OSCE Yerevan workshop focuses on identification of trafficking victims

YEREVAN, 22 December 2003 - An OSCE workshop on identification of human trafficking victims held in Yerevan marked a turning point in the development of a strategic partnership between the Armenian government and civil society actors in setting up a viable mechanism for assistance to victims.

"The Armenian Government has this year taken a major step forward in combating trafficking in human beings," said Andrea Strasser, Democratization Officer at the OSCE Office in Yerevan, at a press conference.

"Trafficking is now recognized as a crime and there is legal responsibility in place."

Trafficking became a criminal offence in Armenia on 1 August 2003, when the new Criminal Code came into force.

As a follow up, the OSCE training course was aimed at law enforcement, border control and consular personnel, and representatives of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). It was intended to assist Armenian authorities and civil society in identifying and dealing with trafficking victims.

Armenian consular staff in the United Arab Emirates, Greece and the Russian Federation, as well as Russian consular authorities in Turkey (countries of destination) participated in the three-day event, which ended last Saturday.

The workshop, delivered by a high-ranking German police officer and an NGO representative, focussed on victim identification techniques and police-NGO co-operation models. High emphasis was placed on the development of practical skills, including non-threatening interrogation techniques to ensure sensitive treatment of victims.

The event was organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan in co-operation with the Armenian Foreign Ministry, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the International Organization for Migration and the United States Embassy in Armenia.

Background: In its assistance to the Armenian Government in the anti-trafficking area, the OSCE Office in Yerevan works closely with the Interagency Commission on Human Trafficking, which was established by a Prime Minister's decree on 14 October 2002. The Interagency Commission, chaired by the Foreign Ministry, co-ordinates the efforts of relevant organizations and agencies in researching the trafficking situation in Armenia, raising public awareness on trafficking and developing the National Plan of Action.