IOM is committed to the principle that humane and orderly migration benefits migrants and society. As an intergovernmental body, IOM acts with its partners in the international community to: assist in meeting the operational challenges of migration; advance understanding of migration issues; encourage social and economic development through migration; and uphold the human dignity and well-being of migrants. Publisher: International Organization for Migration House No.1093 Ansari, Wat, Shahr-i Naw Kabul, Afghanistan Sat Phone: +00.873.762.869.855 Fax: +00.873.762.869.856 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://www.iom.int This study was made possible thanks to funding from the U.S. Department of State’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. IOM also thanks the officials of the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan and all organizations and individuals who provided input during the research initiative. _______________ ISBN 92-9068-176-4 © 2003 International Organization for Migration (IOM) _______________ All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without prior written permission of the publisher. Trafficking in Persons An Analysis of Afghanistan January 2004 AFGHANISTAN ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS N A T I S AIMS K U Z B E K I S T A N J I A T BADAKHSHAN TAKHAR Y# CHINA JAWZJAN Faizabad N Taluqan A Mazar-e Sharif KUNDUZ Kunduz T Shiberghan Y# Y# Y# I S Y# E N M K Aibak R BALKH Baghlan-e Jadeed U Y# T Y#Sari Pul Y# Maimana Y# SAMANGAN BAGHLAN FARYAB SARI PUL NURISTAN BADGHIS Qala-e Naw Charikar #Mahmud-e Raqi Y# Y# Y Asadabad PARWAN KAPISA LAGHMAN Y# BamyanY# BAMYAN Mehtarlam KUNAR Chaghcharan Kabul Y# Y# %[ Herat Maidan SharY# KABUL Y#Jalalabad Y# WARDAK GHOR Pul-e Alam NANGARHAR Y# HIRAT LOGAR Ghazni Gardez Y# Y# PAKTYA URUZGAN KHOST GHAZNI Y# Sharan Tirin Kot Y# FARAH N Farah ZABUL PAKTIKA A Y# Qalat R I Y# BOUNDARIES International Lashkar Gah Kandahar Province Y# Y# District %[ Capital Zaranj N A #Y Y# T Province Centre I S HILMAND K A Lettering NIMROZ P KANDAHAR PROVINCE NAME Province Centre Name NOTE: The boundaries and names on the maps do not imply official endorsement or N acceptance by the United Nations. 70 0 70 140 210 280 350 420 Kilometers for further information contact AIMS e-mail: [email protected] May, 2003 TABLE OF CONTENTS Map of Afghanistan Executive Summary 6 1. Introduction 9 1.1 Data & methodology 10 1.2 Limitations & constraints 12 1.3 Definition 14 2. Background 18 2.1 History 18 2.2 Ministerial Structure and Functions 19 2.3 Legal structure & explanation of laws 23 2.4 Human rights monitoring mechanisms 25 3. Trafficking trends 28 3.1 Internal trafficking 30 3.2 Afghanistan as a country of origin 39 3.3 Afghanistan as a country of transit 41 3.4 Afghanistan as a country of destination 41 3.5 Neighbouring countries: Pakistan 42 3.6 Incidents of concern: Trafficking-related trends 46 4. Government actions to counter trafficking 61 4.1 National Development Plan 61 4.2 Participation in regional dialogues 62 4.3 Ratification of CEDAW 62 4.4 Other legal efforts 63 4.5 Counter-trafficking office, MoI 64 5. Conclusions 65 6. Recommendations 68 7. Annex 73 7.1 International legal instruments 73 7.2 Afghan civil and penal codes 74 7.3 Decree: Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (Taliban) 84 7.4 Testimony 85 7.5 Roundtable discussion 87 7.6 Roundtable discussion: Placement of examples 89 7.7 IOM Survey 90 7.8 Glossary 92 7.9 Terminology 93 8. References 96 Additional Maps: IDP caseload, Repatriation crossing points 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Trafficking in human beings is a global problem, with an estimated 800,000 to 900,000 people trafficked across international borders each year and an untold many trafficked within their own countries. Unfortunately, Afghanistan is confronted with a significant trafficking problem, as recognized by the June 2002 “Declaration of the Essential Rights of Afghan Women,” which highlighted trafficking victims in its first section. Afghanistan was also identified in the 2002 U.S. Department of State “Trafficking in Persons” (TIP) report as a Tier III country – meaning that significant trafficking takes place and that the Government has not undertaken appropriate initiatives to combat the problem. This categorization could, under normal circumstances, make Afghanistan liable for a range of U.S. sanctions, but the 2003 TIP report has placed Afghanistan in a special category of transitional states. Although this new, special category is certainly a fair exception given the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan’s (TISA) array of challenges, it highlights rather than diminishes the pressing human rights problem of trafficking in Afghanistan. