92 replies to this topic

[MosJan]

parents need to take the first step - and stop Selling kids
a TV progrram was just on H1 - some of the parentsget up to 4 to $5,000 up front

[Armen]

Here is another question.  What can the Diaspora do to prevent trafficking and to be part of the overall solution?  I know this is a loaded question, but it has to be asked.

I think first of all the Diaspora has to take an uncompromising position on the issues of shadow economy, corruption etc. and enforce the government to show some real results of reforms. Armenia registers a 12% growth for some 3 years already if I am not mistaken. This growth has no impact on the general population whatsoever. How come?

Because Armenia is in difficult geopolitical situation, the Diaspora overlooks the governmets faults. But this is a vicious circle. If the economy is not developed Armenia will always be in difficult geopolitical situation. The only way to get out of this is to have a very low rate of unemployment and happy population so that no one leaves the country.

Prevention (or rather, decrease) of trafficking in a democratic country is achieved by economic development. As far as I see the study revealed the valunerable part of population. For example in the villages people do not have loans to develop the crops and men leave to find job and never come back and at some point their wives, sisters etc. go to find work and end up in Emirates.

I know there are programs to help develop small and medium business that use diasporan money but as far as I can see they are not working or they are wokring slow.

[ED]

"the lack of money is the ruts of all evil" once someone wise said, although this reality reflects small percentage of population in ROA nerveless very painful realty and needs attention, thus Diaspora with all its power could make a deference if differences are put aside, this has been my call for ages now, we need “apricot"? revolution and peace, most of all, I don’t have to guess and I can say for sure #1 question that preoccupies publics mind is uncertainty of the future, Karakach in particular, now days ROA depends heavily for her security on Russia, but winds might change and they do change, a cooperative and equally vigilant movement both abroad and in ROA will eventually bring solution and stability to the country, wile Diaspora is spending great deal of her power in recognition of AG, there is an argent need for this and similar problems which is caused mainly lack of economical and social development.

[Armen]

Edward, while I agree with some of your point I think there are some very powerful diaspora organisation that can influence the government as far as corrpution and shadow economy are concerned. The Russian influence has is not the significant factor here. Although dispora is preoccupied with the Genocide issue, there are many programs being implemented in Armenia that use diaspora money. It would not be bad to finance this programs on "conditionallity" basis. Bring more disporan people to govern that money.

One very good example are Kerkorian's projects. Would it be wrong if he conditioned his assistence with real results from the reforms?

[ED]

perhaps and it might be to late, for most who take an observatory position, after what we had dreamed for many centuries is gone could/might say, I wish I was more involved in matters like this, this and similar events/realities will eventually decay and bring closure to "this small unimportant people" never in our history has been more crucial times then today.

PS, I wont be suprised if someone even here asked me, "what have you done"???

[Armen]

Edward, it is not a matter of individuals when it comes to the diasporan position. It should be the big organisations like AGBU or Assembly that should ciritcise. They do it through their media outlets but lightly. Moreover, some of the bigest diasporan contributors have demonstrated that their programs in Armenia are conditioned not by the actual results they see but by this or that political affiliation they have in Armenia's government. Some of them stopped their programs when the government changed, while others started because of the same reason.

[Siamanto]

Armen jan are you sure that  we ( Armenia ) has nothing that Emirates can import ???

so  all we Armenians can offer to Emirates is  our kids ??? for  sex ???

I've heard that many Armenian Citizens work in the Arab Emirates. At least some of the $9M may be wire transfers to the family who stayed in Armenia!

hmmmm - sims like Armenians are not the only one from behind the Iron Curtain who has a such problem

Ukrainians, Poles and Russians seem to be on top of the list!
It is a shame to see humans forced to sell what is intimate and compromise their integrity; but, unfortunately, that is an integral part of a Nation that is struggling for a better economic future.
One cannot expect of others to have "iron wills." Humans have fears and weaknesses and tend to survive the way they can; including betraying themselves and their own values.
Of course, this is not an apologetics of their choice. Yes, we should raise the public awareness and hope for a better socio-economic outlook.

parents need to take the first step - and  stop Selling  kids
a TV progrram was  just on H1 - some of the parentsget  up to 4 to $5,000 up front

Apparently, some families don't feel ashamed. The attached picture - showing a Russian girl who sells her body - have always amazed me: the contrast between the expression on the girl's face and the joyful expression - almost proud - of her family - assuming that the men standing behind her are family!


