Azerbaijan Girl

Unconfirmed international press reports have indicated that the country is the destination for trafficking of young women and girls from Iran. Two separate press reports in October 2000 and in February described the break-up by Iranian authorities of a smuggling ring whose members allegedly kidnaped runaway girls and sold them to wealthy men in the Gulf region. One of the press reports cited the sale of the ringleader's own daughter to a citizen for $11,000. ...

There are credible reports of trafficking in women and girls to the country. There are reports of women and girls who are brought to the country under the false pretense of working in the service sector or as domestic servants, but then are forced into prostitution. It is unclear whether this activity is conducted with the full complicity of the women's citizen sponsors, or whether the women's generally noncitizen agents are exploiting the sponsorship system to engage in illicit activity (see Section 5). ... [Read More]

IEW Events > United States

The second grade at Freedom 7 School of International Studies in Cocoa Beach, Florida is learning about the many types of transportation around the world, and life in other states and countries. We read the story Letters From Felix: A Little Rabbit on a World Tour, about a little girl who lost her rabbit at the airport and then the rabbit goes on an adventure around the world. While he is traveling he sends back postcards to the little girl telling her about his adventures and then she researches where he has been visiting. Since we want to learn more about other places and cannot leave the school ourselves, we decided to be like Felix and have our own stuffed animals do the traveling for us. ... [Read More]

IV. Country Narratives: Europe and Eurasia

Azerbaijan is primarily a country of origin and transit for trafficked men, women, and children for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labor. Azerbaijani, Russian and Central Asian women and girls were trafficked from or through the country to the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), Turkey and Pakistan for sexual exploitation. Men were trafficked to Turkey and Russia for forced labor and boys were trafficked internally for begging. Women and girls, some from orphanages, were trafficked internally from rural areas to the capital city for sexual exploitation. ... [Read More]

Europe and Eurasia

In May, U.S. funding through IOM helped create the Special Division for Combating Kidnapping, Trafficking in Persons and Racketeering under the Combating Organized Crime Department of the Ministry of Interior. The Division has dedicated five officers solely to the investigation of TIP cases. Since the establishment of this division, fourteen cases of human trafficking have been investigated and criminal proceeding instituted, as compared with none in previous years (when trafficking was prosecuted under different crimes). This funding is also linked to the successful prosecution in September of Tajikistan's first TIP trial, involving a woman who adopted a girl solely for the purpose of trafficking her to the UAE and Turkey for the purpose of sexual exploitation. The girl escaped, and the woman was charged with exploitation for prostitution, trafficking in under-aged people, organization of rape, pandering, and document fraud and sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment and property confis ... [Read More]

"For the Record" Alumni Newsletter – Office of Academic Exchange Programs, European Programs Branch

As Troop Leader and International Coordinator for the Western Siberia Union of Girls Scouts, Makeeva is responsible for communicating with the North East England region, forging international communication, translating materials, organizing and presiding over weekly meetings, recruiting new members, and mentoring troop leader assistants. Over the next six months, she will prepare for the Russian Association of Girl Scouts annual conference as well as her troop's visit to England to meet scouts from the North East England Union. ... [Read More]

Azerbaijan

There is no specific law prohibiting trafficking in persons; however, traffickers may be prosecuted under articles prohibiting forced prostitution and labor. Under the new criminal code, the act of forcing an individual into prostitution carries a 10 to 15 year jail term, which is a harsher sentence than in the previous code. During the year, four persons who international organizations consider to be traffickers were prosecuted under forgery laws in the criminal code. In 2000 police apprehended an individual accused of luring a young girl to the UAE for employment in the sex industry; however the case failed to go to trial. ... [Read More]

V. Country Narratives -- Countries A through G

The Peoples’ Republic of China is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation. A significant number of Chinese women and children are trafficked internally for forced marriage and forced labor. Chinese women are at times lured abroad with false promises of legitimate employment and then trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation to destinations throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and North America, while Chinese men have been trafficked for forced labor to Europe, South America, and the Middle East. A large number of Chinese men and women are smuggled abroad at enormous personal financial cost and, upon arrival in the destination country, are subjected to commercial sexual exploitation or other forms of exploitative labor to repay their debts. They often face exploitative conditions that meet t ... [Read More]