5 CRIMINAL CASES ON PANDERING AND TRAFFICKING INSTITUTED IN FIRST QUARTER OF 2006 IN ARMENIA

Noyan Tapan
Jun 14 2006

YEREVAN, JUNE 14, NOYAN TAPAN. Only in the first quarter of 2006, 5
criminal cases on facts of pandering and trafficking were instituted in
Armenia, according to the materials of which 57 persons were exposed
to sexual exploitation, 53 of which were RA citizens and 4 citizens
of the Ukraine. Police Colonel Karen Babakekhian, Deputy Head of the
Chief Department on Struggle Against Organized Crime of RA Police,
Head of the Department on Illegal Circulation of Drugs and Struggle
Against Trafficking, informed about this at the June 14 meeting with
journalists. 10 of the above-mentioned persons were exposed to sexual
exploitation in RA and 47 abroad (45 in the United Arab Emirates, 2
in Turkey). According to K.Babakekhian, thanks to joint actions with
RF law-enforcement bodies 2 months ago RA law-enforcers prevented
the attempt of moving 4 Armenian women to the United Arab Emirates
from Moscow.

It was mentioned that 13 RA citizens are being searched in the United
Arab Emirates on facts of trafficking. K.Babakekhian mentioned that
the Armenian side is going to apply to the law-enforcement bodies of
the United Arab Emirates for the purpose of returning those searched
to Armenia.

K.Babakekhian called on the population to be careful and not to become
a victim of labor trafficking. Agencies engaged in such actions mainly
register the documents of their victims abroad, which gives them a
possibility to deceit these people. The Police has applied to the
government for the latter to set the order of licensing the agencies
of employment increasing day by day, as well the order of licensing
night entertainment establishments. The Police also proposed that
the night entertainment establishments be moved from the territory
of Yerevan, as this was done with the gambling-houses.

In response to a question of one of the journalists, K.Babakekhian
said that the number of prostitutes who have come to Yerevan from
regions is about 1000, 3-4% of prostitutes is under-aged girls of
15-17 years old. According to him, it is impossible to clarify the
number of under-aged prostitutes working abroad as their passport
data are forged.