PS.
MosJan,
I apologize for the picture. Having seen - in this forum - paintings of nudity, I did not know that a nude chest would be considered offensive.
I'm sorry.

Edited by Siamanto, 21 March 2005 - 09:04 AM.

[AraManoogian]

I've heard that many Armenian Citizens work in the Arab Emirates. At least some of the $9M may be wire transfers to the family who stayed in Armenia!

When I was in Dubai, I looked into Armenians that were working in the UAE and sadly many of those who make $1,000 a month are said to send only a small amount back to Armenia to their families. I was told that a large portion of that is spent on having “fun”, meaning on visiting prostitutes. This information came from what I found to be a reliable person and knowing the present day Armenian way of thinking, I have to believe that this is an accurate assessment.

[MosJan]

banits durs e galis or HAyer@ UAE kam POrnikutyamb en $$$ vastakum kam el pornikneri vran en irents ashxatats@ tsaxsum ???

lav yekekq iydpes chnayenq .

yes hamamit em Siamantoyi asatsy het or 9m i mets mas@ da normal "q@rtinqov" vastakats dram e

[MosJan]

MosJan,
I apologize for the picture. Having seen - in this forum - paintings of nudity, I did not know that a nude chest would be considered offensive.
I'm sorry.

paintings of nude - and picture of the nude are not the same Armats Paintings are work of ART and we at Hye Forum are Proud of him and his work in the other hand picture of the video that has the actual "Twins" on it is offensive to at list 4 of our members who have found time to PM me and let me know that you have made a post and used a picture of "twins".

So next time if you need to post something - make a Painting of it liek Armat is duing

just a JOke - but try not to post "twins"

[Siamanto]

picture of the video  that  has the  actual  "Twins"  on it is offensive  to at list 4 of our  members  who have found time to PM me and let me know that you have made a  post and  used a picture of "twins".

I feel sorry that some felt offended.
For the record, the picture was a part of a documentary about the trafficking of women, in Eastern Europe, who are being exploited and forced to sell their body. The particular picture depicted the attitude of some family members about the issue.
The picture was not a "picture of a video:" I'm sorry some perceived it as such!
No exposed chests, no exposed chests! No problem!

So  next  time if  you need to post  something  - make a Painting of  it liek Armat is  duing

How about if I digitally process it to make it look like a painting?

just a  JOke  - but try  not  to post "twins"

How about a single one?

Edited by Siamanto, 21 March 2005 - 08:49 PM.

[MosJan]

Siamanto you owe me $4.75

[Siamanto]

Siamanto  you owe me $4.75

MosJan,
I never expected such a thing from you! The single that I have offered is already more than the 99 cents that I initially agreed to pay.
What accounts for the remaining amount? I'm not a resident of the State of California, so I don't have to pay sales tax and - as advertised - shipping by regular mail is free. I did not select "Priority Mail!"
I'm hoping that you'll do your best to clarify the situation? Thanks!

Also, if the merchandise is not delivered by 12/31/2005, I will have to put a stop payment on the check that's already "in the mail!" Thank you for your understanding.


PS. It was a pleasure doing business with you! I will positively recommend you!

Sincerely,
Siamanto.

Edited by Siamanto, 22 March 2005 - 08:54 PM.

[MosJan]

mi tsak profesor el e smer SiaMANTOn e

$4.75 is the total cost of


and it's for me not for you

[Siamanto]

mi  tsak profesor el e smer SiaMANTOn e

$4.75 is the total cost  of
and  it's  for me  not  for you

MosJan,
Didn't you know that apricot is more effective?

Trying to decipher "mi tsak profesor el e smer SiaMANTOn e"
gave me such a headache - not to mention anxiety - that I certainly need Advil more than you do.
So let's call it even!

PS. Still working on it!

Edited by Siamanto, 23 March 2005 - 11:24 PM.

[MosJan]

SIX ARMENIAN WOMEN, TRAFFICKING VICTIMS, RETURNED TO ARMENIA FROM MOSCOW DUE TO OPERATIVE MEASURES IN 2004

YEREVAN, APRIL 6. ARMINFO. As a result of operative measures in 2004 6 Armenians women subjected to trafficking were returned to Armenia from Moscow. The press-service of the Armenian Police informs ARMINFO.

