Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/517770
BySylviaHuiandKarel Janicek The Associated Press LONDON Klara Balogova was 18, penniless and heavily pregnant when she rode thousands of miles from Slovakia to England to marry a man she had never met. She knew he did not want her, or her child. He wanted her European iden- tity card. The marriage was arranged so the 23-year-old Pakistani groom could gain the right to live and work in Europe. Balogova was prom- ised a clean place to stay in Britain and maybe even some money. But she says within days of arrival, she was moved from Manches- ter to Glasgow in Scot- land, where she was kept in an apartment with her future husband. When he wasn't around, his younger brother would stand over her, and her identity doc- uments were taken away. "He didn't let me out at any time. He told me it was not possible to go out there," said Balogova, a shy, petite Gypsy woman who spoke reluctantly, never making any eye contact when she was interviewed. "Once a week, we went out together. I was never al- lowed to go alone." EasternEurope Each year, dozens of women like Balogova from the poorer corners of east- ern Europe are lured to the West for sham marriages. The men, who authorities say are often Asian or Afri- can, pay large sums because they want to live, work or claim benefits more easily in their chosen country and move freely within Europe. The brokers, often orga- nized criminal gangs, take most or all of the profits. And the women sometimes end up trapped in a foreign country with nothing. This relatively new form of trafficking comes at a time when Britain contin- ues to tighten its borders, and politicians across west- ern Europe are clamoring for tougher curbs to immi- gration. Illicit marriages to get around these laws are becoming more common, including direct arrange- ments between grooms and women as well as the sale of brides. In Britain, one of sev- eral countries where the brides show up, the num- ber of women suspected of being trafficked for sham marriages in 2013 dou- bled from the year before to 45, according to the Na- tional Crime Agency. And Europol last year identi- fied this type of crime as an "emerging phenomenon." Most brides get paid-for trips to Britain, Ireland, Germany and the Nether- lands, and some don't fully realize what they've got- ten themselves into until they arrive. Women have been held captive until their marriage papers are signed, abused by their "husband" and his friends, used for sex and drug traf- ficking or even made to marry more than once, ac- cording to European au- thorities and charities. "Depending on the case, a woman can be sold for thousands of euros," said Angelika Molnar, an anti- trafficking specialist at Eu- ropol. "I can tell you it is lu- crative." In Latvia, trafficking for sham marriages is consid- ered so serious that the government is leading a European Commission- funded international pro- gram to combat it. Of the 34 trafficking victims lured abroad from the Baltic state recorded last year, 22 were for sham marriages, according to Laisma Sta- bina, anti-trafficking coor- dinator at the country's In- terior Ministry. Hard to track The numbers are still tiny compared to the thou- sands of cases of fake mar- riages reported each year to Britain's Home Office, where brides agree to wed for money and are consid- ered accomplices. But offi- cials acknowledge that the trafficking of brides is hard to track. "I think the problem is much bigger than we real- ize, because we only see a small percentage of the of- fenses being committed," said Phil Brewer, head of Scotland Yard's trafficking and kidnap unit. "There is still not a big understand- ing of the signs." To understand why the women do it, you need only go to Balogova's village. Balogova, like most women trafficked from Slo- vakia, comes from a desti- tute Roma, or Gypsy, set- tlement. It lies on Slova- kia's border with Ukraine and Hungary, and is home to about 250 Gypsies, Eu- rope's poorest minor- ity group. Most of the tin huts have no plumbing, the lanes are muddy, the houses are grimy, and the water from a rusty well is contaminated. Nicholas Ogu, a social worker, says he knows of several others from Balogo- va's village who were mar- ried in Britain. The trade, as he called it, is controlled by a Gypsy gang that re- cruits the jobless and poorly educated with offers of good earnings abroad. The women become bogus brides or go into prostitu- tion, while the men typi- cally end up in forced labor. "They lure them, some- times offer them a flight ticket, sometimes they go by bus or car," said Ogu. "They arrange the wedding ... when the men got what they need, they get rid of them." BRIDES FOR SALE European women lured for sham marriages JONSUPER—THEASSOCIATEDPRESS Interviews are conducted with workers a er authorities raided a picture framing factory in Rochdale, Northern England, investigating trafficking for sham marriages. