BELGIUM: INCREASE IN ALBANIAN PROSTITUTES FORCED BY THEIR PIMPS TO APPLY FOR FALSE "REFUGEE" STATUS FOR ALLOW THEM TO WORK IN WEALTHY BELGIUM

Record ID: 566004

  • Title: BELGIUM: INCREASE IN ALBANIAN PROSTITUTES FORCED BY THEIR PIMPS TO APPLY FOR FALSE "REFUGEE" STATUS FOR ALLOW THEM TO WORK IN WEALTHY BELGIUM
  • Date: 15th November 1999
  • Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (NOVEMBER 1999) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. EXTERIOR OF NIGHT TRAFFIC AND CITY LIGHTS OF BRUSSELS 2. SEVERAL SHOTS OF PROSTITUTES IN RED LIGHT ZONE AROUND GARD DU NORD 3. SEQUENCE OF BLOND ALBANIAN PROSTITUTE TALKING TO POLICE WOMEN FROM SAINT JOSSE-TEN-NOODE POLICE STATION 4. A GROUP OF YOUNG ALBANIAN PROSTITUTES ON BLVD EMILE JACQUEMAN 5. (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) PUBLIC PROSECUTOR ERIC VAN DER SYPT SAYING: "Some of the girls are just simply kidnapped in schools, at home, in the streets of Albania. Some have been made false promises, some have been seduced. But everyone wants to leave Albania so it doesn't take a lot to seduce or to get those girls over." 6. TWO SHOT OF ERIC VAN DER SYPT AND REPORTER 7. LOW SHOT OF PROSTITUTE'S FOOT BY ROAD SIDE AS TRAFFIC PASSES 8. VARIOUS OF PROSTITUTES INSIDE CABINS IN RUE D'AERSHOT 9. (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) TWO LOCAL RESIDENTS OF SAINT JOSSE-TEN-NOODE SAYING: "There's definitely been a change in the ethnic mix and as soon as there's a problem somewhere such as during Kosovo or the Serbian crisis or anywhere where the borders start going down or there's a problem you start seeing them appearing on the streets here. Yep!" 10. PAN OF TRAFFIC TO BUILDINGS IN BLVD EMILE JACQUEMAN 11. SEQUENCE OF POLICE APPROACHING CAR AND CHECKING PAPERS OF PROSTITUTE AND CLIENT 12. (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) ANNE VAUTHIER, COORDINATOR AT PAG-ASA, A BRUSSELS BASED ORGANIZATION WHICH OFFERS SOCIAL SUPPORT AND PROTECTION TO PROSTITUTES WHO ARE VICTIMS OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING SAYING: "The traffickers they say to the women you have to tell to the ministry that you are from Kosovo so you will get the refugee status in Belgium usually they use that and they get a false identity and so begin it." 13. SLOW MOTION SHOT OF PROSTITUTES LEGS AT THE SIDE OF THE ROAD 14. VARIOUS SHOTS OF POLICE OFFICERS CHECKING PAPERS OF ALBANIAN PROSTITUTES 15. (SOUNDBITE) (FRENCH WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION) CHRISTIAN VAN WASSENHOVEN OF SAINT JOSSE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S JUDICIAIRE BRGADE SAYING: "The advantage for them is that by saying they come from Kosovo they can get a refugee status -- one of political asylum -- allowing them to get papers that will allow them to stay in Belgium and work in Belgium for longer on the streets and make more money for the pimps". 16. INTERIOR SHOT OF A LOCAL PROSTITUTE'S LEGS AS SHE SITS IN WINDOW OF CABIN 17. EXTERIOR SHOT IN STREET OF FEMALE POLICE OFFICERS ENTERING PROSTITUTE'S CABIN 18. (SOUNDBITE) (FRENCH WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION) LOCAL PROSTITUTE SAYING: "They do pretty much anything. They cut prices, they work any old way, they do anything to bring money in. It's a whole network that's developing. There are more and more problems. They have nothing to lose those people. They're used to killing. They don't worry about putting little girls on the street. For them two or three thousand francs are a luxury." 