Last updated 14 January 2009

Analysis of Model Laws for the CIS to Counter Human Trafficking, Afsona Kadyrova, Angel Coalition, 2008.
In 2008, the Inter-parliamentary Assembly of the Member States of the Commonwealth of Independent States under the Standing Committee for Defense and Security Matters of the State Duma of the Russian Federation developed two model laws:  “On Prevention of Human Trafficking” and “On Assisting Victims of Human Trafficking.”  This report analyzes each law’s provisions and their compliance with international standards.

Information and Consultative Centers in the cities of Astrakhan, Moscow and Petrozavodsk on the Project “Prevention of Human Trafficking in the RF”: Results of the Work for the Period of May 2007 – May 2008, International Organization for Migration, 2008 (in Russian).
This report summarizes the activities of this project in three regions of Russia.  The project focused on “a number of comprehensive measures aimed at enhancing the capacities of the Russian Federation in the following areas: policy advice, preventive action, cooperation with law enforcement authorities and direct assistance to victims.”  From May 2007 to May 2008, Information and Consultative Centers fielded more than 5500 calls and gave consultations to over 4700 people, approximately equal numbers of whom were Russian nationals and foreign nationals.

Victims of Trafficking: Who Are They? A Statistical Profile for the Period of March 2006 – December 2008, International Organization for Migration, 2008.
This report presents statistics on the backgrounds of the 280 trafficked persons the International Organization for Migration (IOM) assisted from March 2006 through December 2008 through its project “Prevention of Human Trafficking in the Russian Federation.”  The project primarily assisted women aged 19 to 24.  Over 57% of victims had been trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

Gender Violence and Cost of Social-Psychological Rehabilitation and Legal Assistance: Russian Federation, Natalia Khodyreva, Ph.D, The 1st World Conference of Women’s Shelters, Edmonton, Canada, 8-11 September 2008.
This document contains the remarks of Dr. Natalia Khodyreva, Director of the Crisis Centre for Women in St. Petersburg, Russia.  She provides an overview of the Crisis Centre’s history in providing services and shelter for victims of domestic violence and trafficking.  For example, from 1999 to 2005, the Crisis Centre for Women provided shelter to 46 victims of trafficking who had been deported from countries such as Israel and Germany.

Young Russian Women on Procreation, Trafficking, and Prostitution: Myths, Reality, and Policy Implications, Sarah E. Mendelson and Theodore P. Gerber, 23 July 2008.
This power point presentation reports the findings of focus groups and surveys of Russian women about the topics of having children, prostitution and trafficking in persons.  The findings regarding trafficking and prostitution call into question common myths regarding the dynamics of these problems in the Russian Federation.

Domestic Violence: A Silent Crisis in Russia, Gregory Feifer, National Public Radio, 17 July 2008 (4 minutes 37 seconds).
This audio news report provides a general overview of the problem of domestic violence in Russia, including the lack of laws and shelters.  The report also discusses obstacles domestic violence victims in Russia face if they attempt to seek assistance or legal recourse.

Trafficking in Persons Report, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, 4 June 2008 (scroll down to “Russia”).
The U.S. State Department’s annual report on the Russian Federation’s efforts to combat trafficking in persons places Russia in the Tier 2 Watch List for the fifth year in a row.  This rating is due to the government’s failure to comply with the “minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.”  The lack of comprehensive victim witness protections for trafficking victims continued to be a problem. 

2007 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Russia, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, U.S. Department of State, 11 March 2008.
Section 5 of the report contains a paragraph on the status of women in Russia, and a subsection on trafficking.

Monitoring on Trafficking in Persons: Television Reports, Print and Internet Journals from March 2007 through June 2007, International Organization for Migration, 2007 (only in Russian).
This document contains excerpts from Russian-language media coverage of the issue of trafficking in persons.  It is only available in Russian.

Assessment Report of the IOM Moscow Prevention of Human Trafficking Project, International Organization for Migration, August 2007.
Based on project data and interviews with project personnel, this report offers statistical data about the backgrounds and experiences of individuals assisted by the project.  It also provides background about project partners and the genesis of the project.

Violence Against Women: Does the Government Care in Russia?, Open Society Institute, 2007.
This report summarizes the Russian government's response to violence against women.  Russia's de jure and de facto compliance with international obligations and promulgation of domestic legislation are discussed in detail.

Violence in the Family – Violence in Society: July – December 2006, UNFPA, 2007 (in Russian only).
Based on qualitative research with 350 subjects in four Russian cities as well as quantitative analysis, this report documents the phenomenon of domestic violence in Russian and how Russians understand the problem.  Over 90% of women surveyed reported that domestic violence was an urgent problem in Russia.  Although 82% of men surveyed reported that domestic violence was a problem in Russia, only 7% acknowledged it as a problem in their own family.  The majority of women surveyed reported experiencing some form of violence at least once in their lives.  This report is only available in Russian.

Human Trafficking in the Russian Federation: Inventory and Analysis of Current Situation and Responses, Elena V. Tiurukanova with the Institute for Urban Economics, 2006 (in Russian).
The 136-page report contains a detailed examination of legal, procedural, social and economic barriers to formulating an effective response to human trafficking in Russia.  It also features a chapter on gaps and recommendations to respond to those problems.

Russian Legislation on the Problems of Domestic and Community Violence, Perm Center for Assistance to Persons Suffered from Violence and Human Trafficking, 2006 (in Russian only).
This report contains a comprehensive list of Russian laws related to domestic violence, including criminal, criminal procedural and family codes.  It is only available in Russian.

