Belgium

Heba Ikram

The Government of Belgium fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. The government demonstrated it vigorously investigated, prosecuted, and convicted trafficking offenders. It continued to fund NGOs to provide comprehensive protection and assistance to victims subjected to forced prostitution and forced labor in 2009. Protection The government continued its efforts to protect victims of trafficking; however it reported a decrease in the number of trafficking victims identified and referred for protection in 2009. The government continued to fund three NGOs to shelter and provide comprehensive assistance to trafficking victims. These three NGOs assisted 465 potential trafficking victims during the reporting period; 158 of these were new referrals, a significant decline from the 495 total identified and referred in 2008. The government reported 103 victims of sexual and economic exploitation filed applications for temporary residency in Belgium in 2009, but did not provide the number of residency permits that were officially granted. The government reportedly used proactive procedures to identify victims of trafficking based on a 2008 interagency directive on coordination and assistance to trafficking victims; a December 2009 EU Schengen evaluation cited the guidelines for victim identification as a best practice. Belgian law allows the provision of extendable temporary residence status and permanent residence status to victims who participated in trafficking investigations and prosecutions. Residence can be granted before an investigation is completed at judicial discretion; residency can also be granted even without a successful prosecution. Children who were victims of trafficking reportedly were granted three months in which to decide whether to testify against their traffickers. According to a 2009 End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism (ECPAT) report, Belgian officials will only officially recognize a person as a victim of trafficking if that person has broken off all contact with their traffickers, agrees to counseling at a specialized reception center, and officially files a complaint against the traffickers. The report noted that these conditions for victim assistance are too high for child victims to meet. According to the government, if a child did not qualify for victim status, they may still have qualified for protection under the governments rules for unaccompanied minors. Victims who served as prosecutors witnesses in court were entitled to seek legal employment during the relevant legal proceedings. A report released by the government in December 2009 noted that undocumented victims of economic exploitation often hesitate to collaborate with law enforcement, fearing deportation. The report also noted that victims of economic exploitation occasionally end up in centers for rejected asylum seekers before being directed to shelters. Identified victims were not inappropriately incarcerated, fined, or penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked. IOM reported it repatriated five victims of trafficking, three adults and two unaccompanied [1] minors, in 2009. Prevention The Government of Belgium sustained its progress to prevent trafficking in 2009. The government continued to fund its ongoing Stop Child Prostitution prevention program in 2009. It reported that Belgian authorities launched an information campaign to increase identification and protection for Brazilian victims of forced labor. In 2009, the government issued a flyer in 27 languages for potential trafficking victims distributed by the police, the shelters, and available in airports and railway stations. In April 2009, in partnership with an NGO, the government held a colloquium in the Belgian Senate to generate greater parliamentary interest in trafficking issues. Reportedly, Brussels, Antwerp, and Liege

took measures to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts during the reporting period. Following the example of Brussels and Antwerp, the Liege city government closed 51 brothels in September 2008, limiting prostitution to a few registered bars. Belgian law allows for the prosecution of Belgian nationals for child abuse crimes committed abroad. The Belgian authorities identified child sex tourism as a serious problem among Belgian nationals, but reported no prosecutions of such activity. The government provided specific anti-trafficking training to Belgian troops before they were deployed on international [1] peacekeeping missions. The Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs have worked closely together to assign antitrafficking liaison officers to Belgian embassies in countries of origin, including Albania, Cote d'Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. These officers gather information about local conditions and trafficking trends and assist in establishing antitrafficking information campaigns tailored for the local population. In May Belgian authorities temporarily suspended visa processing for Russian citizens, stating that the denials were a result of the Russian authorities' reluctance to cooperate in fighting human trafficking. The Government has worked closely with the IOM to develop programs to combat human trafficking and to assist its victims. For example, the Government provided funding for information campaigns in countries of origin to warn women of the dangers of trafficking. It also provided funding to the IOM to assist the voluntary return of victims to their home countries and to assist them in readjusting once they have returned home. The Government works closely with and supports NGO's that combat trafficking. Prevention of child trafficking There have been some awareness-raising campaigns in Belgium during the last decade, although not every campaign is limited to human (or child) trafficking. Trafficking is often one of the aspects among others. In 2001 the federal police launched the information project Flyer. The idea was to distribute practical information and tips to truck drivers concerning the transportation of illegal foreigners hiding under the cargo. After a study of the federal police about sexual offences against minors, the action group Stop child prostitution was created in 2001. They launched two awareness-raising campaigns. The first in 2004-2005 with the name It is easy to ignore child prostitution abroad. The second in 2007 with the slogan Stop ignorance when travelling. These campaigns were meant to inform the public about the existence of sexual exploitation, the prohibition of such conduct in Belgium and abroad and the possibility of prosecution for extra-territorial sex crimes in Belgian courts. The Aliens Office has also taken some preventive actions, like the creation of a website for transporters or the sending of immigration officers to countries like Congo and China. There were also some initiatives at a more local level. For example, in the city of Mechelen a brochure was distributed among employers in seasonal labour. This brochure contained information about the legislation on the employment of foreign employees and the consequences in case of offences. A similar action was taken by the King Baudoin Foundation concerning international housing personnel. UNICEF organizes some campaigns in schools, e.g. What do you think, where children are encouraged to think about child trafficking. The NGO Stop the traffic organizes awareness-raising campaigns in the province of Limbourg. There is no evidence of direct participation of children or minority groups in these awareness-raising and preventive efforts.