GRANT AWARDED TO UMCOR ARMENIA PROJECT
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[02:59 pm] 08 December, 2008
On December 8, 2008, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Marie L. Yovanovitch
hosted a ceremony at which the State Department’s Bureau for
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) provided a
grant of over $90,000 to the Armenian Branch of the United Methodist
Committee on Relief (UMCOR) NGO for implementation of the project
"Strengthening Law Enforcement’s Response to Human Trafficking." The
project is aimed at increasing the capacity of Armenian Police
investigators and staff to effectively manage human trafficking
cases, as well as treat the victims of trafficking in compliance with
international standards.
Ambassador Yovanovitch dedicated this event to the success of the
United Nations’ "16 Days of Activism to End Violence against Women,"
( m) spanning from November 25,
International Day against Violence against Women, to December 10,
International Human Rights Day. Victims of trafficking in Armenia are
mainly women trafficked for purposes of sexual exploitation, and with
this grant the United States Government seeks to protect the women
of Armenia and other countries from this modern-day form of slavery.
In the framework of this project, UMCOR will provide training to
investigators from the central and regional police departments on how
to identify the victims of trafficking and manage human trafficking
cases. It will enable police officers and investigators to deal with
allegations of human trafficking crimes and victims of trafficking
in a professional and appropriate manner during all phases of law
enforcement response.
As a result of the project up to 50 investigators from the Central
Investigation Department of the Police and the regional police
departments will be provided with general training on the legal
definition of human trafficking, international legal instruments for
combating human trafficking and other UN and regional instruments,
and methods of identification and protection of the victims. Up to
15 police officers will be provided with a follow- up training on
recent developments in the anti-trafficking area. The ultimate goal
of the project is to assist Armenian law enforcement to decrease the
number of human trafficking cases, protect the victims and prosecute
the traffickers.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress