The Government of Armenia does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so, according to a fresh report from the Department of State.

On July 19, the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken released the 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report. For the second year in a row, Armenia is on Tier 2, in recognition of its overall increasing efforts towards the elimination of trafficking as compared with the previous reporting period.

"The government demonstrated overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period, considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, if any, on its anti-trafficking capacity; therefore Armenia remained on Tier 2. These efforts included prosecuting more traffickers and identifying more victims. Courts convicted a labor trafficker for the first time since 2014. The government adopted screening indicators for use by social workers, amended procedures to standardize data collection and information sharing, and provided comprehensive training to relevant staff," the report said.

"However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas. Police continued to repeatedly interrogate victims for long hours though reportedly within legal limits. First responders did not consistently screen vulnerable populations for trafficking indicators, while police in some remote areas lacked information and training to inform victims of their rights and victims continued to face low access to justice, including an absence of victim-centered procedures and formal victim-witness protection measures. The government maintained its prior year funding level for the implementation of the 2020-2022 national action plan (NAP), but the Ministerial Council did not meet."