Epress.am News from Armenia
The 11th annual US Department of State Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report was released Monday, according to a press release issued by the US Embassy in Armenia.
The 184-country report is the most comprehensive worldwide review of government efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons, a modern form of slavery.
According to the report, Armenia is a source country for women and girls subjected to sex trafficking, as well as a source and destination country for women subjected to forced labor, and a source country for men subjected to forced labor.
“Women and girls from Armenia are subjected to sex trafficking in Germany, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey. Armenian men and women are subjected to forced labor in Russia, while Armenian women are subjected to forced labor in Turkey. Armenian boys are subjected to forced labor and Armenian women and girls are found in sex trafficking within the country. Women from Russia are subjected to forced labor in Armenia,” reads the country report on Armenia.
US officials note, however, that the Armenian government does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking — “however, it is making significant efforts to do so.”
“In 2010, the government provided partial funding for an NGO-run shelter for victims of trafficking and pursued partnerships with NGOs to provide training to hundreds of officials. The government continued to ensure that all convicted traffickers were appropriately sentenced and that those sentences were enforced. In Mar. 2011, the government enacted amendments to the Criminal Code that further strengthened its anti-trafficking statutes. However, of particular concern was a precipitous drop in the number of victims identified during the year, as well as the absence of investigations of forced labor offenses.”
The TIP report recommends Armenia step up its efforts to identify victims of forced labor and “to investigate and prosecute labor trafficking offenses; continue to provide and expand funding for NGOs that provide victim assistance and ensure that all funding allocated for anti-trafficking programs and victim assistance is spent on designated programs; increase the number of victims referred to NGO service providers for assistance; consider partnerships with NGOs that would allow them to regularly assist law enforcement with the victim identification process; improve efforts to protect victims who consent to serve as witnesses in prosecutions; continue to work to ensure that victims who are unable to assist in prosecutions have access to services and protection; investigate and prosecute government officials suspected of trafficking-related complicity and convict and punish complicit officials; continue to ensure that victims are provided with legally mandated assistance (medical, legal, primary needs, and shelter) at all stages of the victim assistance process; continue to ensure a majority of convicted trafficking offenders serve time in prison; and continue efforts to raise public awareness about both sex and labor trafficking.”