations General Assembly (UNGA) calling for improvements in
coordinating mechanisms to combat human trafficking at the
international level, initiated a debate on human trafficking
during the UNGA session and called for developing a UN global
action plan to prevent TIP. Belarus was also active in ensuring
that TIP remains on the agenda for the Collective Security
Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Commonwealth of Independent
States (CIS).

-- (SBU) The GOB actively sponsored and participated in

MINSK 00000086 015.2 OF 015


international TIP conferences. In April 2008, the GOB and the
Ministry of Interior in cooperation with the international
organizations held a conference in Minsk on efforts to prevent
violence against children which was attended by representatives
from 27 countries.

-- F. Required of all posts: What measures has the government
taken during the reporting period to reduce the participation in
international child sex tourism by nationals of the country?

-- (SBU) As Belarus is not a trafficking or sex tourism
destination, it has not conducted awareness campaigns targeting
clients of the sex trade, or collected any information
indicating that its nationals participate in international child
sex tourism.


28. HEROES: N/A


29. BEST PRACTICES: The Ministry of Interior's International
Anti-TIP Academy continues to serve as an example of how
governments can take the initiative in training their personnel
to fight TIP. The Academy's efforts work on two fronts. Not
only does it provide training for local law enforcement
specialists for each of its police jurisdictions, but it has
also completed courses for officers in destination countries.
It has already completed training courses for several officials
in CIS countries, and is expanding its efforts toward a
curriculum for Gulf State destination countries. In 2009, the
Ministry provided tours of the facility to Embassy employees and
a prominent visiting private AMCIT with interest in TIP issues.


2. (U) Embassy point of contact for TIP report: Regional
Security Officer Christine Putz, telephone +375 17 210-1283,
x4637, fax +375 17 334-7853, e-mail putzc@state.gov.


3. (U) Personnel time spent on this report: post spent
approximately 80 hours preparing the Ninth Annual Trafficking in
Persons Report.
MOORE