Slavery’s Shadow on Switzerland
Two months ago, I discovered that my grandmother, Ida, had been a verdingkind, or “contract child” in Switzerland in the 1890s.
A transcript from the archives in Teuffenthal, a small village south of Bern, the capital, confirmed that Ida, an orphan, had been contracted as an unpaid domestic servant to a woman in a neighboring village. Read More
The RA Police Deputy Head, Lieutenant General Hunan Poghosyan’s report during the RA National Assembly session concerning the bill “On identification of and support to persons subjected to trafficking in human beings and exploitation”
On November 20th, the regular session of the RA National Assembly took place, during which according to the agenda, the amendment with regard the inclusion of “administrative offences” in the bill of “On identification of and support to persons subjected to trafficking in human beings and exploitation” and the amendment of the Law on the Status of Foreign Citizens has been discussed with the view of adopting both bills with the first reading.
The main reporter was the RA Police Deputy Head, Lieutenant General Hunan Poghosyan. Read More
Exposing a Disgrace: Uzbek Elite Keep Profiting from Forced Labor
Every year, the government of Uzbekistan forcibly mobilizes more than a million of its own citizens to pick cotton. Under international pressure, the authorities in Tashkent have recently moved away from forcing young children to pick cotton. But the system still depends on exporting cotton picked by adults who are essentially government slaves. Read More
What’s lacking in New York’s Anti-Trafficking Legislation?
On October 16th New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed into legislation a bill that would protect young victims of trafficking by granting two primary protections: a sealing provision of victim’s records and a decriminalization status of teens who had previously been convicted of a crime as a direct result of being trafficked. The bill has two major oversights: a lack of protection for adults and a lack of consideration of victims and survivors of labor trafficking. Read More
Austrian business leaders show a heart for victims of human trafficking
3 November 2014 – The UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons received a U$ 250,000 boost in donations yesterday from the private sector at a fund-raising event in Vienna, attended by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Austrian Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, UNODC Executive Director YuryFedotov and fashion designer Vivienne Westwood. Proceeds from the event will go directly to grassroots organizations that rescue, shelter and reintegrate victims into society.
Human Trafficking Crimes committed during nine-month period of 2014 in Armenia
On the 6th of November, at a meeting with journalists organized by the RA Police General Department for Combating Organized Crime 3-rd Department’s chief, Police Colonel Tigran Petrosyan, presented the overall progress of the measures taken by the police in combating human trafficking in Armenia during nine-month period of 2014. Read More
The regular session of the Working Group on RA human trafficking and exploitation issues was held
October 30th has been marked by the regular session of RA Human Trafficking Committee adjacent Working Group on Combating Trafficking, with Vahram Kazhoyan as the head of the session.
Presentation of new handbook for law enforcement officials
On 28th of October, the presentation of new handbook for law enforcement officials “The peculiarities of participation in criminal proceedings of juvenile victims of trafficking or exploitation (pre-trial proceeding)” took place in Yerevan Elit Plaza Hotel.
Taking Action Against Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery
Oct. 18th 2014 marked Anti-Slavery Day in the U.K. and Anti-Trafficking Day in Europe. It provides an opportunity to highlight the significance of the global anti-slavery movement at a time when there are more people in slavery than in the entire 350-year history of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Read More
Legal migration to France and Poland: opportunities and configurations
On 14th of October one-day workshop “Legal migration to France and Poland: opportunities and configurations” for journalists covering the issues of migration was held in Yerevan’s Erebuni Plaza Hotel. Read More