19. CLIENT KISSING TWO PROSTITUTES AT DOOR OF CABIN IN RUE D'AERSHOT 20. SLOW MOTION PAN OF PIMPS OUTSIDE BLACK JACK CAFE 21. (SOUNDBITE) (FRENCH WITH ENGLISH TRANSLATION) SARA, 22 YEAR OLD ALBANIAN, EX-PROSTITUTE SAYING: "He beat me, covered me in bruises. I would cry. He would leave the house and be gone for two days. I would sit there and cry. Then one day he came back and asked me if I loved him. I said 'no. It's over. I'm not working for you anymore. You can do anything you want to my child, my family. I'm not working any more. I'm out.' I used to think that a lot. But I was scared. Until the last day when I did it." 22. PIMPS INSIDE BLACK JACK CAFE 23. SHOT FROM INSIDE POLICE CAR OF BLACK JACK CAFE 24. VARIOUS OF PROSTITUTE ARRIVING AT HOTEL WITH HER CLIENT 25. YOUNG ALBANIAN PROSTITUTES AND EASTERN EUROPEAN MEN IN SQUARE OUTSIDE GARD DU NORD 26. POLICE CAR WITH SIREN ON, BLVD EMILE JACQUEMAN 27. VARIOUS OF POLICE WOMAN WORKING AT OPERATIONS DESK, SAINT JOSSE POLICE STATION 28. GRAFFITI INSIDE HOLDING CELL AT SAINT JOSSE POLICE STATION 29. HOLDING CELL DOOR CLOSING 30. VARIOUS OF POLICE OFFICERS FROM SAINT JOSSE JUDICIAIRE BRIGADE 31. PAN DOWN OF MINISTRY OF INTERIOR BUILDING 32. SIGN OUTSIDE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR 33. WOMEN POLICE OFFICERS WALKING DOWN BLVD EMILE JACQUEMAN 34. VARIOUS OF POLICE RAID ON GROUP OF ALBANIAN MEN 35. PROSTITUTE TALKING TO CLIENT THROUGH CAR WINDOW 36. POLICE OFFICERS TALKING TO PROSTITUTE ON STREET 37. MEN TALKING TO BLONDE TRANSVESTITE 38. WIDE OF RUE D'AERSHOT 39. PROSTITUTE LOOKS FROM CABIN ON RUE D'AERSHOT 40. TURKISH FOOTBALL SUPPORTERS LEANING OUT OF CAR 41. HIGHWAY FROM MOVING CAR 42. TRAFFICK IN CENTRAL BRUSSELS 43. VARIOUS OF ANNE VAUTHIER COORDINATOR AT PAG-ASA 44. (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) ANNE VAUTHIER SAYING: "There is not enough protection for the victims. I think one protection is this to give them a temporary stay and to help them here. But when they choose to go back to their country, there we are not helpful, we cannot do anything. The girl is with her family and they can have pressure and from here we cannot do anything. That could be a new initiative, to collaborate with the country of origin to install a protection for the victims when they choose to go back." 45. (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) PUBLIC PROSECUTOR ERIC VAN DER SYPT SAYING: "A lot more information has to be given to Albania. A lot of people coming from Albania think that money's lying on the streets and everybody's happy here and there are no worries and no troubles and it's a mistake." 46. TWO AFRICAN PROSTITUTES SITS WAITING FOR CLIENTS ON BLVD EMILE JACQUEMAN 47. SHOT FROM CAR OF WOMEN IN CABINS ON RUE D'AERSHOT 48. ZOOM OUT FROM WOMAN IN CABIN ON RUE D'AERSHOT 49. TWO WOMEN IN CABIN RUE D'AERSHOT 50. PROSTITUTE TALKING TO CLIENT THROUGH CAR WINDOW 51. SHOT FROM POLICE CAR CRUISING STREETS 52. PAN DOWN FROM PROSTITUTE SITTING BY FOUNTAIN ON BLVD EMILE JACQUEMAN Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 30th November 1999 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
  • Country: Belgium
  • Reuters ID: LVASWNRR12IZDPTSHZQ11LK3EEH
  • Story Text: A growing number of young women from Albania are
    arriving in Brussels to work as prostitutes.

