Analysis of anti-trafficking policies in the republic of Armenia

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the anti-trafficking policies of the Republic of Armenia. It analyses the major anti-trafficking policy documents developed by the government of Armenia and tries to understand what efforts have been made by the government in this field as well as to what extent they helped advancing legislation and practice of institutions that are essential for fighting effectively the human trafficking in the country. The paper also aims to find out whether there has been any significant progress in the key areas of anti-trafficking response during the last 10 years. Trafficking in human beings is often characterized as a modern form of slavery. This is a heinous international crime and human rights abuse, comprising all the countries in the world. It is a global problem and a number of developing and transitional countries have been affected as countries of origin, including Armenia. The failure of governments to acknowledge and respond to human trafficking activity over the years has resulted in the invisibility of the issue in policy, official records, and state actions. None of the countries had ever had mechanisms in place before 2000 that permit trafficking activity to be accurately registered. This absence of records has fortified an ignorance of reality, and policy priorities have been following the belief that “if not seen, it does not exist”. Since 2002, the government of Armenia has taken some steps to address the problem of human trafficking. Despite numerous initiatives and activities that have been conducted, there are still significant gaps in many areas of the anti-trafficking response, particularly in legal and policy documents. The government officials pay limited attention to the issue, and efforts to combat trafficking in human beings in Armenia remain erratic. Through examination and analysis of basic domestic and international legal acts, documents, resolutions and reports concerning human trafficking, the paper provides a thorough understanding of the current state of affairs in regard to this problem in Armenia. However, the focus is on the analysis of the major anti-trafficking policy documents – the National Action Plan to Combat Trafficking (NAP) and the National Referral Mechanism (NRM). Further, findings regarding main challenges and drawbacks in the policy documents are discussed in the essay. Finally, through the consideration of discussed and analyzed data and findings, the paper comes up with practical and implementable recommendations.