Azerbaijan remains transit state for human trafficking: State Dept.
Azerbaijan is a source, transit point, and limited
destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for
commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor, claims the US
State Department`s annual report on the situation with human
trafficking in 173 countries.
The 2009 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report says that women and children from Azerbaijan are trafficked to Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. Men and boys are trafficked to Russia for the purpose of forced labor. Men and women are also trafficked to Iran, Pakistan, and the UAE for sexual exploitation and forced labor. Some men are trafficked within Azerbaijan for the purpose of forced labor and women and children are trafficked internally for forced prostitution and forced labor, including forced begging.
According to the State Department, Azerbaijan serves as a transit country for victims trafficked from Moldova, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan to Turkey and the UAE for commercial sexual exploitation. The Azerbaijani enclave of Nakhchivan serves as a transit point for women trafficked to Turkey. A small number of men and women from Ukraine, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Russia were trafficked to Azerbaijan for commercial sexual exploitation.
The report said the government does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Despite these overall efforts, the government did not show evidence of progress in investigating, prosecuting, convicting, and punishing trafficking offenders, including officials involved in trafficking, the report alleged.
"Although the government made modest improvements, victim identification and access to victim assistance remained limited during the reporting period. The government adopted a new national action plan on trafficking in February 2009; however, it did not allocate funding to implement the programs and policies in the plan, and funding for anti-trafficking efforts remained low and inconsistent throughout the reporting period. The new action plan included a draft national victim referral mechanism, though the mechanism was not formally adopted or implemented during the reporting period. Azerbaijan demonstrated improved awareness efforts."
In its recommendations, the State Department said Azerbaijan should increase law enforcement efforts to prosecute and convict traffickers and ensure that a majority of convicted traffickers serve some time in prison. Other suggestions included increasing inter-agency coordination of anti-trafficking efforts; improving victim assistance and protection for child victims of trafficking; providing initial assistance to domestic victims without requiring them to file a formal complaint with police; and conducting awareness and victim treatment training for law enforcement and judges.
The report said, further, that the Azerbaijani government conducted fewer trafficking investigations and prosecutions and convicted fewer traffickers than in 2007. In 2008 the government reported conducting 66 trafficking investigations and prosecuted 61 trafficking cases, down from 75 cases in 2007. The government secured the convictions of 61 traffickers, down from 85 convictions in 2007. Some convicted traffickers received sentences of from one to eight years` imprisonment. The government failed to vigorously investigate trafficking-related corruption during the reporting period, the report claimed.
It said the government demonstrated "mixed progress" in assisting victims during the reporting period. It did not employ a system to proactively identify victims of trafficking among vulnerable populations, including labor migrants. Coordination among the government agencies assigned to combat trafficking and assist victims was infrequent; most agencies did not have a dedicated office or point of contact responsible for coordinating with other agencies to effectively combat trafficking. In 2008, NGOs and law enforcement identified 121 victims; the government-funded shelter assisted 55 of these victims, up from 29 in 2007. Victims were only eligible for government-funded assistance, however, if they were an adult, female, and participated in a formal criminal case, the State Department said.
The 2009 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report says that women and children from Azerbaijan are trafficked to Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation. Men and boys are trafficked to Russia for the purpose of forced labor. Men and women are also trafficked to Iran, Pakistan, and the UAE for sexual exploitation and forced labor. Some men are trafficked within Azerbaijan for the purpose of forced labor and women and children are trafficked internally for forced prostitution and forced labor, including forced begging.
According to the State Department, Azerbaijan serves as a transit country for victims trafficked from Moldova, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan to Turkey and the UAE for commercial sexual exploitation. The Azerbaijani enclave of Nakhchivan serves as a transit point for women trafficked to Turkey. A small number of men and women from Ukraine, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Russia were trafficked to Azerbaijan for commercial sexual exploitation.
The report said the government does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Despite these overall efforts, the government did not show evidence of progress in investigating, prosecuting, convicting, and punishing trafficking offenders, including officials involved in trafficking, the report alleged.
"Although the government made modest improvements, victim identification and access to victim assistance remained limited during the reporting period. The government adopted a new national action plan on trafficking in February 2009; however, it did not allocate funding to implement the programs and policies in the plan, and funding for anti-trafficking efforts remained low and inconsistent throughout the reporting period. The new action plan included a draft national victim referral mechanism, though the mechanism was not formally adopted or implemented during the reporting period. Azerbaijan demonstrated improved awareness efforts."
In its recommendations, the State Department said Azerbaijan should increase law enforcement efforts to prosecute and convict traffickers and ensure that a majority of convicted traffickers serve some time in prison. Other suggestions included increasing inter-agency coordination of anti-trafficking efforts; improving victim assistance and protection for child victims of trafficking; providing initial assistance to domestic victims without requiring them to file a formal complaint with police; and conducting awareness and victim treatment training for law enforcement and judges.
The report said, further, that the Azerbaijani government conducted fewer trafficking investigations and prosecutions and convicted fewer traffickers than in 2007. In 2008 the government reported conducting 66 trafficking investigations and prosecuted 61 trafficking cases, down from 75 cases in 2007. The government secured the convictions of 61 traffickers, down from 85 convictions in 2007. Some convicted traffickers received sentences of from one to eight years` imprisonment. The government failed to vigorously investigate trafficking-related corruption during the reporting period, the report claimed.
It said the government demonstrated "mixed progress" in assisting victims during the reporting period. It did not employ a system to proactively identify victims of trafficking among vulnerable populations, including labor migrants. Coordination among the government agencies assigned to combat trafficking and assist victims was infrequent; most agencies did not have a dedicated office or point of contact responsible for coordinating with other agencies to effectively combat trafficking. In 2008, NGOs and law enforcement identified 121 victims; the government-funded shelter assisted 55 of these victims, up from 29 in 2007. Victims were only eligible for government-funded assistance, however, if they were an adult, female, and participated in a formal criminal case, the State Department said.
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