TRAFFICKING FLOURISHES IN AZERBAIJANFebruary 14, 2004 - 17:57 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The number of cases of trafficking increased in Azerbaijan recently, director of the Crisis Center of Azerbaijan (CCA) Matanat Azizova told Turan Baku agency. In her words, only this year the center has received 45 statements from relatives of people, who became victims of slave-traders. M. Azizova noted that the results of the researches, held by CCA with the assistance of Washington Johns Hopkins University, surprised the ruling structures of Azerbaijan, who explained the high level of trafficking by absence of legal provisions, punishing such business. In her words, this is just the reason why Azerbaijan has become a trafficking center: there have been numerous cases, when women were sent to Belarus, Ukraine and Uzbekistan via the territory of Azerbaijan. The CCA director noted that locals are also engaged in woman trafficking and there are people, who by gathering women in various regions of Nakhichevan and Azerbaijan, transport them to Baku and use them as "sex slaves." In Azizova's words, child trafficking also takes place in Azerbaijan. "Children from regions are taken to Baku to beg," she said. Top stories President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. Achieving stable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains a priority of the OSCE, said Ian Borg. The Cabinet of Ministers decided on Thursday, November 9 to allocated AMD 120 million to arrange the gathering. Michael Roth believes sanctions must be put on the table after Baku‘s ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. Partner news | International cybercrime ringleaders arrested in Armenia, Ukraine Europol, Europe's crime agency, has arrested four ringleaders of several cybercrime networks that used botnets. Armenia skips CSTO Defense Ministers meeting A meeting of the Council of Defense Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization countries began in Almaty. Armenia, U.S. customs authorities to boost assistance with new deal The government has approved an agreement with the U.S. government on mutual assistance between the customs authorities. Armenia, Russia agree on repairing railway destroyed in floods Yerevan and Moscow have agreed to repair a flood-stricken railway in northern Armenia. |