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has substantial experience in the sensitive fields of anti-trafficking research and programming. With funding from the U.S. Department of State Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons and with the approval and support from the TISA, including the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior, IOM has conducted a study to assess the trends and responses to trafficking in Afghanistan. Researching trafficking in any country is a difficult enterprise, but it is especially so in Afghanistan. Not only has general insecurity made some parts of the country practically inaccessible to the research team, but Afghans have deep rooted disinclinations to report trafficking crimes. Police forces are sometimes seen to be complicit in these crimes and, more importantly, trafficking and crimes of sexual violence are seen to dishonor the victim and her or his family rather than the perpetrator, making reporting of these crimes seem to some as a second violation. Despite these obstacles, a combined approach of written survey forms, structured interviews, and a literature review have produced a substantial body of information about trafficking in Afghanistan, ranging from specific and verified cases to credible but unverified cases to information about general trends and cultural contexts. Based on these specific cases and trends and employing the legal framework of the 2000 Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, which supplements the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, IOM believes that the following forms of trafficking are taking place: » Exploitation of Prostitution (forced prostitution and prostitution of minors); » Forced Labor; » Slavery and Practices similar to Slavery (abductions for forced marriage, marriage for debt relief, and exchange of women for dispute settlement); » Servitude (sexual servitude and domestic servitude); and, » Removal of Organs. Although the bulk of information on trafficking received is internal and among Afghans in neighboring countries, there have also been cases of cross-border trafficking – Afghanistan as a country of origin, transit, and destination. 6 This report documents examples of many forms of trafficking (with the exception of the last, for which further technical research is required). A range of “trafficking- related” trends is also documented. Though these incidents may not constitute “trafficking” as defined in the “Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children,” they still raise serious human rights concerns and share many causes and possible counter measures with more traditional trafficking practices. This report also explores the legal, social, economic, and security environment to establish how trafficking has taken root and to point to early recommendations for addressing the problem. Afghan trafficking victims are drawn from the most vulnerable communities. Displaced, destitute, and indebted persons and families, young people seeking economic opportunity abroad, and rural women are all targets for trafficking crimes. Afghanistan’s chronic insecurity, massive displacement, and poverty born of conflict and drought contribute to making many people vulnerable to this kind of exploitation. The role of women and girls as objects for dispute resolution, the power of local assemblies which often apply customary rather than constitutional or civil law, and the limited autonomy of women in marriage decisions, are additional factors that contribute to trafficking and make it difficult to combat. The TISA and the international community have taken some steps already. TISA has participated in regional anti-trafficking conferences, ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and begun legal reforms that might address some of the institutions that now enable trafficking crimes. Several institutions have also executed monitoring functions, and the Bonn- mandated Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission (AIHRC) has included trafficking violations in their list of core concerns. In addition, the UN Assistance Mission for Afghanistan (UNAMA) and UN specialized agencies have addressed trafficking cases on an individual basis. IOM further recommends action in the following areas: » Legislation. Create a legal framework ranging from a constitutional prohibition on slavery to laws enforcing the various international agreements to which Afghanistan is a signatory to laws protecting women from the most extreme versions of customary justice. » Coordination and dialogue. Coordinate both within the TISA and with regional