Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings visit Azerbaijan

Baku. 1 November. REPORT.AZ/ A delegation of the Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) carried out a second evaluation visit to Azerbaijan from 23 to 26 October 2017. 

Report informs referring to the press service of the Council of Europe, the visit provided an opportunity to assess progress in the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings since the first evaluation visit by GRETA in 2013.

During the visit, the GRETA delegation met Vilayat Eyvazov, first Deputy Minister of the Interior and National Co-ordinator on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings, as well as officials from the ministry’s Main Department on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings, Main Department on Combatting Organised Crime, Police Academy and National Central Bureau of Interpol. Further, the GRETA delegation met officials from the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Transport, Communication and High Technologies, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Ministry of Youth and Sport, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Meetings were also held with officials from the State Migration Service, the State Security Service, the State Border Service, the State Customs Committee, the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs, the Guardianship and Trusteeship Body, the Commission on Protection of Affairs and Rights of Children, and the Council of State Support to Non-Governmental Organisations under the Auspices of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Moreover, the GRETA delegation met prosecutors from the Prosecutor General’s Office and judges from the Supreme Court and five district Serious Crimes Courts.

Discussions were also held with representatives of the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights and members of the Azerbaijani Parliament’s Committees on Human Rights and on Legal Policy and State-building, including the Vice-Speaker of Parliament, Bahar Muradova.

Following the visit, GRETA will prepare a draft report, which will be sent to the Azerbaijani authorities for comments. GRETA will subsequently adopt a final report to be published in the course of 2018.