YEREVAN, JUNE 14, NOYAN TAPAN. Only in the first quarter of 2006, 5 criminal cases on facts of pandering and trafficking were instituted in Armenia, according to the materials of which 57 persons were exposed to sexual exploitation, 53 of which were RA citizens and 4 citizens of the Ukraine. Police Colonel Karen Babakekhian, Deputy Head of the Chief Department on Struggle Against Organized Crime of RA Police, Head of the Department on Illegal Circulation of Drugs and Struggle Against Trafficking, informed about this at the June 14 meeting with journalists. 10 of the above-mentioned persons were exposed to sexual exploitation in RA and 47 abroad (45 in the United Arab Emirates, 2 in Turkey). According to K.Babakekhian, thanks to joint actions with RF law-enforcement bodies 2 months ago RA law-enforcers prevented the attempt of moving 4 Armenian women to the United Arab Emirates from Moscow. It was mentioned that 13 RA citizens are being searched in the United Arab Emirates on facts of trafficking. K.Babakekhian mentioned that the Armenian side is going to apply to the law-enforcement bodies of the United Arab Emirates for the purpose of returning those searched to Armenia. K.Babakekhian called on the population to be careful and not to become a victim of labor trafficking. Agencies engaged in such actions mainly register the documents of their victims abroad, which gives them a possibility to deceit these people. The Police has applied to the government for the latter to set the order of licensing the agencies of employment increasing day by day, as well the order of licensing night entertainment establishments. The Police also proposed that the night entertainment establishments be moved from the territory of Yerevan, as this was done with the gambling-houses. In response to a question of one of the journalists, K.Babakekhian said that the number of prostitutes who have come to Yerevan from regions is about 1000, 3-4% of prostitutes is under-aged girls of 15-17 years old. According to him, it is impossible to clarify the number of under-aged prostitutes working abroad as their passport data are forged.

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