According to the source, the statistics of data on trafficking in Armenia has been recorded since August 1 2003, when the new Criminal Code of Armenia came into effect. In 2004 two cases of trafficking in persons were registered (Article 132 of CC RA) and 11 cases of procuring abroad (Article 262 CC RA). Two criminal cases were initiated on the fact of trafficking. 46 persons were brought criminally responsible for trafficking and procuring, however, there are no statistic data on victims. The persons subjected to trafficking are mainly transported to the UAE and Turkey. At the same time, there are no data on transportation of children abroad for the purpose of donor organs either.

[Armen]

Journalist Inquiry Implicates Armenian Officials In Dubai Trafficking

http://www.armeniali...387BC3048CE.ASP

By Emil Danielyan

The Armenian authorities have done little to combat illegal trafficking of hundreds and possibly thousands of Armenian women abroad for sexual exploitation despite their persistent claims to the contrary, according to the findings of a nearly year-long journalistic investigation.

Edik Baghdasarian, a prominent investigative reporter, and Ara Manoogian, an Armenian-American activist, have suggested that senior law-enforcement officials in Yerevan are maintaining close ties with Armenian prostitution rings in the United Arab Emirates for personal gain. They allege in particular that some of those officials regularly visit Dubai to collect bribes from the local Armenian pimps and women trafficked by them.

“We have compelling evidence we collected there that suggests individuals within the Armenian government and in high-ranking positions are directly involved with this ring,” says Manoogian.

The two men have repeatedly visited the Gulf Arab nation over the past year, interviewing scores of Armenian prostitutes and secretly videotaping glitzy night clubs where they usually find clients. Their detailed accounts of the Dubai sex business were presented in a series of reports that appeared recently in the Hetq.am online publication of Baghdasarian’s Association of Investigative Journalists. Baghdasarian has promised to make more scandalous revelations in a separate documentary which is expected to be aired by an Armenian TV channel next month.

The Hetq.am reports suggest that there could be as many as 2,000 Armenian prostitutes working in the UAE and other Gulf states at present. Virtually all of them are said to have traveled there with fake Russian passports provided by their traffickers in Moscow. UAE law forbids foreign single women below the age of 31 from entering the country. The documents overstating the women’s age thus allow prostitution ringleaders to easily flout this restriction.

Baghdasarian and Manoogian claim that the UAE authorities are well aware of that but turn a blind eye because they too have a share in the business involving tends of thousands of women from across the former Soviet Union. “This is a well-organized business with a rigid chain of command,” says Baghdasarian.

Most of the trafficked women come from poor families and were lured into prostitution with a promise of quick money. “I couldn't find a job [in Armenia],” one of them, a divorced woman from a village in southern Armenia, is quoted as saying in a Hetq article. “Wherever I went, they asked me to sleep with them before they would offer me a job. We Armenians are like that - if you're divorced, then that's it, they can think anything about you.”

The prostitutes reportedly have to give the Armenian pimps in Dubai a large part of their income. According to the authors of the inquiry, many of them are forced to have sex 10 or even more clients a day in order to secure the minimum daily sum required by their “employers.” They say that the Armenian pimps are in turn subordinated to a Syrian-born Arab known as Assad. He is said to have strong connections with officials at the UAE’s police and immigration departments.

Scores of Armenian women are also thought to have been trafficked to other parts of the Middle East, notably Turkey. The phenomenon dating back to the mid-1990s came under public spotlight in 2002 when the U.S. State Department placed Armenia in the so-called "Tier3" group of states which Washington believes are doing little to tackle illegal cross-border transport of human beings.

The embarrassing criticism led the Armenian authorities to take what the State Department later described as "significant efforts" to reduce the scale of human trafficking. They set up a special inter-ministerial commission tasked with tackling the problem. It also began to be publicly discussed by government officials and non-governmental organizations.

Armenia was removed from the U.S. blacklist and upgraded to the "Tier 2" category in 2003. "The Government of Armenia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so," the State Department said in a report last year.

Baghdasarian disagrees. “The prosecutors say they are combating the problem, but I don’t see any action,” he says.

