Russia, Israel asked to stop trafficking | Jerusalem Post

Russia, Israel asked to stop trafficking | Jerusalem Post: "Israel and Russia must work more closely together to shut down all trafficking routes used to transport humans around the world, especially those that bring thousands of individuals into Israel each year, said Rita Chaikin, coordinator of Isha L'Isha's Anti-Trafficking project and its hotline for trafficking victims.

Chaikin's comments came Wednesday as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin, one day after the Knesset passed a bill aimed at cracking down on traffickers who trade in humans. The new law will also award compensation to victims of forced labor, slavery, sexual exploitation and black-market organ sales and hand out stiffer prison sentences to the perpetrators.

'Routes into Israel need to be stopped at the source,' said Chaikin, who received an award in April from Vital Voices, a Washington-based non-profit organization, for the work she has done in combating trafficking in Israel. 'Putin must put more of an emphasis on tackling the problem of trafficking and follow the lead of Israel.'" Read complete post here.