Human Trafficking Center: Vienna, Austria

http://gvnet.com/humantrafficking/Austria.htm

"Austria is a transit and destination country for women and children trafficked from Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Moldova, Belarus, Ukraine, Slovakia, Nigeria, and sub-Saharan Africa for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. Some of these women are trafficked through Austria to Italy, France, and Spain. Women from Africa are trafficked through Spain and Italy to Austria for the purpose of sexual exploitation. There are reports of some trafficking of foreign women and children for the purpose of forced domestic servitude and forced begging within Austria.   - U.S. State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report, June, 2009" 

Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery - Austria." Human Trafficking & Modern-day Slavery - Austria. N.p., 2007. Web. 16 May 2013.

 Austria has become the international human trafficking transit point and destination.  Additionally, human trafficking is the most profitable criminal industry in the present day.  According to Heidrun Silhavy, an Austrian Federal Minister for Health and Women, criminals get more than 35 billion U. S. dollars for human trafficking each year according to statistics.  The large financial benefit temptation made this out of control crime increase rapidly.  She said that the main victims of the crime are women and children.  Intercepted children from human trafficking in very recent years in Vienna were up to 1.300; this is according to the statistic of UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund).  Silhavy stated that Austria has now become a main destination and transit point of international human trafficking due to its geographical location in the center of Europe, where Austria will “not turn a blind eye to that”.  The Austrian government will pay special attention to the victims, including providing psychological counseling, and physical therapy, and and as well as the necessary humanitarian residence.  The government will also enhance international cooperation and striking against human trafficking crimes, Silhavy said.  There will be about 2.4 million victims each year of human trafficking (according to Task Force of Combat Human Trafficking in Austrian Ministry for Foreign Affairs report). 

http://globalrescuerelief.org/around-the-world/

 An. "Austria Becomes Int'l Human Trafficking Transit Point, Destination." China View (2008): n. pag. Web. 16 May 2013.