Armenia’s Office Prosecutor-General rarely launch criminal investigations into suspected instances of human trafficking. Only two such cases were reported last year. Although Armenia’s new Criminal Code enacted in 2003 raised the maximum jail term for trafficking from two to eight years, court rulings against individuals convicted of related charges have remained lenient.

One such person, Amalia “Nano” Mnatsakanian, was arrested in the UAE on an Interpol warrant and extradited to Armenia in March 2004. She was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment by a Yerevan court last August only to be released less than two months later. Another reputed pimp, Marietta Musaelian, is expected to released soon, well before completing her two-year sentence.

Baghdasarian says most of their “colleagues” remain at large and have little to worry about. As recently as last February he sent a young female journalist posing as a prospective prostitute to two women known to be involved in a Dubai prostitution ring. Their conversation in a Yerevan apartment was secretly recorded.

"I've sent more than a hundred people to the Emirates,” one of the women called Sirush told the undercover journalist. “They were from 16 to 27. I don't take anyone older.”

“It'll cost me $3,000-$4,000 to get you to Dubai. You'll be met in Moscow and they'll get you a new passport. After that you'll go to Dubai,” she added.

“If you go there, you won't want to come back,” said the other pimp, Nelli.

Andranik Mirzoyan, head of the investigations department at the Prosecutor-General’s Office, claimed on March 16 that most traffickers remain unpunished because they enjoy government protection in the UAE. "There [in Dubai] a pimp is protected by the police and by the 'authorities' [criminal gangs]. They have their own laws, and there are some problems," he complained after a meeting of senior prosecutors that discussed the problem.

Mirzoyan also told reporters that a team of Armenian investigators traveled to Dubai in February to try to “persuade” Armenian prostitutes to return home. But Baghdasarian insists that the officials' actions were less than altruistic.

“We have recordings of girls in Dubai saying that they gave thousands of dollars to a particular employee of the prosecutor’s office. We know their names, where and when they met.” he says, adding that such visits from Yerevan have been regular.

Citing unnamed Dubai prostitutes, Baghdasarian wrote last month that one of those officials, Aristakes Yeremian, cut a deal with at least one Armenian pimp. The Prosecutor-General’s Office has still not reacted to the allegation.

But Yeremian, who is a senior investigator at the law-enforcement agency, rejected the charges on Wednesday. “Such a thing is impossible,” he told RFE/RL. Yeremian admitted meeting several Armenian pimps in Dubai “for questioning” but denied extorting any money from them through blackmail and arrest threats.

Visiting Yerevan last July, Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliev announced the arrest a “criminal group” of Armenians in Moscow who allegedly transported young women from Armenia to the UAE via Russia. The suspects were immediately extradited to the Armenian authorities to face prosecution, he said.

“They were flown to Yerevan and set free a month later,” says Baghdasarian. “I asked one law-enforcement official why they were released. He said they probably paid a lot of money.”

That there is lots of money involved is obvious from figures provided to Hetq by the Armenian Central Bank. They show that the total amount of cash remittances wired to Armenia from the UAE totaled almost $8.8 million last year, up from just $1.6 million registered in 2001. With Armenian imports from the UAE by far exceeding exports in 2004, a large part of that money may well have been generated by the prostitution networks.

Manoogian, who runs a charity and small businesses in Nagorno-Artsax, believes that many of the trafficking victims can be repatriated and reintegrated into Armenian society. He is currently lobbying international and Diaspora organizations to finance a special rehabilitation center for them. “Right now we are in the process of putting together a rehabilitation program,” he says.

But Baghdasarian is skeptical about the effort: “Ninety percent of those women knew what awaits them in Dubai and are earning much more than they could do here.”

[Armen]

http://www.cnn.com/2...tion=cnn_latest

U.S. lists levels of human trafficking
Friday, June 3, 2005 Posted: 6:50 PM EDT (2250 GMT)

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The placement of countries in the State Department's annual report on trafficking in persons.

TIER ONE: Countries whose governments fully comply with U.S. minimum standards:

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom.

TIER TWO: Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with those standards:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Chad, Chile, Democratic Republic of Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, East Timor, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, Gabon, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Ivory Coast, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mali, Mauritania, Moldova, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Romania, Senegal, Serbia-Montenegro, Singapore, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, Uruguay, Vietnam, Yemen, Zambia.

