US embassy cable - 04YEREVAN2165

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 YEREVAN 002165 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR G/TIP, DRL AND EUR/CACEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KCRM, KWMN, PHUM, AM, KTIP 
SUBJECT: GOAM TAKING ACTION TO FIGHT TRAFFICKING 
 
 
Sensitive but unclassified.  Please protect 
accordingly. 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1. (U) Although much work remains to be done, the 
Armenian government has made considerable efforts over 
the past three years and, despite being a country of 
origin for trafficking, has graduated from Tier 3 to 
Tier 2 (Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report 2004). 
Government actions have had the following results:  in 
2002 the GOAM established an Inter-Agency Commission on 
TIP and in 2004 it created a Law Enforcement Commission 
on TIP; the GOAM Department for Migration and Refugees 
(DMR) has maintained a Migrants Service Point and a 
hotline for prevention of irregular migration and 
trafficking; and the Prosecutor General's Office has 
investigated a number of cases on trafficking and 
pimping, several of which resulted in convictions and 
jail sentences.  The GOAM has signed an agreement on 
implementing a large-scale program on anti-TIP with the 
United Nations Development Program (UNDP).  US 
assistance plays an important role in ensuring 
continued progress on TIP issues.  End Summary. 
 
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GOVERNMENT ANTI-TIP COMMISSIONS 
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2. (SBU) The GOAM Inter-Agency Commission on TIP draws 
members from a number of State bodies:  the MFA, 
Department on Migration and Refugees (DMR), Ministry of 
Labor and Social Affairs, National Police, Border 
Troops, and the Prosecutor General's Office. 
International organizations and local NGOs, under an 
expanded UN Theme Group on Anti-Trafficking, serve as 
experts and consultants for the commission.  This 
Commission, with assistance from the UN Theme Group, 
developed a Concept Paper and a National Plan of 
Actions (NPA) on Counter Trafficking, which the 
Government approved on January 15, 2004.  The creation 
of the Law Enforcement Commission (LEC) on anti-TIP 
started as a result of US-Armenian cooperation. 
According to Advisor to the Foreign Minister Karen 
Nazaryan, the LEC will have the following goals:  to 
make the anti-TIP efforts of law enforcement bodies 
more effective and to ensure funding for implementation 
of anti-TIP programs. 
 
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UNDP ANTI-TIP PROJECT 
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3. (SBU) The UNDP, in cooperation with the GOAM and in 
line with the NPA, designed and implemented a program 
on Capacity Building and Victims Assistance.  The 
approximate cost of the project is USD 620,000--Norway 
and the Netherlands are the donors--and the project got 
underway in May 2004.  The UNDP is implementing the 
project together with the United Methodist Committee on 
Relief (UMCOR) and International Organization on 
Migration (IOM).  The UNDP project has three 
components:  capacity building framework for 
institutional strengthening and policy elaboration, 
awareness raising and victims assistance.  UMCOR 
maintains a shelter and a hotline for TIP victims. 
UMCOR is increasing efforts to raise public awareness 
about the project and the problem of trafficking. 
 
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DMR MIGRANTS SERVICE POINT AND HOTLINE 
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4. (SBU) The Deputy Head of DMR, Lyalya Aslanyan, told 
us that trafficking issues are part of a larger program 
of DMR on prevention of illegal migration.  The 
Department has established a Migrants Service Point 
(MSP) with a hotline for answering potential migrants' 
questions.  IOM and the USG funded the hotline for its 
first year as part of a program called "Awareness 
Campaign on Irregular Migration," the DMR now maintains 
the service point.  MSP workers explain foreign 
countries' regulations on illegal employment, and 
inform callers about various situations (including 
trafficking risks) people may encounter while seeking 
jobs abroad.  According to a survey conducted by the 
Armenian Sociological Association, there was a 25 
percent increase in the number of persons aware of the 
real situation for illegal migrants, compared with data 
collected before the Awareness Campaign and the launch 
of MSP.  In addition to this, the DMR has developed 
three programs on anti-trafficking aimed at raising 
public awareness in the Armenian regions, assisting the 
victims of trafficking and conducting an in-depth 
research of the situation with labor trafficking.  The 
Department is in the process of identifying sources for 
possible funding of those projects. 
 
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CRIMINAL PROSECUTION OF PIMPING AND TRAFFICKING 
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5. (SBU) Nelly Harutyunyan, the Foreign Liaison of the 
Prosecutor General's Office, provided us with the 
following data on cases involving trafficking and 
pimping for 2003-2004.  Eight cases were investigated 
on charges of Article 262 of the Criminal Code, 
Organization of Prostitution (i.e., pimping).  Out of 
this number, 5 cases involving 12 people have already 
been successfully prosecuted, 2 cases involving 2 
people have been suspended as the suspects have fled, 
and one case involving 3 people is still under 
investigation.  On charges of Article 132 of the 
Criminal Code, Trafficking in Humans, one case 
involving trafficking of a child is in progress.  The 
"Association of Investigative Journalists" NGO follows 
the investigation and trials of trafficking cases, and 
according to NGO president Edik Baghdasaryan most of 
the pimping cases were, in fact, trafficking. 
 
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PUNISHMENT TERMS FOR TRAFFICKING AND PIMPING 
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6. (U) Punishments envisaged by Article 132 of the 
Criminal Code on Trafficking in Humans include:  fines 
(of up to a current maximum of USD 12,000), corrective 
labor (maximum 1 year), detention (maximum 2 months), 
and imprisonment (from 1-4 years).  In the presence of 
aggravating factors (e.g., trafficking in minors, 
crossing borders illegally) the length of imprisonment 
may range from 4-7 years, and in case of death of the 
victim, from 5-8 years.  Article 262 on the 
Organization of Prostitution stipulates the following 
punishments:  fines (of up to a current maximum of USD 
12,000), corrective labor (maximum 2 years), and 
imprisonment (from 1-4 years).  If the perpetrator is a 
law enforcement official, prison terms can range from 2- 
6 years, if the victim is a minor, the terms range from 
3-10 years. 
 
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COMMENT: GOAM MAKING PROGRESS, STILL A LONG WAY TO GO 
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7. (U) GOAM actions over the past three years are a 
good start, and the first, crucial step of getting 
Armenians to acknowledge the problem.  Government 
officials, as well as society as a whole, now 
acknowledge the problem's existence.  The change of law 
enforcement and official mentality is clear and is 
reflected in regular, official media reporting on 
trafficking cases and frequent NGO activities in this 
field.  More work remains, however, to improve and 
strengthen anti-TIP legislation, and to develop 
effective mechanisms to identify trafficking victims. 
GODFREY