Interview with the head of the Fight against Organized Crime Department and the head of Prevention of Trafficking of RA Police, sub-colonel of police Tigran Petrosyan.
– When was the first case of trafficking registered in Armenia?
– In Armenia the term trafficking was first used in 2000. It was when the UN convention on trafficking prevention was adopted and specifically the document of prevention of child and women trafficking in Palermo. By the way, in those documents for the first time the word trafficking was used. Armenia has also joined the abovementioned convention but it was ratified later in 2003. Immediately after that the RA Criminal Code was supplemented by a new article 132, which was titled as human trade. First of all this formulation was wrong because the value of the human being was degraded (as the traffickers would treat them as inanimate objects). The next remark relates to the actual article, which has a number of flaws. Those were creating obstacles during the investigation and examination of the cases. This is the reason why in 2006 the title was changed but it didn’t bring any substantial solution either. Till now in the code there are articles that repeat criminal partly or fully the flaws of trafficking. In order to annul these contradictions the RA police initiated a package of changes on the criminal code, which was submitted to the NA. According to that it is anticipated to amend approximately 10 articles and well as add three more. As a new approach, the bill suggests considering culprits the ones, who use the services of the traffic victims, which will reduce the demand level. The bill has already been adopted by the first reading and is going to be submitted to the second reading.
– What was the number of the traffic victims during the past two years? And how many criminal cases were launched?
– In 2009 based on Article 132 and 132.1 article of the code the police have investigated 15 cases. About 60 victims were identified as a result of investigation. 14 of the victims were being sexually exploited in Turkey, 13 in UAE, 1 in Armenia, 11 Russian citizens were identified here, who were made to strip dance in Armenia, 5 teenagers were accused of begging and 16 citizens were taken to Russia and made to work there for free. During the first quarter of 2010 the RA police conducted 6 investigations based on the mentioned cases and which were linked with prostitution. Three of these cases relate to internal trafficking, some others were realized in Turkey and Armenia, another case in UAE. 6 victims were identified. One of them was underage. There are 6 suspects. In terms of volumes I can mention that it is reducing. In the quantitative meaning certain growth is registered. If in the past one group could send a dozen of women to work in UAE or Turkey then now these cases are fewer. The reason is that the organizers of trafficking are for the most part imprisoned. Others are being searched. So it means that their activities have been either fully or partly suspended.
– So, does it mean that there is no group trafficking in Armenia?
– In the past trafficking was more inclusive and was implanted at larger scales. There were victims and organizers involved. There were various groups that were mostly dealing with female prostitution. There were also cases that Armenia had become a target country for trafficking. Almost 22 women were moved from Russia to Armenia to work to strip dance in Armenian strip bars. The latter were deprived of mobility. They were living in locked conditions and were not able to direct their own lives. A criminal case has been launched in this regard and at present the prosecution is in charge of that.
– At any rate, Armenia continues being a so-called “supplier country” for the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Russia. How can we understand this phenomenon?
– Armenia doesn’t supply any country. During the transition period Armenia among other states was also considered a trafficking country. As a rule in regard of trafficking the countries are divided into three categories – source country, transit state and supplying state. Russia, which is actually in a more favorable condition, has been a supplying country for Armenia. In the legal aspect it is extremely difficult to fight trafficking in a source country because the victims do not realize their future as prostitutes in the first phase. In the recruitment phase the given promises are luring, which makes the victims believe and agree being trafficked. Therefore they lie to the police and avoid dealing with us. The organizers are applying all kinds of means to attract the victim. For example, often they are telling the victims that they have spent a lot of money on the victim’s visa and that she has to work very hard to pay it back. The ones, who were trafficked, are considered victims by us regardless of the fact whether they were sexually exploited or not.
– Today our society has a pretty big cautiousness in relation to employment agencies because often women as a result appear abroad and being sexually exploited. How many such cases have you registered so far?
– No such case has been registered so far? The recruitment is mostly done by the relatives of the organizers and personal connections. And sometimes the victims are recruited by their friends. Besides that the professional organizers identify from the broad mass of people the most vulnerable ones. The latter are later offered to work as prostitutes. And quite often they don’t even warn what they are going to do abroad. One of the organizers of the last trafficking case investigated by our department has told people that he has great connections in the police, National Security Service but he was arrested during the recruitment.
– Are the organizers of trafficking only women in Armenia?
– Those are mainly women, especially the ones, who have been abroad or have been the victims themselves and so know the methods of exploitation. As they say the organizers are the ones, who have been through all that.
– To what extent is trafficking spread in the Armenian marzes?
– In regard of trafficking mostly the ones, who are comparably less informed, are vulnerable to being trafficked. Indeed, sometimes informed people are also trapped in traffic. They feel confident that they can never appear in such a status but they are the ones that are most often appearing in the victim’s role. However, one of the main prerequisites of vulnerability is the lack of information, the lack of awareness of civil-legal norms. Indeed, in remote villages, who follow up with the news less frequently, are becoming more vulnerable for the organizers.
– During the last years children are also becoming victims of trafficking. What is the number of underage victims and what type of exploitation are they subject to?
– There are quite a few cases of children trafficking. This year the case of abuse to a teenage was wrapped and the culprit was sentenced to a 9-year imprisonment. The courts are also very strict to trafficking. During 2009 11 persons were imprisoned because of trafficking. Moreover, the average sentence for imprisonment was 8 years and 6 months.
– Nevertheless, the phenomenon of trafficking still doesn’t have a public awareness. So what is trafficking?
– The definition of trafficking is clearly included in the UN convention and Council of Europe convention. Trafficking is the recruitment, movement and hiding of a human being for exploitation purposes. It may be done by violence, deception or constraint. In this case it doesn’t have to be outside the boundaries of the state, which means that it can be done within the country as well. We also have such cases. The fight of negative phenomena is also a part of the fight against trafficking. In parallel with the growth of the number of prostitutes in Armenia the number of food objects with beds is increasing. Now they are placing beds and soft furniture in cafes and restaurants. All this is because of the absence of regulations. There is no differentiation what a hotel is, what functions it should have. The same can be said about night clubs. So these phenomena should also be annihilated in hotels and restaurants by defining their functions and duties. It’s not only the job of the police.
– And lastly, what should be done to avoid the status of a “victim”?
– Be very careful and not trust the organizers, not be lured by the promises of the recruiters and not avoid applying to the police. The victim, who hides what has happened to her/him and doesn’t cooperate with the police, endangers his relatives by increasing the possibility of appearing in the claws of the criminals again. The victim of trafficking is not guilty of any public misdemeanor. This action is done with constraint and there is no need to be isolated from the society and being shy to confess and ask for help. Our fight is focused on punishing the culprits and protecting the victims. And the main goal is once again the protection of the victim.