SITUATION WITH PROSTITUTION AND TRAFFICKING
OF WOMEN AND GIRLS IN ESTONIA
By Jüri Kalikov
The Head of AIDS Information and Support Center in Tallinn, ESTONIA
Project leader of SEASTAR (1996-1999) project “HIV/AIDS Prevention Among
Crossing Borders Prostitution”
Coordinator of National Focal Point of «Training and Capacity Building
Against
Trafficking in Woman and Girls in the Baltic Sea region» project
(1999-2001)
“Harm Reduction among sex workers IDU-s” project (2001-2002)
HIV/STD Prevention Among Commercial Sex Workers project manager (2002-2003)
Tallinn
April 2001
The social-economic situation of women
The social-economic situation of women in Estonia is generally worse
than this of men.
Important difference maker is the gender segregation on the labour market.
Women are mostly in occupations, which have less prestige and smaller average
salary, like teachers, health and social workers, shop and market sales
workers. They rarely work as high-level managers and top specialists. Men
have better salaries and power positions.
Men are more active in starting private businesses. Researches show that
women have less self-confidence in their business abilities - 38% of women
and 56% of men think they can run their own business, and 3% of women and
8% of men do it.
The most of labour force are working as wage labourers. Average salary
of women is about ¼ less, last decade shows the growth of that difference.
Percentage of women’s hourly salary of men’s hourly salary (100%): 1992
- 79.8%; 1995 - 73.3%; 1997 - 72.0%. The biggest is difference in salaries
of service and sales workers (3/4 are women) - 63.2% (1997) and the smallest
in salaries of public officials 90.2% (1997). None of the fields is it
equal or in favour of women.
Unemployment rate has grown rapidly in1990s, at first it was equal rates,
since 1995 there has been more unemployed men than women. Age, nationality,
region, urban/rural environment, education make important differences.
According the age is unemployment rate highest among youth (15-24 years).
A research on gymnasium student’s labour expectations shows that boys
tend to choose their future occupation according their interests and economic
efficiency, while girls choose according cultural stereotype of feminine,
and these fields are the least paid.
Human rights and women’s rights - Estonian Parliament has signed international
conventions Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental
Freedoms and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women (1992), the Social Charter of European Commission has caused
much discussions (especially paragraphs of equality and equal pay) in Estonian
Parliament and has not been accepted yet. Estonian SSR law of trade unions
exists from 1989.
Trafficking in woman
Trafficking in woman in
Estonia
It is very hard to estimate the number of trafficked woman in our country,
because it is no official statistics and no special research provided on
this issue. There are two ways of trafficking of woman in Estonia:
inside the country, when the girls enforced to go to the capital and
bigger cities from the country side and small cities (mostly from Ida-Virumaa
with bigger part of Russian-speaking inhabitants and higher rate of unemployment)
outside the country, when the woman can be trafficked crosses the borders
to the other country.
Estonia is mostly country of origin of trafficked woman and in some way
country of destination, because in prostitution in Tallinn and bigger cities
are involved previously young girls from the countryside and smaller cities.
If 5-7 years ago it was a number of cases when the woman was coming from
Byelorussia, Russia, Latvia, now nearly all trafficked woman are local.
Thanks to stronger border regulation this number is insignificant.
The ways of trafficking are various: we have a wide range of destinations
of trafficked women from Estonia. But most «popular» are: Finland,
Sweden, Poland, Holland, Spain, Italy, Norway, Denmark and Germany. But
we have also information about other destinations like Thailand, Greece,
Cyprus, Japan, and USA, SOUTH AFRICA
They are trafficked for the following purposes:
to work in prostitution
as a domestic workers,
nannies, householders etc.
to work as striptease-dancers,
dancers, waitresses etc.
for the marriage with
purposes of sexual or labor exploitation
Very often women, failed by
promises of high income, security, medical insurance, good work conditions,
are have no intentions to work like prostitutes, but the situation, they
find out their selves in abroad, put them make very difficult choices, which
arise from absence of legal status (tourist visas, end of visas, passports),
financial situation (no money for the return home); physical or psychological
violence, blackmail.
