[1] IN 2008 Lithuania was a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation.
[2] Lithuanian women were trafficked within the country and to the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Denmark, Norway, and the Netherlands.
During the 2008, Lithuania sustained generous anti-trafficking funding by allocating more than $144,000 to Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to help improve victim assistance and prevention efforts.
Lithuania prohibits all forms of trafficking through Article 147 of its criminal code, which prescribes penalties ranging from probation to 15 years' imprisonment.
Although Lithuania has bilateral cooperation agreements on combating trafficking with more than 20 countries, some NGOs claimed that officials lack the capacity to effectively obtain evidence from foreign law enforcement institutions; however, Lithuanian authorities' cooperation with police in the United Kingdom led to the successful convictions of Lithuanian traffickers.
The government allocated approximately $15,000 to NGOs for anti-trafficking prevention, including a campaign to reduce the demand for commercial sexual exploitation.
The campaign included broadcasting of audio and video spots on radio and TV as well as posters at bus and train stations.