Trafficking in Human Beings (THB

There is a general consensus that EaP countries need to develop precise legal guidelines to regulate as much as possible the illicit use of cryptocurrencies.

Profits generated annually from human trafficking are estimated to be around EUR 30 billion globally.96 The EaP region is an important origin, transit and destination for victims of THB. Victims are trafficked for two main purposes: sexual and labour exploitation. The former mainly involves women and children, while the latter may include coerced criminality.97 Victims can be mainly identified as coming from rural areas with poor education and few economic or educational opportunities throughout the EaP region. This highlights the need to reinvest successfully recovered assets into high-priority development needs, which include the education, employment and health care sectors.

Belarus - From Tier 3 to Tier 2 Watch List (WL)98

According to a 2021 U.S. report, the Government of Belarus had made achievements with regard to combating THB and was therefore upgraded from Tier 3 (2019-2020) to Tier2 WL (2020-2021). Key achievements between 2020 and 2021 included the amendment of the National Referral Mechanism (NRM), improving victim identification and assistance, by increasing the amount of time for the identification process (from 30 to 90 days if needed) and requiring the recording of child victim and witness testimony during pre-trial investigation. This is a useful step towards reducing the risk of re-traumatisation, as victims will not have to testify again in the courtroom. Victims purportedly could also benefit from free legal assistance and can request additional protection measures, such as testifying remotely.

Armenia – From Tier 2 WL to Tier 2

Among other achievements, the Armenian Government, with the support of the OSCE, developed a manual for law enforcement, labour inspectors and the judiciary on monitoring businesses that could be used for trafficking, as well as other forms of exploitation. This is an important step towards developing effective and improved techniques of THB prevention and victim protection. In addition, the Health and Labour Inspection Body conducted labour inspections for the first time since 2015, demonstrating political and operational will to combat human trafficking.