Women who are trafficked are rarely prepared for what awaits them. Typically, immediately after crossing the border the traffickers take away the women s passports. Usually without any knowledge of the law, language and customs of the foreign country, the women are enslaved by the owners of illegal brothels. Afraid of being deported, few ever seek help from the authorities. Until recently few governments had taken measures to prevent trafficking, but new laws in the countries of origin criminalizing sex trafficking have been adopted in Ukraine and Belarus.
International efforts directed against sexual trafficking are also underway.
A new UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, including an optional Protocol against Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children will open for signing in Palermo in December 2000.