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Shiite militiamen arrive at Khalidiya to support Sunni tribal fighters and police as they defend their city against Islamic State group militants in Iraq. By Sinan Salaheddin The Associated Press BAGHDAD Iraq vowed Tuesday to retake Anbar province — now mostly held by the Islamic State — by launching a large-scale military operation less than two weeks after suffering a humiliating defeat at the hands of the extremists in the provincial capital of Ra- madi. The operation, which Iraqi state TV said was backed by Shiite militias and Sunni pro-government fighters, is deemed critical in regaining momentum in the fight. But as a sandstorm de- scended across the region, there was no sign of any major engagement against the extremists, who have been gaining ground in the province west of Baghdad despite U.S.-led airstrikes. A Pentagon spokes- man, Col. Steve Warren, said Iraqi forces have be- gun "shaping operations" and "security zone interac- tions," which he described as probing and reconnais- sance actions that would precede any major combat in or around Ramadi. The Iraqis have begun moving forward from their base at Habbaniyah, and IS fighters likewise are probing in the direction of Habbaniyah, Warren said. He added that he could not confirm that the Iraqi forces have surrounded Ra- madi. The Islamic State — also known by the acronyms ISIS and ISIL, and Daesh in Arabic — seized large parts of Anbar in early 2014 and captured Ramadi earlier in May. Iraqi forces, which had been making steady prog- ress against the extremists in recent months with the help of the air campaign, scored a major victory in recapturing Saddam Hus- sein's hometown of Tikrit last month. Elsewhere in Anbar province, the Islamic State group last week captured the Iraqi side of the key al- Walid border crossing with Syria. Those gains followed the IS seizure of the ancient town of Palmyra in Syria. The launch of the oper- ation in Anbar came only days after U.S. officials, in- cluding Defense Secretary Ash Carter, criticized Iraq's forces, saying its troops fled the IS advance on Ramadi without fighting back, leav- ing behind weapons and ve- hicles for the extremists. Baghdad defended its troops and said prepara- tions were underway for the large-scale counterof- fensive in Anbar, involving Iranian-backed Shiite mili- tias known as Popular Mo- bilization Units. Iraq starts move to oust Islamic State from Anbar WAKE OF DEFEAT LEGALNOTICE Ordinance No. 1037 ANURGENCYORDINANCEOFTHE CITY OF RED BLUFF REGARDING WATER CONSERVATION, AND AMENDING SECTION 24.18 et. seq. OF THE RED BLUFF CITY CODE The City Council of the City of Red Bluff does ordain as follows: SECTION 1. This urgency or- dinance is adopted pursuant to California Constitution, Article XI, Section 7 and Government Code section 36937(b). SECTION 2. The City Coun- cil finds and declares as follows: (A) The availability of source water for the City of Red Bluff may be affected by numerous factors including regulatory mandates imposed by the State Water Resources Control Board. (B) Water production facilities failures, water distribution infra- structure failures, contamina- tion of supply, or other factors may result in emergency condi- tions that threaten the water utility's ability to provide for public health and safety. (C) On January 17, 2014 and on April 25, 2014, the Governor is- sued proclamations of a state of emergency under the California Emergency Services Act based on continued drought. (D) On April 1, 2015, the Gover- nor issued an Executive Order that directed the State Water Resources Control Board to im- pose restrictions on water sup- pliers to achieve a statewide 25% reduction in potable urban water usage. (E) On May 5, 2015 the State Wa- ter Resources Control Board adopted emergency regulations mandating a reduction in pota- ble urban water usage. (F) The City's Water Shortage Contingency Plan, currently in force does not adequately ad- dress all the factors that may af- fect the City's ability to respond to diminished source capacity, emergency conditions or man- dates from the State. (G) There is a direct nexus be- tween the availability of water supply and the immediate pres- ervation of the public health and safety. (H) The City Council finds that immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety requires that this ordinance be- come effectively immediately upon adoption so the City can implement the water conserva- tion mandates from the State Water Resources Control Board. SECTION 3. In order to protect the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Red Bluff, Chapter 24: Water, Article I: GENERAL PROVISIONS, Section 24.18 et. seq. of the Code of The City of Red Bluff is amended to read as follows: § 24.18 INTENT. It is the intent of the City to en- courage the conservation of