The main way of recruiting women is the advertising of «marriage
agencies», «employment companies», and straight invitations
for sex work in 3 main advertising newspapers - Kuldne Börss, SOOV,
Privat-INFO, one weekly magazine - Den Za Dnjom and one sex magazine MAJA,
also from the working prostitutes from existing brothels and clubs. It is
very few individuals who work independently on sex market, it is all the time
some mediator (pimp, owner of club, driver, bodyguard etc) between sex worker
and client. The attempts of some women began to work individually, advertising
they phone number in papers, are mostly ends by fiasco because of threatening
by violence and financial racket.
The traffickers are mostly local, previously criminal persons; often ex-prostitutes;
also on this field are very active traffickers from Finland, Russia, Germany,
and Holland etc.
It is the clear linkages between traffickers from country of origin (Estonians,
Russians) and countries of destination (owners of clubs, agencies, hotels,
bars etc.)
In a society exist very different attitudes regarding the problem of
trafficking in woman, violence and prostitution. But if 3-5 years ago the
tone of articles and reports in mass media was totally sensational, now
prostitution theme is quite «usual», but it still less awareness
about trafficking.
Policy and law
Criminal Code does not specify trafficking of human beings or trafficking
in woman as a single-valued crime. However that could be criminalized in
concurrence of offenses: taking a hostage (CC Art. 124.1) or illegal deprivation
of liberty (CC Art. 124.3) combined with rape (CC Art. 115) or sexual passion
satisfaction in an unnatural way (CC Art 115.1) or buggery (CC Art.118).
The special laws against trafficking in woman do not exist.
The smuggling of a person, in order to affect the illegal crossing of
the border of the Estonian Republic, in addition to the organization, instigation
or encouragement of this sort of offense by others, is punishable by imprisonment
(from 1 to 5 years), or by fine under Estonian law.
It is no remarkable pressure to develop this kind of laws from Parliament,
politicians or woman organization. The interest and concern of state institutions
such as ministries of justice, health, foreign affairs and social affairs
are very weak.
It is no any legislation or regulation concerning enforced marriages
or marriages on convenience. Estonia doesn’t ratify any international agreement
concerning the fight against trafficking in women. Judicial co-operation
for these offenses are possible only under Council of Europe conventions in
criminal field, ratified by Estonia in 1997.
The trafficker - being a citizen of Estonia - can be penalized when the
crime was committed in another country, because Estonia ratified the European
Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons on 26 of February 1997, in
force since 01.08.1997.
Prevention and education
The special programs or separate projects for the prevention and education
regarding trafficking in woman, initiated or supported by the state, do
not exist.
The only NGO, which start to deal with the prevention and education 5-6
years ago and works with trafficked woman is the NGO AIDS Information and
Support Center (AIDS-i Tugikeskus).
From March 2000 AIDS Information and Support Center in cooperation with
NGO-s from Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Latvia and Lithuania implemented 1-year
project «Training and Capacity Building Against Trafficking in woman
and Girls in the Baltic Sea Region» - project, initiated by Kvinnoforum
from Sweden and financed by Daphne-initiative. Unfortunately the international
project regarding trafficking in women starts without any help from the
state. This project was continued for the first three months of 2001 with
the financial help of Likestilling Centeret from Oslo, Norway.
The STOP-project (01.07.1999-30.06.2000), initiated by STAKES and Ministry
of Interior of Finland involved some Estonian state institutions (police,
prosecutors, border guards, schools, social and health sector civil servants)
but only on issue of prevention of commercial sexual abuse and involvement
in prostitution the minors (under 18 years old).
It is a lot of publications and reports in mass media on theme of trafficking
in woman, but political and public opinion is not clearly formulated, it
is «from wall to wall». Some of newspapers and magazines publish
professional and appropriated articles, but some are interested only in
sensation and scandal, at the same time regularly distributing sex-business
advertisements.
