Armenian government does not fully comply with minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking

The Armenian government does not fully meet minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking, but is making considerable efforts to do so. The government demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared to the previous reference period; therefore, Armenia remained at Tier 2, the Department of State's 2024 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report states.

As the source notes, these efforts included investigating and prosecuting more suspected traffickers and identifying more victims.

“The government has increased resources for victim protection, including for the NGO-run shelter. The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MOLSA) has published a guide for social workers to identify victims and has developed guidelines flyers to inform victims of available public resources,” the report states. declared.

According to the report, the Armenian government has increased resources dedicated to prevention efforts and sought survivors' opinions on gaps in victim services.

“However, the government failed to meet minimum standards in several key areas. First responders did not systematically screen vulnerable populations for indicators of trafficking. Prosecutors dropped or reclassified cases due to a lack of evidence or high reliance on victims' testimonies without corroborating evidence Law enforcement officials have not always taken a victim-centered approach in criminal proceedings, and the government has not. implemented victim-centered policies or measures to assist victims and witnesses. The government continued to fund victim reintegration assistance programs, which was sometimes not sufficient. fully meet the needs of victims.

The government increased its protection efforts. The government identified 25 victims, compared with six victims in 2022. Of the 25 victims identified, traffickers exploited seven in sex trafficking and 18 in labor trafficking; 10 were women, nine were men, three were girls, and three were boys; three were persons with disabilities; and all were Armenian.

As has been reported over the past five years, human traffickers exploit domestic and foreign victims in Armenia, and traffickers exploit Armenian victims abroad. Traffickers exploit some Armenian migrants seeking employment in Russia, often through recruitment fraud and debt bondage linked to recruitment fees by labor brokers. Traffickers exploit Armenian women through sex trafficking and forced labor, including forced begging, within the country. Traffickers target Iranian and Indian migrants who voluntarily seek employment in the informal sector to be exploited through forced labor and force children to beg or sell items on the streets, such as tissues. Some children work in agriculture, construction and service delivery in the country, where they are vulnerable to labor trafficking. Poorly educated rural men, children in public childcare institutions, and people with disabilities remain highly vulnerable to labor trafficking. Traffickers are increasingly using social networks to recruit victims. The more than 100,000 unemployed displaced people and refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh are vulnerable to trafficking,” adds the aforementioned US State Department report.