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Azerbaijan to provide shelter for human trafficking victims

9 August 2013 09:06 (UTC+04:00)
Azerbaijan to provide shelter for human trafficking victims

By Nazrin Gadimova

Azerbaijan's Cabinet of Ministers has made a decision to amend the "Rules on creating, financing, operation of special institutions for victims of human trafficking, as well as control over their activities."

The changes stipulate that in accordance with the Law On Combating Trafficking in Humans, victims of trafficking, after a decision on cooperation with law enforcement agencies, can use the services of shelters and support centers for safety and reinstatement of their physical, psychological and social position.

Another decision of the Cabinet of Ministers amended the "Rules of the transfer from Azerbaijan without immigration status of foreigners and stateless persons" to ensure the implementation of the decree of the President regarding the enforcement of the law on amendments to the domestic legislation on combating human trafficking.

Azerbaijan approved the National Action Plan on Combating Human Trafficking in May 2004. According to the Azerbaijani law on the fight against human trafficking and the Penal Code, sex trafficking and forced labor are prohibited and punishable by 5 to 15 years' imprisonment. There is an action plan for the period 2009-2013 to combat human trafficking in Azerbaijan.

According to statistics of the Interior Ministry department on combating human trafficking, the number of human trafficking cases in Azerbaijan was rising prior to 2009, but the trend reversed in the following two years. 27 such cases were registered in 2006, 74 in 2007, 76 in 2008, and 80 in 2009, followed by a reduction to 70 cases in 2010 and 69 cases in 2011; 89 cases were reported in 2012.

According to the International Labor Organization report for 2012, some 21 million people are unfree labor and sexual exploitation victims worldwide, with East and West Europe and CIS accounting for 2 million of them.

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