ARMENIA IS IN THE WATCH LIST

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Armenia is a major source and, to a lesser extent, a transit and destination country for women and girls trafficked for sexual exploitation largely to the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) and Turkey. Traffickers, many of them women, route victims directly into Dubai or through Moscow. Traffickers also route victims to Turkey through Georgia via bus. Profits derived from the trafficking of Armenian victims reportedly increased dramatically from the previous year.

The Government of Armenia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Armenia is placed on Tier 2 Watch List for a second consecutive year because of its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts over the past year, particularly in the areas of enforcement, trafficking-related corruption, and victim protection. While the government increased implementation of its anti-trafficking law, it failed to impose significant penalties for convicted traffickers. The government failed to vigorously investigate and prosecute ongoing and widespread allegations of public officials' complicity in trafficking. Victim protection efforts remained in early, formative stages. Victim-blaming and lack of sensitivity for victims remain a problem among Armenian officials, particularly in the judiciary.

In 2005, the Government of Armenia increased the use of the 2003 anti-trafficking statute under Article 132, which prohibits trafficking in persons for forced labor and sexual exploitation. However, many courts overturned convictions handed down under Article 132, and reduced sentences by converting the charges into lesser pimping charges. The government continued to apply other criminal codes to about half of its trafficking cases in 2005. During the reporting period, the government investigated 30 trafficking cases, resulting in 14 prosecutions and 17 convictions. While Article 132 provides for longer sentences, penalties actually imposed continue to be insufficient and not commensurate with those for other equally grave crimes in Armenia. During the reporting period, only a few convictions resulted in actual imprisonment; the remaining offenders received suspended sentences, corrective labor and fines. Lack of public confidence and allegations of official complicity continued to hurt the credibility of the government's anti-trafficking efforts.

By the way, all these facts were surveyed and published by the US State Department.