Disputes - international:
boundary demarcated with Latvia and Lithuania; Poland seeks enhanced demarcation and security along this Schengen hard border with financial assistance from the EU
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Belarus is a source, destination, and transit country for women, men, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor; women and children are subjected to sex trafficking in Russia, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Spain, Greece, Belgium, Turkey, Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and within Belarus; Belarusian men, women, and children are found in forced begging, as well as in forced labor in the construction industry and other sectors in Russia and Belarus
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - the government did not demonstrate evidence of increasing anti-trafficking efforts; instead, it weakened victim protection efforts and prosecuted and convicted fewer trafficking offenders than in previous years; however, the government did conduct anti-trafficking prevention campaigns jointly with NGOs, identifying a number of victims of trafficking, and providing limited in-kind assistance to anti-trafficking NGOs (2011)
Illicit drugs:
limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis, mostly for the domestic market; transshipment point for illicit drugs to and via Russia, and to the Baltics and Western Europe; a small and lightly regulated financial center; anti-money-laundering legislation does not meet international standards and was weakened further when know-your-customer requirements were curtailed in 2008; few investigations or prosecutions of money-laundering activities (2008)