Global InformationHuman trafficking in Armenia information
 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source. (November 2010) |
Armenia is a source country for women subjected to trafficking in persons (TIP), specifically forced prostitution; a source and destination country for women in forced labor; and a source country for men in forced labor. Women from Armenia are subjected to sex trafficking in 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 conditions of forced labor and Armenian women and girls are subjected to forced prostitution within the country. Women from Russia are subjected to conditions of forced labor in Armenia.[1][2]
In January 2010, the Armenian government enacted legislation that increased the minimum penalty for convicted trafficking offenders to five years’ imprisonment, allowed for the confiscation of assets from convicted trafficking offenders, and exempted trafficking victims from criminal prosecution for crimes committed as a direct result of being trafficked. While the government did not provide funding for victim assistance in 2009, in March 2010 it allocated approximately $15,000 to an NGO-run shelter for facility rent. The government continued to implement its national trafficking victim referral mechanism and nearly doubled the number of victims it identified compared with the previous year. The government demonstrated modest progress in combating government officials’ complicity in trafficking.[1]
The 2014 Trafficking in Persons report was released in June 2014, and Armenia maintained its Tier 1 status, which they had achieved the year before making the country the only one to advance to the highest Tier. The ranking indicates that the government has acknowledged the existence of human trafficking, made significant efforts towards the problem, and complies with the given standards. Armenia is one of the world's most successful countries when it comes to the fight against human trafficking.[3]
The 2016 TIP report placed Armenia once again in "Tier 1", it made mention of the pivotal role Armenia's Anti-TIP Working Group was making, including representation from the government, civil society, and international organizations.[4]
U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons placed the country in "Tier 1" in 2017.[5] The country remained on "Tier 1" through the demonstration of serious and sustained efforts in the identification of victims, the adoption of a national action plan, and the establishment and allocation of funds for a compensation fund for trafficking victims.[2] Armenia delegates attended the 18th Alliance against Trafficking in Person Conference that was organized by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna in April 2018. 80 Countries were represented through various international and civil society organizations. The conference included various workshops focused on topics like enhancing access to compensation for crime victims, aspects of gender and human trafficking, the role of civil society, caring for minors, and the importance of the media in the fight against human trafficking. Armenia’s participation supports its efforts to modernize its law enforcement and counter transnational crime, including human and drug trafficking.[6]
In 2019, Armenia did not comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and therefore remained in "Tier 2", as in 2018. The government showed increasing efforts by providing training to law enforcement, organizing various awareness campaigns, actively identifying forced labor victims, and training 64 social workers to work together on trafficking issues.[7]
- ^ a b "Trafficking in Persons Report 2010 Country Narratives -- Countries A Through F". US Department of State. 2010-06-17. Archived from the original on 2010-06-17. Retrieved 2023-02-06.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ a b "Trafficking in Persons Report 2017 on Armenia". U.S. Embassy in Armenia. 2017-07-07. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
- ^ "2014 TIP Report". U.S. Embassy in Armenia. 2014-06-20. Retrieved 2021-10-09.
- ^ "Tier 1 rating in U.S. TIP Report". U.S. Embassy in Armenia. 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
- ^ "Trafficking in Persons Report 2017: Tier Placements". www.state.gov. Archived from the original on 2017-06-28. Retrieved 2017-12-01.
- ^ "Armenian Delegation attends OSCE 18th Counter-Trafficking-in-Persons Alliance Conference". U.S. Embassy in Armenia. 2018-05-22. Retrieved 2021-10-15.
- ^ "Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP Report) 2019". U.S. Embassy in Armenia. 2019-07-02. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