the City's water supply for the greatest public benefit to mini- City's supply greatest public benefit to mini- mize the wasteful use of water and to make provisions for emergency rationing of water when necessary. § 2 4.19 DECLARATION OF WATER SHORTAGE EMERGENCY. The Director of Public Works, with the concurrence of the City Manager, may declare a Stage II, Stage III, Stage IV or Stage V wa- ter system operation for water conservation and rationing for a period not to exceed 15 calendar days. Any declared stage to be extended beyond 15 days must be approved by the City Council. § 24.20 CONSERVATION AND RA- TIONING STAGES. (A) The City Council of the City is vested with the authority to invoke the various "stages" of action described in the City's water shortage contingency plan, based upon the recom- mendation of the Director of Public Works. (B) The City has developed a five stage rationing plan to in- voke during declared water shortages. The action stages trigger levels have been devel- oped to implement the water shortage contingency plan. The rationing plan includes volunta- ry and mandatory rationing, de- pending on the causes, severity, and anticipated duration of the water supply shortage. Stages will be implemented when cir- cumstances warrant as deter- mined by the Public Works Di- rector, City Manager and the City Council, or as the State mandates water use restric- tions. (C) The Director of Public Works will recommend an ap- propriate action stage. All re- strictions under each applicable action stage will be implement- ed immediately upon declara- tion of such stage. Lifting of an emergency action stage and re- sumption to the normal operat- ing stage will be determined by the Director of Public Works based on current conditions af- fecting the water supply. The rationing stages are described in detail below. (1) Stage I - Voluntary com- pliance with conservation meas- ures. This is the normal operat- ing stage for the water system. The City may initiate a water conservation program to pro- vide public information on ways to reduce water use. Customers are encouraged to reduce water usage by taking the following voluntary water conservation measures: (a) Refrain from landscape watering except between the hours of 9:00 pm until 8:00 am. (b) Refrain from allowing water runoff from any lawns, landscapes, or garden into ad- joining streets, gutters, side- walks, parking lot or alley. (c) Refrain from hosing or washing sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking lots, or other hard surfaced areas. (d) Refrain from washing cars, boats, trailers, or other ve- hicles except by hose with a shutoff nozzle and bucket. (e) Equip any hose with a shutoff nozzle. (f) Promptly repair all leaks in plumbing fixtures, wa- ter lines, and sprinkler systems. (2) Stage II -Moderate Wa- ter Shortage. Mandatory imple- mentation of conservation measures. Voluntary conserva- tion measures in Stage I become mandatory. Customers shall comply with all provisions of Stage I measures (a) through (f), plus the following: (a) Equip new commercial car washes with a water recy- cling system. (b) All new construction must install low flow shower heads, low flush toilets, and fau- cet aerators. (c) Construction Projects and Industrial Use: water serv- ice for construction projects and industrial use shall be ad- dressed on a case-by-case ba- sis. (d) Customers will be noti- fied via news media and other methods of this stage of water shortage emergency and imple- mentation of mandatory conser- vation measures. (3) Stage III - Serious Water Shortage. Mandatory Conserva- tion. Includes all of the Stage II measures plus the following: (a) Landscape watering by any means including automatic irrigation systems, hose-end sprinklers, drip irrigation, hand- held hose, or bucket is prohibit- ed except on the following days between the hours of midnight and 8:00 am and again on the same day between the hours of 9:00 pm until midnight. (1) Customers whose street addresses end with an odd number may water only on Wednesday and Sunday and on- ly within the permitted time pe- riod. (2) Customers whose ad- dresses end with an even num- ber may water only on Tuesday and Saturday and only within the permitted time period. (b) Operation of ornamen- tal fountains, ponds or lakes is prohibited without a water recy- cling system. (c) Operators of restau- rants must provide on each ta- ble a notice of water emergency and refrain from serving drink- ing water except upon specific request of a customer. (d) Operators of hotels and motels must provide in each room a notice of water emer- gency and the option to choos- ing not to have towels and linens laundered daily. (e) Public Facilities: water service to parks, cemeteries and other public facilities shall com- ply with the restrictions set forth in this section. (4) Stage IV - Severe Water Shortage. Mandatory reduction. Includes