Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Ukraine

117,000 Ukrainians Victims Of Human Trafficking

(RFE/RL)

February 20, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- A new reports says more people from Ukraine have been trafficked abroad for forced labor and prostitution than from any other former Communist country, RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service reported.

TEXT SIZE - +

February 20, 2007

In a report released on February 19, the International Organization for Migration said approximately 117,000 Ukrainians have been forced into exploitative situations abroad since the 1991 Soviet breakup.

Ukrainian officials say low salaries and unemployment increase the vulnerability of the country's citizens to human trafficking and forced labor.

(with material from AP)

A vendor in the central Bosnian town of Zenica sells heart-shaped cushions with proclamations of love for 1 euro each.

Love It (Or Hate It), It's Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, the Western holiday celebrating love, has become a global phenomenon over the past two decades. The fall of communism and the emergence of the Internet have helped February 14 become something of an unofficial international day of romance. However, not all the passions the holiday stirs are related to love. While some countries have openly embraced the holiday, others are attempting to ban it or replace it with local customs. More

'Police Detain Stuffed Animals' In Minsk Toy Protest

Belarusian youth activists say police have "detained" some stuffed animals used in an antigovernment protest in Minsk, in an echo of similar recent protests in Russia. More

There are frequent reports in the Bulgarian and Ukrainian media about Romanian “pirates” robbing passing transport ships on the Danube. (file photo)

Reports Of 'Pirates Of The Danube' Get The Old Heave-Ho

An attack last month on a Ukrainian barge on the Romanian sector of the Danube River has caused a diplomatic tussle between Bucharest and Kyiv, sparking media reports of possible acts of piracy on Europe's second-largest river. But do “Danube pirates” actually exist? More