ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the scale of the trafficking problem and a profile of the victims of trafficking. It describes the methods of recruitment, the regions of Ukraine from which most women are trafficked, and the characteristics of the traffickers. The chapter looks at the availability and effectiveness of existing legal instruments to combat this activity. Crimes of violence, cruelty, and aggression are realities that are plaguing countries like Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus. Human trafficking, particularly trafficking in women and children, is one such manifestation of this violence. Trafficking, a rapidly growing criminal business in Ukraine, can involve rape, prostitution, pornography, and other aspects of the sex industry. Criminal groups appear to be responsible for carrying out the majority of the trafficking of women and children in Ukraine. While most women understand that they will have to render services of an intimate nature, they are unaware of the actual scale of sexual exploitation.