The reducing of the state budget for prevention and education programs
on 25 % in year 1999, and freezing the budget sums for AIDS Prevention
program for next years shows the low level of understanding and acceptance
of the problem existence and very conservative attitude of state institutions.
Victim support
«The Ministry of Social Affairs has presented to the Government
of the Republic the part of national program of the crime prevention «Establishment
of the system to assist the victims of crimes». Association «Support
and assistance for victims» have been established, also asylums.
Consult for victims, fiscal benefits, help of crisis are arranged by the
Social Rehabilitation Center and Association. Assistance for the victims
and their families is not sufficiently good. Respective programs are not
elaborated, specialists are not properly trained and economic problems are
not solved yet.»
It is quote from official response of Ministry of Justice, which was
edited for the Committee on Women’s Rights and Equal Opportunities of European
Parliament.
But it is not special governmental program or projects regarding victims
of trafficking in women. It is very few organizations, which provide some
victim support. Crisis Intervention Center in Tallinn (previously for the
victims of violence in the family), NGO Tartu Support Center for Abused
Children - for adolescent and NGO AIDS-i Tugikeskus (AIDS Information &
Support Center) - for the victims of sexual violence and rape on sex-work
(some psychological and social support, free tests on HIV/STD and medication,
consultation of specialists - gynecologist, narcologist, venerologist etc.)
Violence against women
It is quite hard to estimate the amount of women who met the problem
of violence in family, society, job place, during sex-work etc.
There are no special help organisations for dealing with violence against
women and no special statistics about it. According to Statistical yearbook
of Estonia is a number of women in refuges and rehabilitation centres for
domestic violence 171 in 1996, 161 in 1997, and it is the forth-biggest
reason of going to refuge or rehabilitation centres.
Crisis Intervention Centre in Tallinn has statistics that domestic violence
is a reason for 1.9% (253 in 1994-1999) of women to ask for help.
Tartu Support Centre for Abused Children has 30-40% of families with
the problem of violence against women. They served altogether 399 families
in 1999. The biggest problems of women in violent relationships are that
they feel helpless and hopeless, hide domestic problems from colleagues
and acquaintances, can’t see that their children suffer for same reasons
and can’t help them, have long and undiagnosed depression, use alcohol
instead of looking for effective solutions, lack of supporting friends.
But 30% of our sex workers visitors through the SEASTAR project (1996-1999)
were sexually abused in the childhood (under 16 years of age). 40% of sex
business employees who visited us, fall victim to violence and sexual abuse
when working.
The sex workers are very often in situation of different kinds of dependence
from the pimps, brothel or bars owners, traffickers etc. Its can be illegal
deprivation of liberty (in clubs, especially private houses, saunas, apartments);
violence and sexual and physical abuse from clients and pimps; financial
dependence from owners of brothels; or traffickers, who organize sex work
abroad (travel costs, visa costs, accommodation costs, sometimes clothes
and food); in way of financial punishment for “mistakes” during working with
clients; social freedom deprivation - deduction of documents, blackmailing
by informing the parents, partners, relatives of the girls “real job” - very
often, especially in cases of the Ida-Virumaa girls, the parents, relatives,
boyfriends don’t know about actual activities of the young women in capital.
Prostitution
Prostitution in Estonia
The exact number of brothels and sex service firms and the number of
woman employed are very difficult to estimate because the situation changes
daily. Today, there are approximately 50 - 70 brothels in Tallinn and a
few in the other major cities
(Narva, Pärnu - summer resort, Tartu). Between 5 and 20 women work
in each brothel.
In summer time a lot of sex employees go to summer resort Pärnu,
because during summer season it’s a thousands of tourists from abroad visit
this city.
The migration of sex business employees (mostly Estonian and Russian origin)
from Estonia to Finland, Germany and Sweden as well as to other countries
has increased, especially after cancellation of visa requirements to several
countries (last example - Schenghen countries).
