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U.S. Department of State: â€œAzerbaijan is a transit country for traffickingâ€

05 June 2008 09:37 (UTC +04:00)

â€œWomen and some children from Azerbaijan are trafficked to Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Men and boys are trafficked to Russia for the purpose of forced labor. Men and women are also trafficked to Iran, Pakistan, the U.A.E., and India for purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor. Azerbaijan serves as a transit country for victims from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Moldova trafficked to Turkey and the U.A.E. for sexual exploitation. The Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan serves as a transit point for women trafficked to Turkey. The Government of Azerbaijan does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Azerbaijan is placed on Tier Two Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking in persons, particularly efforts to investigate, prosecute and punish traffickers, to address complicity among law enforcement personnel, and to adequately identify and protect victims in Azerbaijan. According to the government, it prosecuted 75 cases and convicted 85 trafficking offenders during the year. However, the governmentâ€™s data on prosecutions appear to conflate trafficking with prostitution and smuggling charges. Moreover, over half of the convicted traffickers received house arrest or delayed or suspended sentences. The remaining traffickers received imposed sentences of one to 10 yearsâ€™ imprisonment. According to most civil society groups in Azerbaijan, corruption and lack of training among low-level law enforcement impedes overall anti-trafficking efforts. The government, however, has yet to vet members in its anti-trafficking unit for human rights violations, a recommendation since the 2005 Trafficking in Persons Report. Although the government reportedly identified over 100 victims in 2007, only 29 received care and assistance at the governmentâ€™s shelter. Relocation assistance is limited, but victims received a one-time payment of $40 from the government. According to the government, 11 victims also received compensation from traffickers as part of a victim restitution program.â€