all Stage III measures plus the following: plus following: (a) Customers will be noti- fied via news media and other methods of this stage of water shortage emergency. Industrial users will be notified specifical- ly via telephone and will be asked to voluntarily shutdown production during a Stage IV water emergency. (b) City staff will make ev- ery attempt to keep the industri- al users informed of the status of a water emergency prior to the declaration of a Stage IV wa- ter emergency so they can pre- pare for a possible shutdown of production. (c) The following potable water uses will be prohibited for all water users: (1) Landscape irrigation or watering of lawns or gardens. (2) Washing of cars, boats, trailers or other vehicles other than at commercial facilities with water recycling. (3) Washing down of drive- ways, sidewalks, buildings, win- dows, or any outdoor surface. (4) Filling of swimming pools, spas, or hot tubs. (5) Serving of drinking wa- ter at restaurants unless re- quested. (6) Filling or operating orna- mental fountains, ponds, or lakes. (7) Sewer system mainte- nance, fire protection training, or flushing of hydrants. (8) Street cleaning. (9) Use of hydrant meters for construction purposes. (4) Stage V - Disaster shortage/rationing. Major cat- astrophe or contamination of the water supply. Priorities for all water use will be for human consumption, sanitation, and fire protection. (a) All water users will be limited to amounts required for human consumption, sanitation, and fire protection. No water will be available for nonessen- tial use or for commercial or in- dustrial processes. (b) Customers will be noti- fied via news media and other methods of this stage of water shortage emergency and water use restrictions. § 24.21 ENFORCEMENT. Any customer violating the water conservation and ration- ing provisions regulations set forth in this chapter, shall re- ceive a written warning for the first violation. Upon a second vi- olation, the customer shall re- ceive a second written warning and the City may, at its discre- tion, install a flow-restricting device on the customer's water service. All costs to install and remove the flow-restricting de- vice shall be paid by the violat- ing customer. Any willful viola- tion after issuance of the sec- ond written warning shall con- stitute a misdemeanor and the City may, at its discretion, dis- connect the water service. § 24.22 WATER SERVICE PENAL- TY. In addition to those provisions set forth in § 24.21, any violator receiving a second written no- tice will be assessed a water service penalty for any "exces- sive use of water" which is de- fined as water use that exceeds the average water use for the account for the prior 12 months. The penalty for the "excessive use of water" shall be double the account billing rate. § 24.23 TERMINATION OF SERV- ICE. For violations resulting in third written notices and contin- ued excessive use of water, the City may, at its discretion, dis- connect water service and not reinstate service until a specific water conservation plan has been developed with the violat- ing customer. § 24.24 APPEALS. Any decision or declaration made by the Director of Public Works under this section may be appealed to the City Manag- er. Any decision made by the City Manager under this section may be appealed to the City Council. Any appeal shall be made in writing, setting forth the nature of the disagreement with the decision or declaration made, the reasons to support the disagreement, and the relief sought. Any determination by the City Council shall be final. § 24.25 CUMULATIVE REMEDIES. The remedies availa- ble to the City to enforce §§ 24.18 et seq. are in addition to any other remedies available under the City's municipal code or any state statutes or regula- tions and do not replace or sup- plant any other remedy but are cumulative. SECTION 4. This Ordinance is an urgency ordinance neces- sary for the immediate preser- vation of the public peace, health, and safety. Pursuant to Government Code section 36937, this ordinance shall take effect immediately upon adoption by four-fifths of the City Council, and prior to the expiration of fif- teen (15) days from the adoption thereof shall be published at least one time in the Red Bluff Daily News, a newspaper of gen- eral circulation. The foregoing was adopted at a regular meeting of the Red Bluff City Council on May 19, 2015 by the following vote: AYES: C o u n c i l m e m b e r s : Jones, Jackson, Parker, Patel and Schmid NOES: Councilmembers: None ABSENT OR NOT VOTING: Councilmembers: None s/ Clay Parker, MAYOR ATTEST: s/ Jo Anna Lopez, City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM: s/ Richard Crabtree, City Attorney Publish: May 27. 2015 i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià i}> ÌVià | NEWS | REDBLUFFDAILYNEWS.COM WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2015 6 B