TIER TWO SPECIAL WATCH LIST: Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards, but are making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance and meet one of the following conditions:

a) The absolute number of victims of severe forms of trafficking is very significant or is significantly increasing.

b There is a failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in persons from the previous year

c) The determination that a country is making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with minimum standards was based on commitments by the country to take additional future steps over the next year.

Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Belize, Benin, Cameroon, China, Dominican Republic, Gambia, Greece, Guinea, Haiti, India, Mauritius, Mexico, Nicaragua, Niger, Philippines, Russia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Slovak Republic, South Africa, Suriname, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Zimbabwe.

TIER THREE: Countries whose governments do not fully comply with the minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so:

Bolivia, Cambodia, Cuba, Ecuador, Jamaica, Kuwait, Myanmar, North Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Togo, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela.

http://www.state.gov.../2005/46613.htm

ARMENIA (TIER 2 – WATCH LIST)

Armenia is a source and, to a lesser extent, a transit and destination country for women and girls trafficked for sexual exploitation largely to the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.) and Turkey. Some evidence indicates that Armenian victims were trafficked to other European countries as well. According to UN estimates, up to 1,000 Armenian women work as prostitutes in the U.A.E. and Turkey, most of whom are victims of trafficking.

The Government of Armenia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. Armenia is placed on Tier 2 Watch List this year because of its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat trafficking over the past year. Specifically, the government failed to disseminate or implement any elements of its January 2004 National Action Plan. The government should take proactive steps to officially distribute, publicly support, and implement this plan as soon as possible. Notably, trafficking-related prosecutions and convictions increased; however, reluctance to apply the new anti-trafficking statute produced insufficient penalties. The government adopted an anti-corruption program and created a task force in 2004; however, it failed to take any measures beyond issuing a rhetorical pledge to address trafficking-related complicity.

Prosecution

Article 132 of the criminal code prohibits trafficking in persons and provides for a maximum penalty of four to eight years’ imprisonment. However, the government overwhelmingly applied Article 262 of the criminal code — a lighter pimping charge. Out of 16 convictions in 2004, the government applied the 2003 anti-trafficking statute (Article 132) only once; the remaining 15 convictions under Article 262 produced much weaker penalties. While the government increased the overall number of trafficking-related convictions, the cases produced outcomes ranging from six-month to two-year sentences, suspended sentences, corrective labor and fines. These penalties are not commensurate with Armenian penalties for other grave crimes, such as rape. Indications of official collusion and complicity among government officials hampered the government’s efforts to adequately tackle Armenia’s trafficking problem. Members of the Procuracy allegedly assisted traffickers and border guards accepted bribes facilitating traffickers’ movements across the border. The government failed to investigate or prosecute government officials complicit in trafficking.

Protection

Armenia’s anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts remained anemic over the last year. While Armenia’s law provides trafficking victims with protection, the government largely failed to provide this assistance during the reporting period. NGOs and international organizations continued to provide the majority of victim protection and widely reported good cooperation with the government. The government did not issue any formalized or standard operating procedures for police to follow when encountering possible victims of trafficking. In the absence of a formalized referral mechanism, police informally referred victims to local NGOs. Police also referred potential victims of sexual exploitation for medical screening and treatment as necessary. The rights of victims were generally respected. The police often failed, however, to treat victims’ identities with confidentiality. Victim assistance programs reported sheltering 15 victims in 2004.

Prevention

Cooperation between the government and NGOs continued to help raise awareness about trafficking in Armenia. The government sustained its program of providing housing to vulnerable children released from Armenian orphanages. The Department of Migration and Refugees initiated anti-trafficking discussions on several local talk shows. Lack of official recognition of the problem within many sectors of the government, however, contributed to the overall lack of progress. In a recent interview, the Minister of Justice declared that "trafficking does not exist as a phenomenon in Armenia." Informally, the government made a preliminary effort to engage bilaterally with Georgia, but did not develop any pro-active programs to assist Armenian victims in transit or destination countries.

Edited by Armen, 08 June 2005 - 11:48 AM.

[MosJan]

General jan wan you go back - to Armenia i'm placing you in charge of human trafficking !!!

[Armen]

General jan  wan you go back  - to Armenia i'm  placing you in  charge of human trafficking !!!

That sounds realy ... not good ... Movses jan Maybe anti-human trafficking?