Changes have also taken place in the structure of prostitution, most
noticeably in the age and ethnic background of sex business employees.
Whereas in the beginning of the rise of prostitution there was en equal
number of Estonians and Russians involved, the share of non-Estonians at
present is considerably larger. This has evidently been caused by integration
problems on their part.
As far as the migration of prostitution is concerned, it should be pointed
out that sex business employees of Estonian nationality now proceed mostly
to Stockholm or Berlin (no visa needed, tough competition on the «Finnish»
market between woman from the Baltic states and Russia, Russian sex business
employees continue working in Finland). The customers of sex business in
Tallinn and Pärnu are primarily visitors from Finland, Sweden and other
Europe countries also local Estonian and Russian men. Finnish sex magazines,
for example, carry detailed articles about Estonian brothels, telephone
numbers and prices.
Procuring and pimps are totally common. Prostitution is clearly a part
of organized crime and the drug trade in Estonia. The advertisements with
invitations for sex work to the Dutch, German, Finnish sex clubs are very
common in Estonian (Russian and Estonian language) newspapers.
The main motivation for young women and girls are economical reasons,
financial support of parents, families, children, solving individual economic
problems, one part of the girls come to the sex business with only one reason
- to earn money for buying drugs.
Then prostitution was at its peak, more then half of the sex workers
were under 18, and now their share has dropped to 26-27%. At the same time
constantly the cases of only 15 or 16 ears aged sex workers have been observed,
the youngest girl, who was visited our services was 14 y.o. Approximately
half of the sex business employees based in Tallinn come from other regions
with high unemployment rate. The usual types of service are companies, massage
saloons, sex clubs, striptease bars, call girls etc with advertising of
their activities in local newspapers with contact telephone numbers.
The average pimp has little regard for the sex worker health, and with
the large number of young women involved; intervention is still very difficult.
There are call girls, sex firms as apartments, saunas, brothels and massage
saloons. Street prostitution like phenomenon (as it exists in Latvia, Sankt
Petersburg or Helsinki fortunately does not exist.
Policy and law
It is no special law concerning prostitution in Estonia.
But according to the criminal code Art.202 6 inclining a person to prostitution
or mediating prostitution is punishable up to 7 years. This amendment to
the Criminal Code came into force in 21st of February 1995. It is
no national policy of the state (or ministry of justice, ministry of health
etc.) and no any state programs or financed by state projects regarding prostitution.
Unexpectedly effective has been paragraph 201 of the Criminal Code “Allowing
illegal activities in a persons dwelling”, due to which many brothel keepers,
especially female ones or former prostitutes gave up their activities.
Paragraph 202 of Criminal Code “Involvement of minors in criminal activities
or prostitution” has also had a positive effect, though it would be bigger
if the police had better means of enforcing it. Paragraph 202 of the Criminal
Code on banning pimping can be considered a truly progressive step in the
development of our legislation. But at the same time we find out that big
number of owners just change the “sign” and reopen new brothels under new
one - saunas, massage saloons etc.
Unfortunately, its looks that police deal with cases only if they have
operative information about adolescent girls in brothels or drug use. It
is not enough attention for the trafficking itself and very few investigation
regarding pimping or involvement in prostitution.
Although its enforcement is complicated and the number of court cases,
which really punish the pimps and owners by years in imprisonment is very
little, a mere existence of this law ended the virtually useless discussions
on legalizing or banning prostitution, neither of which is a constructive
solution. The discussion about legislation in our Parliament roll over
and rules only in one way - the range of taxes, which the state wish collect
from the sex business employees.
Social assistance
The only organization, which deals with prostitution problem during 5-6
years, is NGO AIDS Information and Support Center. Since October 1996 for
September 1999 this work has been carried out, within the framework of the
project “SEASTAR” (prevention of migratory prostitution) which is a Finnish-Estonian
joint project, financed partly by EU and partly by Helsinki Deaconess Institute.
The SEASTAR project is the part of UMBRELLA NETWORK projects, co-coordinated
by SPI (Social Pädagogischen Institute in Berlin, Germany).
