Maybe Latvia should just avoid the Czech Republic in athletic contests. Two months ago, the Czechs beat Latvia in the world ice hockey championship. And now, in Latvia’s first-ever match in a European football (soccer) championship, the Czechs have done it again.

The Czech Republic beat Latvia 2-1 in a June 15 game played in Averio, Portugal, as part of the 16-team Euro 2004 football championship.

Latvia may have been a long shot going into the Euro 2004 football (soccer) championship, but by the start of the tournament plenty of observers were being careful to not ignore the first-time contenders. Call it the jinx factor.

Latvia surprised the Czechs just as the first half was coming to an end, when forward Māris Verkapovskis picked up a pass from Andrejs Prohorenkovs to score the country’s only goal, according to the official Euro 2004 Web site.

But the Czechs came back 28 minutes into the second half, when Milan Baroš got the ball past Latvian goalkeeper Aleksandrs Koliņko, and then again 12 minutes later on a kick from Marek Heinz.

The Czechs outshot Latvia 28-7, according to game statistics, while the Latvian committed 20 fouls to the Czechs’ 11. The Czechs controlled the ball for 64 percent of the game.

Latvia’s next game in Group D preliminary competition is June 19. Latvia plays Germany in a game beginning at 17:00 local time in Besso stadium in Porto. Latvia’s last preliminary match is June 23 against the Netherlands in a game starting at 19:45 local time in Braga Municipal stadium in Braga.

Latvia’s efforts to protect the victims of human trafficking have taken a slight step back during the past year, according to a U.S. State Department report issued June 14. However, prosecution of traffickers and prevention of trafficking appear to be on course.

Lack of funding is in part to blame for Latvia’s slide in protecting victims, the State Department said in its annual “Trafficking in Persons Report,” which examines how women and children worldwide are exploited for sex and forced labor. Two shelters run by the Latvian government in Rīga and Jelgava were closed in the past year.

“The government funds no rehabilitation facilities specifically for trafficking victims, nor does it provide direct funding to foreign or domestic NGOs (non-governmental organizations) for services to victims,” the report said. At the same time, NGOs are being asked to do more.

The report examines what 140 countries are doing to meet the standards outlined in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, a law passed in 2000 by the U.S. Congress. Latvia for the past three years has been listed as a Tier 2 country, meaning that it among those nations that do not fully comply with the minimum standards “but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards,” according to the report.

Women and children from Latvia are trafficked for sexual exploitation to Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Israel, Poland, Spain and the United Kingdom, the report said. Israeli, Polish and Ukrainian organized crime groups control the main trafficking networks in concert with domestic Latvian crime groups. In addition, the report said, women and girls from rural Latvia are trafficked domestically for exploitation in the capital city of Rīga.

Although Latvia is criticized in the report, the State Department also notes the country is making an effort to improve. A national action plan to combat trafficking in persons was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers in March, while prosecution of traffickers has increased slightly. To raise awareness, more than 10,000 high school students across Latvia were shown the Swedish anti-trafficking film Lilya 4-Ever. The film tells the story of a young woman from Russia who travels to Sweden in the hope of a better future, but instead is forced into prostitution.

Estonia fared slightly worse in the report, landing on the Tier 2 Watch List because of slow efforts in protecting victims and preventing trafficking. Lithuania remained ahead of both its Baltic neighbors on the Tier 1 list, fully complying with the minimum standards of the U.S. law.