Human Trafficking in [Timor-Leste] [other countries]Street Children in [Timor-Leste] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Timor-Leste] [other countries] |
Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste [ Country-by-Country
Reports ] The Democratic Republic
of Timor-Leste (East Timor or Timor-Leste) [map] is located in the Lesser Sundas,
Malay Archipelago, off the East Timor is a
destination country for women from Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, and
the People's Republic of China (P.R.C.) trafficked
for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. Internal trafficking of
Timorese women and girls from rural areas to Dili
for sexual exploitation is a problem and there are concerns that it could
increase due to long-term internal displacement and increased presence of
international peacekeepers. An attempt to traffic Timorese women to Syria was
thwarted, but points to the possibility of East Timor becoming a source
country. There are unverified reports of men trafficked for forced labor in
East Timor.
- U.S. State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2007 [full country
report] |
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CAUTION:
The following links have been culled from the web to illuminate the
situation in ***
FEATURED ARTICLE *** U.S.
Department of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs - Indonesia [see footnote 992]
Children have been reported in militia groups that formed in East
Timor and in the separatist region of Aceh and in
the Maluku Islands. Reports from the Malukus indicate that children between the ages of 7 and
12 years of age have participated in both sides of the conflict. “Asia
Report: Indonesia and East Timor,” May 2000, 2, 7; see
www.child-soldiers.org/reports_asia/indon_and_et.html. According to this
source, sources within the churches in the region said at least 200 boys had
been forcibly recruited and trained as fighters. ***
ARCHIVES *** Bur of Democracy,
Human Rights & Labor - Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005 TRAFFICKING
IN PERSONS – The law
prohibits trafficking in women and children, whether for prostitution or for
forced labor; however, there have been several reports of women and girls
trafficked into the country for prostitution in recent years. In 2004 a local
NGO conducted a baseline study of human trafficking and the sex industry and
estimated that as many 115 foreign sex workers in the capital might be
victims of trafficking. Several establishments in the capital were known
commercial sex operations and were suspected of also being involved in
trafficking. UN officials and local NGO leaders
cited several instances in which foreign women, usually of Chinese,
Indonesian, or Thai origin, reported that they had been trafficked to the
country and were being held against their will. For example, in 2004 two
Indonesian women interviewed by a local NGO stated that they had been hired
by a businessman in Freedom
House Country Report - Political Rights: 3 Civil Liberties: 3 Status: Partly Free Human Rights Overview by Human
Rights Watch – Defending Human Rights Worldwide East
Timor: Old Migration Challenges in the World's Newest Country BUILDING AN IMMIGRATION SYSTEM - The immigration function
currently falls within the domain of the police. Because Timor-Leste shares a 142-mile (228km) long border with
Indonesia, and has several Indonesian islands near its coastline, there are
enormous security concerns. The border is porous and difficult to monitor.
Current steep border crossing charges ($2 for native Timorese) encourage
unauthorized crossings. Trafficking of women and girls from countries such as
Thailand and Indonesia has also emerged as a problem in the country.
Familiarizing the police force with the provisions of a new immigration law,
tracking visas, and enforcing the law within a framework of human rights and
due process remain important tasks as the country works to secure its border
and to track and manage immigration. The Bali bombing and East Timor
crisis of 1999 have led to a surge in the number of Territory pedophiles
going there on sex tours, a child protection organisation
says. "Offenders are looking for
vulnerability, looking for destabilisation and a
crisis situation," Ms McMenamin said. "They look for access and opportunity
for children and they also look for places where they won't get caught." U.S.
Department of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs - Indonesia [see footnote 992]
Children have been reported in militia groups that formed in East
Timor and in the separatist region of Aceh and in
the Maluku Islands. Reports from the Malukus indicate that children between the ages of 7 and
12 years of age have participated in both sides of the conflict. “Asia
Report: Indonesia and East Timor,” May 2000, 2, 7; see
www.child-soldiers.org/reports_asia/indon_and_et.html. According to this
source, sources within the churches in the region said at least 200 boys had
been forcibly recruited and trained as fighters. Seven Asian Nations
Sign Pact to Limit Sex Trade Human rights groups and UNICEF
also have documented the special threats of sexual exploitation spawned by
war and armed conflict. Desperation often compels women and children to offer
sex in exchange for food, shelter, vital documents or safe passage through a
war zone. In East Timor, women were
abducted, traded, raped and forced to do household chores. BACK DOOR Newsletter
on East Timor New legislation being adopted for
an independent East Timor will set 18 as the minimum age for recruitment. The
reintegration of child soldiers, some as young as 12, who were used by both
government and opposition forces during the conflict still presents a major
challenge. The abduction and recruitment of children by anti-independence
militia for the purposes of indoctrination has been reported. - COALITION TO STOP THE USE OF CHILD
SOLDIERS All material used herein
reproduced under the fair use exception of 17 USC §
107 for noncommercial, nonprofit, and educational use |
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Human Trafficking in [Timor-Leste] [other countries]Street Children in [Timor-Leste] [other countries]Child Prostitution in [Timor-Leste] [other countries]