Four men arrested on suspicion of human trafficking

Busload of Georgian women stopped at border

Four men arrested on suspicion of human trafficking

Several days ago a bus with 48 young Georgian women was stopped at Finland border station. Supposedly, they were to be taken to the Western Europe for the purpose of human trafficking. Women were sent to the Joutseno refugee reception centre. Suspicions of passport control personnel were aroused by the Swedish Schengen visas issued to the passengers, and by the fact that they all were women. According to the Frontier Guard, more than 1,500 Georgian citizens arriving by bus crossed into Finland in 2002 - 2004. Though, many buses that had been full when they arrived in the EU returned to Georgia with only a few passengers.

A tourist bus from the former Soviet republic of Georgia was stopped at the Vaalimaa border station on the Finnish-Russian border on Tuesday on suspicion of trafficking in human beings.

The passengers - 48 women from Georgia - were sent to the Joutseno refugee reception centre while officials began ascertaining the purpose of their trip.

The women are not suspected of any crime: they arrived in Finland from Russia with legitimate travel documents. However, the four men – two drivers, an interpreter, and the leader of the tour, were detained. Some of them were reportedly familiar from previous cases. They are being questioned in Kotka on suspicion of human trafficking and links with organised crime.
     
Suspicions of passport control personnel were aroused by the Swedish Schengen visas issued to the passengers, and by the fact that they all were women.
     
The women - aged 26 - 60 - did not have enough money for the trip which was supposed to take them from Helsinki via Copenhagen to Germany, and from there through Austria, Italy, and Greece, to Turkey and back to Georgia.
     
The women are expected to stay at the refugee reception centre for a couple of days before they are sent back to Russia. Border officials note that it would have been legally possible to turn the women back at the border, however, for humanitarian reasons they were taken to Joutseno.
     
An estimated 1,500 women are believed to have crossed into Finland from Russia in tourist buses in the same manner in the past few years. The matter was brought to the attention of EU officials by Greece, where officials had noticed that many buses had been returning to Georgia through Greece with no passengers on board.
     
Officials say that women taking such tours are often enticed by promises of jobs as waitresses, dancers, or in domestic service in Western Europe. However, it is believed that they often end up in the sex business against their will.
     
Finland's Minister of the Interior Kari Rajamäki (SDP), is proposing an EU directive, as well as national legislation which would allow the granting of residence permits to victims of trafficking in humans in exchange who help officials law enforcement officials in their investigations.

Finland found to be transit point for traffic in women from east to west
Hundreds of young Georgian women pass through Finland in recent years More than 1,000 young women have travelled from Georgia via Finland to Western Europe in recent years, only to disappear while en route. The buses that they took returned from Greece to Georgia almost empty.
   
The Finnish Frontier Guard believes that the women may have ended up in the illicit sex trade in Western Europe. Previously Finnish officials had denied reports that Finland was a major transit point in the international traffic in women.
     
According to the Frontier Guard, more than 1,500 Georgian citizens arriving by bus crossed into Finland in 2002 - 2004. Their travel documents were in order, and there was no reason to suspect immigration violations. Up to 90% of the passengers were young women. They all had genuine national passports with visas for Sweden or Italy.

Later, Greek officials reported that many buses had passed through Greece en route to Georgia with only a few passengers. The same buses had been full when they arrived in the EU. None of the buses returned via Finland.