Human Trafficking in Russia: Perspectives from Law and Justice, Olga Lukyanova, Elena Lvovich, Tatiana Sudakova, Elena Varpakhovskaya, Irina Abakumova, 8 November 2006.
This document contains the presentations of the five authors given at American University.  Presenters discuss topics including “Investigating Human Trafficking in Russia,” “Investigative and Judicial Experience,” and “Issues Protecting Victims during Investigations of Human Trafficking Cases.”  The presentations contain specific examples and statistics about the number of trafficking cases and state of legal reform on human trafficking.

CEDAW Assessment Tool Report for the Russian Federation, American Bar Association - Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative, February 2006.
This assessment contains detailed discussion of the problem of violence against women in Russia, including procedural obstacles women face in the criminal justice and healthcare systems.

Integration of the Human Rights of Women and a Gender Perspective: Violence Against Women, Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Yakin Ertürk, E/CN.4/2006/61/Add.2, 26 January 2006.
This report to the to U.N. Commission on Human Rights discusses the nature and extent of violence against women in Russia and the state response.  One section focuses on the problem of violence against women in the conflict-ridden area of the Caucasus.

Nowhere to Turn to - Violence against Women in the Family, Amnesty International USA, 2005.
This report discusses the widespread nature of violence against women in Russia, as well as the continued unresponsiveness of the Russian Government.

Best Practices for Programming to Prevent Trafficking in Persons in Europe and Eurasia, Ruth Rosenberg, Development Alternatives, Inc., September 2004.
This report provides an overview of human trafficking in this region, including the Russian Federation.  It provides a detailed assessment of the different types of initiatives employed by non-governmental organizations to combat human trafficking, as well as relevant laws and policies throughout the region.

Violence Against Women in Russia, A Report to the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. World Organisation Against Torture, 7 July 2004. (PDF, 42 pages).
The report highlights the fact that despite differences of social, cultural and political contexts, patterns and frequency of violence against women span both national and socio-economic borders as well as cultural identities. The lack of effective legislation on violence against women, inequality in society’s gender roles, and government laxity on punishing perpetrators of violence are all factors contributing to the continuing and occurrence of violence against women.

Human Rights in the OSCE Region: Europe, Central Asia and North America, Report 2004 (Events of 2004), International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, 23 June 2004. (PDF, 19 pages).
This report discusses general human rights and discrimination of minorities.

Social Advocates Training Manual: Experiences and Methodological Recommendations, The American Bar Association Central and European and Eurasian Law Initiative (ABA CEELI), 2004. (PDF 152 pages), (in Russian with the introduction translated into English).
The manual contains a basic introduction to the program, templates to each of the core subjects taught to the Social Advocates, written by the trainers, as well as sample materials referred to in the text. It is intended as a guide to those who wish to learn more about CEELI's Social Advocates program and to as a tool to adapt the program to their own needs.

2002 Report of the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, Cultural Practices in the Family that Are Violence Towards Women. Developments in the area of violence against women (1994-2002), 6 January 2003. (available in PDF and Word, 24 pages).
Special Rapporteur Radhika Coomaraswamy's final report to the Commission on Human Rights "focuses on developments at the international, regional and national levels aimed at eliminating violence against women since 1994 when the mandate of the Special Rapporteur was created." Paragraph 2. Paragraphs twenty-six through thirty-six discuss domestic violence.

The addendum to the 2002 Report contains country information on Republic of Moldova, the Russian Federation, and Uzbekistan. (available in PDF and Word, 41 pages).

Discrimination against Women in Contemporary Russia, Moscow-Helsinki Group, 2003.
Based on statements from focus group participants and regional reports, this report contains discusses the problems of domestic and sexual violence throughout Russia.  It also contains recommendations for the Russian government, including drafting specific legislation addressing the crime of domestic violence and victim protection.

Domestic Violence as a Factor Contributing to Child Homelessness in Russia, Tatyana Sudakova and Sally Stoecker, 2003.
Using data from court cases, child neglect investigations, and surveys to various professionals, this report explores the epidemic of child homelessness and its relation to violence in children’s families.  Analysis of criminal records for cases of family abuse revealed that “in 90 percent of the cases, there were linkages between abuse and the child’s decision to leave home.”

Trafficking for Sexual Exploitation: The Case of the Russian Federation, Hughes, Donna M., International Organization for Migration, Migration Research Series, 2002 (PDF).
This report analyzes conditions for women in Russia that enable trafficking to flourish, including high rates of poverty and violence against women, as well as the prevalence of organized crime networks. It also describes different types of victims, destination countries, and Russian trafficking legislation.

A Form of Slavery: Trafficking in Women in OSCE Member States, International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, 2000.
This report describes the situation and legal framework of discrimination and violence against women, including domestic violence, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation and trafficking. Page 55 offers a brief summary of trafficking in Russia. It should be noted that since publication of this report, the Russian Criminal Code has been updated in an attempt to prosecute trafficking offenders more effectively.

Women 2000: an Investigation into the Status of Women’s Rights in Central and South-Eastern Europe and the NIS, International Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights, 2000.
This report summarizes legal protections against discrimination for women in Russia and compares these rights to the de facto situation for women in terms of employment, education, property, family, healthcare and political representation. The report also offers information about domestic violence, sexual abuse, prostitution, trafficking, and unique problems for ethnic minority women and women involved in armed conflicts.

Trafficking in Women for the Purpose of Sexual Exploitation: Mapping the Situation and Existing Organizations Working in Belarus, Russia and Baltic and Nordic States. Forum/Stiftelsen Kvinnoforum, Stockholm, August 1998.
This report documents the problem of trafficking in women but also includes a survey of NGO activities on this issue as well as strategies for future actions. It contains information about conditions in Russia that enable trafficking to flourish, and it describes the status of Russian women who were trafficked to Northern Europe.

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