    Victims of human trafficking, these women, some as young
    as 14 or 15 years old, are forced into prostitution by the
    human traffickers who bring them here.

    Police say the traffickers tell these women to declare
    themselves as refugees from Kosovo in order to obtain false
    political asylum status.

    Brussels has long been a destination for migrant
    prostitutes looking for streets paved with more gold than
    their own.

    Local girls work the red light zones along side
    Ecuadorian transvestites, Nigerians, Congolese and
    Europeans.

    Recently a new migrant prostitution community arrived in
    Brussels from Albania.

    Public Prosecutor, Eric Van der Sypt says "Some of the
    girls are just simply kidnapped in schools, at home, in the
    streets of Albania.Some have been made false promises some
    have been seduced.But everyone wants to leave Albania so it
    doesn't take a lot to seduce or to get those girls over.

    They work as a prostitute for some time in Italy and then
    they are brought over to Belgium or another Western European
    country."
    Public Prosecutor Eric Van der Sypt estimates that 95%
    of the young Albanian women engaged in prostitution in
    Brussels did not know they were coming for this purpose.

    Victims of human trafficking, Albanian women, many who
    are minors, now constitute about half the foreign
    prostitutes in Brussels.

    Local residents of Stain Josse-Ten-Noode say "There's
    definitely been a change in the ethnic mix and as soon as
    there's a problem somewhere such as during Kosovo or the
    Serbian crisis or anywhere where the borders start going
    down or there's a problem you start seeing them appearing on
    the streets here."
    A harsh rebound for the city that is home to NATO which
    bombed Kosovo for 31/2 months this year.A war which has
    served the traffickers trade by opening the door to false
    claims for Kosovan refugee status.

    Anne Vauthier coordinator at Pag-asa says: "The
    traffickers they say to the women you have to tell to the
    ministry that you are from Kosovo so you will get the
    refugee status in Belgium usually they use that and they get
    a false identity and so begins it."
    These Albanian-speaking prostitutes claim to be Kosovan.

    A false status which officers at Saint-Josse police station
    working on the streets with these young women see
    increasingly.

    Christian Van Wassenhoven, an officer with the
    Judiciaire Brigade at Saint Josse Police Station says: "The
    advantage for them is that by saying they come from Kosovo
    they can get a refugee status -- one of political asylum --
    allowing them to get papers that will allow them to stay in
    Belgium and work in Belgium for longer on the streets and
    make more money for their pimps."
    Local prostitutes who work independently, pay taxes and
    enjoy good relations with local police.Albanians and other
    foreign girls cut prices to attract business.

    A local prostitute says: "They do pretty much anything.

    They cut prices, they work any old way, they do anything to
    bring money in.It's a whole network that's developing.

    There are more and more problems.They have nothing to lose
    those people.They're used to killing.They don't worry
    about putting little girls on the street.For them two or
    three thousand francs are a luxury."
    Pimps and traffickers use emotional seduction, sexual
    brutality, blackmail and physical torture against the women
    they control.

    Sara, a 22 year old woman smuggled out of Albania was
    violently forced to work as a prostitute by her
    pimp-boyfriend.

    Sara says: "He beat me, covered me in bruises.I would
    cry.He would leave the house and be gone for two days.I
    would sit there and cry.Then one day he came back and asked
    me if I loved him.I said 'no.It's over.I'm not working
    for you anymore.You can do anything you want to my child,
    my family.I'm not working any more.I'm out.' I used to
    think that a lot.But I was scared.Until the last day when
    I did it."
    Pimps demand a minimum of $500US a day from each woman
    they control.Police have even heard of demands for $1000US
    a day.

    With sex and hotel costing $50US, these women, some as
    young as 14 or 15 years old may see 10-20 clients a day.

    Recognizing that these victims are caught in a no win
    situation between exploiters and authorities, Belgium
    introduced a law against human trafficking in 1995.

    Under this law the women are granted temporary residence
    for 45 days as well as support and protection.

    This support is provided on the condition that victims
    leave the abusive world they are in which leads to this
    holding cell at Saint Josse police station with unfailing
    regularity.

    Within the forty five days the prostitutes are given an
    opportunity to either go back to their country of origin or
    to collaborate with authorities against the person or
    network that has exploited them.

    The system also offers victims the chance to gain
    permanent residence and increases the options available to
    authorities to pursue traffickers.

    Belgium has made great efforts against the problem of
    human trafficking.Albanian gangsters have been brought to
    trial on the basis of victims' declarations and women caught
    up in a world of abuse and exploitation have been supported
    in building new lives for themselves.

    Despite these efforts the trading of young women from
    Eastern European countries is increasing, especially from
    Albania.

    With much of Europe border free, traffickers can move
    swiftly and undetected, basing themselves in Italy or
    Belgium before moving on to Germany, the Netherlands or
    other western European countries.

    Anne Vauthier, coordinator at Pag-asa, the
    Brussels-based organization set up to support victims of
    human trafficking believes more initiatives need to be
    taken.

    She says: "There is not enough protection for the
    victims, I think one protection is to give them a temporary
    stay and help them here, but when they choose to go back to
    their country there we are not helpful, we cannot do
    anything.The girl is with her family and can have pressure
    and from here we cannot do
    anything.That could be a new initiative to collaborate with
    the country of origin to instance protection for the victim
    when they choose to go back."
    Perhaps it will take such collaborative efforts to curb
    the traffickers tide.

    Until then, young women working the streets of Brussels
    and other cities throughout western Europe know that when
    your nation offers little more than poverty, lawlessness and
    corruption, others like themselves shall continue to be
    kidnapped from villages or fall for handsome seducers
    waiting at the school gate in foreign cars, offering a taste
    of honey in a far off land."
    How distant a dream from the reality which befalls them.


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