U.S. Department of State 2006 Trafficking in Persons Report - Belgium

Belgium (Tier 1)

Belgium is a destination and transit country for women and children from Central Europe, Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa, primarily trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Men are trafficked for exploitive labor in restaurants and sweatshops. Reportedly, trafficking for forced labor and forced begging increased from past low levels. There were reportedly eight domestic servants who were brought to Belgium by diplomatic personnel and then subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude. Six of these cases are in advanced stages of investigation.

The Government of Belgium fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. Belgium made appreciable progress to combat trafficking in 2005 by strengthening its anti-trafficking laws to both meet international standards and prohibit child sex tourism, as well as by improving victim protection and raising awareness of the problem. The government continued to vigorously investigate and prosecute trafficking and provided victims with specialized protection and assistance. A more tailored reintegration assistance program for victims would further strengthen the government's response to the trauma suffered by victims. The government should publish full statistical evidence illustrating that traffickers receive substantial punishments commensurate with the heinous nature of the crime to deter traffickers. To supplement existing anti-trafficking efforts, the government should also implement a focused and highly visible demand reduction campaign aimed at potential clients to emphasize the link between prostitution and sex trafficking.

Prosecution

The Government of Belgium continued to improve its law enforcement response to trafficking during the reporting period. In 2004, the government investigated 276 cases of trafficking and convicted at least 50 traffickers, but was unable at the time of this Report to provide full data on sentences for 2004. In 2005, the government amended its trafficking law to harmonize it with prevailing international standards on trafficking. Penalties for trafficking carry a maximum penalty of 10 to 20 years' imprisonment. In a landmark case in October 2005, a Pakistani national received eight years' imprisonment and a 55,000 Euro fine for running a trafficking network in Belgium. In addition in 2005, for the first time the government prosecuted a sex tourist, sentencing a Belgian national to 10 years in prison for sexually abusing over 200 children in Thailand over a 20-year period. Although forced or bonded labor within Belgium's diplomatic community was reported to be a problem, there were delays with the government's investigation and prosecution of these reported cases. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs actively issued 10 sanctions, and 20 letters of intent to sanction to accredited diplomats over the past two years. During the reporting period, the government provided protection and residence to the victims involved in these cases in exchange for their cooperation in ongoing investigations. In 2005, the Ministry of Justice conducted/organized specialized training for magistrates handling trafficking cases. There were no reports of officials' complicity in trafficking over the last year.

Protection

The Belgian Government in 2005 continued to subsidize three specialized trafficking shelters providing assistance to victims of trafficking, and NGOs continued to report excellent cooperation and coordination with law enforcement. NGOs praised Belgium's family reunification efforts for trafficking victims; in 2005, the government reunited a Romanian mother with her two children, providing them with significant support. During 2005, the three shelters cared for 198 trafficking victims. The government continued to provide victims a 45-day "reflection" period of care during which they could consider whether to assist in the investigation of their traffickers; subsequent government protection was linked to a victim's willingness to testify. In practice, the Belgian government granted permanent residency to many victims who assisted in prosecutions. Over a third of the current residents in Belgium's shelters have been granted indefinite residence status and thus qualify for the full social benefits available to Belgian citizens, including access to job training, rehabilitation, and medical treatment.

Prevention

Belgium sustained strong efforts to prevent new incidents of trafficking. In 2005, the government established a new smuggling and trafficking analysis center to coordinate its anti-trafficking response. In 2005, the government launched a public awareness campaign on the exploitation of children using billboards in public transit and other areas of public space. The government continued to co-sponsor an awareness raising campaign to warn and educate Belgian travelers about child sex tourism. The Ministry of Labor continued to conduct periodic workplace raids in high trafficking exploitation industries. Belgium continued to fund regional and global anti-trafficking prevention campaigns in source countries.