Within the framework of SEASTAR sex workers receive the following assistance:
Free advising on safer
sex and HIV/STD prevention
Free tests on HIV and
STDs
Free treatment of STDs
Free counseling of the
specialists (venerologist, narcologist etc.)
If necessary, free legal,
social and psychological assistance.
The state AIDS Prevention Center
participates in the project as a coordinator, offering just methodological
assistance to the project staff.
During the report period (01.12.1996 to 31.09.1999), nearly 1200 sex
workers were counseled and given information on safer sex. A total of 382
sex workers filled in an anonymous questionnaire on their first visit;
on the basis of these questionnaires the following conclusions can be drawn:
In Tallinn, customer work has focused on providing health services, counseling,
safer sex education and outreach work at the first half of the period at
Helsinki and Tallinn, now at Tallinn only.
Counseling, medical examinations, safer sex education, specialist consultations
(venerologist, gynecologist, narcologist, psychologist) for sex workers
were arranged at the AIDS Information and Support Center. The center provides
doctors surgery hours six days in the week (in the afternoon).
Condoms, lubricants, safer sex informative materials, leaflets about safer
kinds of work, about services in both countries, have been distributed
on fieldwork visits and in center.
Our staff and volunteers have long time experience of voluntary work.
During our visits to Helsinki sex bars (Kings Kakadu, Mermaid, Mikado) and
on the streets, during field work once a week in Tallinn we spread more then
1000 safer sex «gifts» with the various kinds of condoms, lubricants
and informative materials about activities of both services in Tallinn and
Helsinki.
Medical examination was given to 788 sex workers, out of whom 451 were
first visitors and 337 multiply visitors. Totally nearly 35 % of the girls,
consulted and examined medically during their first visits were discovered
minimum one sexually transmitted disease.
Nearly 45% of sex-workers were diagnosed candida and gardnerella.
The corresponding figures among multiply visitors were decreased considerably,
especially when the girls come regularly.
Totally nearly 8-9 % of the girls, consulted and examined medically during
the multiply visits are discovered minimum one sexually transmitted disease.
18 % of sex-workers were diagnosed candida and gardnerella.
The reason why multiply visitors are still discovered to have so many
diseases is that very often they get infected when not working or because
they fall victim of sexual violence when working
Unfortunately financing of the project terminates on 30 of September 1999
and at present it is important to find means to continue it, as there exists
trained staff and a more or less equipped center. No other non-profit organizations
deal with the problem of prostitution. Over the years there have been few
cases when sex workers have turned to the Crisis Intervention Center assistance
or psychologists but by no means can such work be considered systematic.
Sex workers have also turned to different STD specialists but they have
received only medical help for charge, not advising, training or psychological
and social help.
Unfortunately this kind of activities was never received financial support
from the state.
The problems of prostitution, trafficking of women and girls inside and
outside the borders become more and more serious and dangerous. From the
year 2001 our center start the one-year Harm Reduction project among sex workers
intravenous drug addicts, financially supported by Open Society Institute
from New York and our own resources and still have no any financial support
from the state.
We should give a special attention to these problems in a frame of extremely
fast spread of HIV infection in last year. Before year 2000 total number
of HIV-positive people as nearly 100. In year 2000 - 390 new cases
were founded, and only in period 01.01.2001 - 10.04.2001 the number of new
infections was 420!
It should be pointed that that it is clear epidemic situation among drug
users, especially in age 15-24 y.o. and it is constantly growing number
of infected women (in this year 97). The infected drug users are in the
age of high sexual activity and very common situation is follows: young boys
IDUs, which was founded HIV-positive, who live in Ida-Virumaa (Narva, Kohtla-Jarve)
has a girlfriends, who work on temporary basis in capital (sometimes in
sex business). It is alarming situation and because that situation contribute
immediate and common measures.
* Selve Ringmaa prepared information about violence against women and
social-economic situation from ENUT