91 Azeris affected by human trafficking in 2009
91 people became victims of human trafficking in Azerbaijan in
2009, an Interior Ministry official has said.
Javad Shikhaliyev, who heads the ministry’s department on fighting trafficking in humans, told reporters Wednesday that 80 such crimes and three facts of forced labor were revealed in the country last year. 76 people were prosecuted over the offenses, with 90 to 95 percent of those held accountable being women.
Law enforcers established that Azerbaijani citizens are mostly deceived and taken to Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Russia for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Mostly, the victims are lured by considerable income and other sweeteners. Most of the women who are deceived hail from the country’s regions.
Shikhaliyev said Azerbaijan is mostly seen as a source country for human traffickers. Due to the ongoing economic development in Azerbaijan, there is a possibility victims of such crimes could be brought here from other countries in the near future.
Also, four citizens of Uzbekistan were detained in Azerbaijan in 2009 over prostitution. Investigators ascertained that the leaders of the group who arranged their coming to Azerbaijan were Uzbek nationals as well. The victims of human trafficking were deported to their country.
The Interior Ministry official also said Azerbaijan could play the role of a transit state for human trafficking. It is possible that citizens of Ukraine, Moldova and Russia are taken to other countries through Azerbaijan. However, no such facts were revealed last year, Shikhaliyev said.
"Such a trans-national criminal network was last revealed and exposed in Azerbaijan in 2006," he said.
The head of the OSCE Office in Baku, Bilge Cankorel, said the human trafficking problem has persisted for centuries and is encountered even in the world’s most developed countries. Despite ongoing efforts worldwide to counter human trafficking, the number of such crimes has not decreased, but, on the contrary, is rising. The majority of the victims are young girls and children. "And the problem is so peculiar that persons who become victims of human trafficking are often not interested in reporting the problem to government agencies, which results in the culprits being able to remain at large for a long time."
Cankorel said the OSCE welcomes the Azerbaijani government’s steps at fighting trafficking in humans. He added that Baku has joined relevant international conventions and is properly meeting its commitments.*
Javad Shikhaliyev, who heads the ministry’s department on fighting trafficking in humans, told reporters Wednesday that 80 such crimes and three facts of forced labor were revealed in the country last year. 76 people were prosecuted over the offenses, with 90 to 95 percent of those held accountable being women.
Law enforcers established that Azerbaijani citizens are mostly deceived and taken to Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan and Russia for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Mostly, the victims are lured by considerable income and other sweeteners. Most of the women who are deceived hail from the country’s regions.
Shikhaliyev said Azerbaijan is mostly seen as a source country for human traffickers. Due to the ongoing economic development in Azerbaijan, there is a possibility victims of such crimes could be brought here from other countries in the near future.
Also, four citizens of Uzbekistan were detained in Azerbaijan in 2009 over prostitution. Investigators ascertained that the leaders of the group who arranged their coming to Azerbaijan were Uzbek nationals as well. The victims of human trafficking were deported to their country.
The Interior Ministry official also said Azerbaijan could play the role of a transit state for human trafficking. It is possible that citizens of Ukraine, Moldova and Russia are taken to other countries through Azerbaijan. However, no such facts were revealed last year, Shikhaliyev said.
"Such a trans-national criminal network was last revealed and exposed in Azerbaijan in 2006," he said.
The head of the OSCE Office in Baku, Bilge Cankorel, said the human trafficking problem has persisted for centuries and is encountered even in the world’s most developed countries. Despite ongoing efforts worldwide to counter human trafficking, the number of such crimes has not decreased, but, on the contrary, is rising. The majority of the victims are young girls and children. "And the problem is so peculiar that persons who become victims of human trafficking are often not interested in reporting the problem to government agencies, which results in the culprits being able to remain at large for a long time."
Cankorel said the OSCE welcomes the Azerbaijani government’s steps at fighting trafficking in humans. He added that Baku has joined relevant international conventions and is properly meeting its commitments.*
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