Operation Mirage
EVALUATION REPORT – PUBLIC VERSION
1. Executive Summary
This evaluation report provides the results of the Operation MIRAGE 2003, which targeted human trafficking in Southeastern Europe. As the report is primarily intended to be a concise analytical product oriented toward the dynamics of a time-limited regional law enforcement action, it does not assume to accurately quantify the magnitude of trafficking in the region or within particular countries. It also does not assume to present either the follow-ups of the national prosecutorial or judicial authorities or the outcomes of the non-governmental organizations. The report is based on information supplied by the participating national law enforcement authorities and additional information available at the Southeast European Cooperative Initiative Regional Center for Combating Transborder Crime (SECI Regional Center), where the Operational Coordination Unit (OCU) was located during the entire operation.
Key judgments resulting from Operation MIRAGE 2003 are summarized as follows:
1. There was active participation of 12 countries in Operation MIRAGE 2003, ensuring a large amount of information exchanged throughout Southeastern Europe, and resulting in improved practical cooperation on the ground among regional law enforcement agencies and non-governmental organizations.
2. There were increased numbers of victims and traffickers identified compared to the previous Operation Mirage. There were also a higher number of criminal procedures initiated, leading to 207 traffickers charged in the framework of the operation.
3. There appeared to be an increase in the identification and arrest of traffickers in the region’s southern countries. At the same time, the number of victims identified and referred to NGOs for assistance maintained higher levels in the origin countries.
4. The majority of national law enforcement agencies participating in Operation MIRAGE 2003 affirmed their willingness to take part in future regional projects. Beyond the results achieved, the extensive exchange of information exercised during the operation was identified as one of the biggest successes in the effort to combat illegal human trafficking in Southeast Europe.
2. Introduction
The globalization of economic systems, and developments in transportation and communications technologies have also created enormous opportunities for organized illegal smuggling and trafficking in human beings, making it critical that nations and their law enforcement entities increasingly move toward collaborative law enforcement actions to combat transnational criminals and their enterprises.
The latest efforts of the European countries to develop legal and practical international instruments against trafficking in human beings arise from the recognition that this is still a serious problem faced by law enforcement authorities in the region.
Every single year, many women and children are taken from one country to another, often to Western Europe, as part of a trade in human beings. Most of them come from or via the Balkan countries, the former Soviet Union, the Baltic countries or other Central and Eastern European countries. The purpose of this trade is primarily sexual exploitation, but also illicit labor.
Most regional studies agreed that the numbers of women trafficked into Western Europe from Central and Eastern (including Southeast) Europe is on the increase and that they are replacing women from Asia and the developing world. Nevertheless, the relative attraction of Western Europe has changed, particularly as new destinations (especially in Central and Southeast Europe) have opened up, with the emergence of the Balkans as an origin, transit and even destination in the aftermath of the military conflicts in the region.
The traffic in women, young people and children is a highly emotive issue due to its human rights implications. The international framework for preventing, combating and prosecuting trafficking in human beings is steadily improving. There is also extensive international cooperation on this problem, under the auspices of various global and international organizations.
Backed by the strong commitment of the Southeast European member countries toward the issue, the SECI Regional Center takes part in international efforts to combat this serious form of crime and violation of human rights and plays an active role in the quest for effective implementation of the European anti-trafficking norms.
In September 2003, the SECI Regional Center coordinated a continuation of Operation Mirage, known as Operation Mirage 2003. During a period of 10 days, law enforcement authorities in Southeast Europe targeted both victims of and criminals involved in human trafficking.
3. Objectives and Participating Countries
The primary aims and objectives of the Operation were the identification of victims of trafficking and apprehension of criminals contributing to their trafficking process. It was also the goal to gather intelligence and to target specific human trafficking organizations, which regularly recruit, transport and exploit women and children in the region and beyond.
Law enforcement authorities (police and prosecutors) and related Non Governmental Organizations from the following SECI member countries took part in the operation: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, FYR of Macedonia, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro and Slovenia. Also Ukraine, the United States of America and IOM were participating as SECI observers.
Each country co-operated within the framework of their national legislation.
4. Operational Results
A. Operational results concerning victims of trafficking:
- 20,629 controlled places, such as night clubs, discothèques, restaurants, border crossing points and other places were checked all over the region, especially those related to which previous intelligence had been obtained.
- 11,170 identified persons; these persons were found in places such as the above mentioned, and they have been checked regarding their identity, the legal status in the respective country as well as the presence at the controlled places.
- 463 identified victims of trafficking; from the information received by the law enforcement authorities through international information exchange channels and domestic sources and as a result of the action on the ground during the operation (11,170 checked persons), 463 women were victims of trafficking.
- 2,175 cases in which administrative measures were applied (fees, interdictions, temporary imprisonment, expelling).
- 65 victims assisted by IOM and NGOs pursuant to their special request or agreement in this sense.
- 62 repatriated persons.
B. Operational results concerning traffickers:
- 595 traffickers identified - representing the number of persons identified as being involved in activities of trafficking in human beings as organizers, recruiters, transporters, hosts and pimps;
- 319 cases for which criminal procedures were undertaken – the police investigations were followed by 319 criminal procedures initiated during the operational period; the investigations continued in most of these cases even after the operation ended, with the purpose of identifying and charging all the accomplices and members of human trafficking organized criminal networks.
- 207 charged traffickers - from the total number of 595 traffickers identified, 207 were charged during or after the operational period, under the specific provisions of the respective national legislation.
The main trafficking routes employed in the region as reported by the participating countries are the following:
1. Ukraine – Moldova – Romania – Serbia and Montenegro
2. Ukraine – Moldova – Romania – Bulgaria – Turkey - Greece
3. Serbia and Montenegro – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Croatia - Slovenia
4. Croatia – Slovenia – EU countries
5. Conclusions
There was a higher participation in Operation MIRAGE 2003 (12 countries), when compared to the previous Operation Mirage 2002 (11 countries). This ensured a large amount of criminal information exchanged throughout Southeastern Europe, and resulted in improved practical cooperation on the ground among regional law enforcement agencies, and non-governmental organizations. The information exchanged during the operation helped national law enforcement agencies build a better picture on the composition and modus operandi of regional criminal organizations, as well as to identify a large number of victims of trafficking.
As confirmed by the Operation Mirage 2003, viewed as a process, regional trafficking in human beings can be said to entail several phases – recruitment (mainly in countries such as Albania, Moldova, Romania, Russia and Ukraine), transportation (which could be across several countries, mainly Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro and Turkey) and control in the place of exploitation (mainly in Greece and Turkey, but also in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Slovenia). Different groups, agents or individuals may be involved in different phases of the process as traffickers, and organize recruitment, transportation and control in different ways.
In general, Operation Mirage 2003 produced a higher number of both victims identified and referred for assistance, and traffickers identified and arrested, when compared to the previous Operation Mirage 2002. This situation brings to the fore the utmost importance of the experience achieved by the region in fighting human trafficking and the emerging role of joint regional operations.
The majority of national law enforcement agencies participating in the initiative affirmed they met their operational goals. Beyond the results achieved, the extensive exchange of information exercised during this operation was identified as one of the biggest successes in the effort to combat trafficking of human beings in Southeast Europe.
