17:00, 26 May 2010

Trafficking victims on the rise in Armenia

In 2009, sixty persons became victims of trafficking in persons in Armenia against 34 persons in 2008. The data was presented today by the "Resource Centre for Helping to Combat Trafficking" in Yerevan at presentation of the book dealing with the fight against this phenomenon.

At the same time, the employees of the Centre could not exclude that the real count of victims is much higher, since many people conceal their sufferings. The reasons of such behaviour, in the opinion of experts, are in the Armenian mentality.

According to the data provided by the Centre, citizens of Armenia, women in particular, are exposed to sexual exploitation in the Arab countries and Turkey, and to the labour one - in Turkey and Russia.

Marine Solakhyan, head of the UNDP's programme for counteracting trafficking, said that the still low awareness of the population about this phenomenon is a great problem.

Author: Lylyt Ovanisyan

Source: CK correspondent