89 Azerbaijanis became victims of human trafficking in 2019

Four gangs of 10 criminals were neutralized in Azerbaijan in 2019. Nineteen out of 35 wanted criminals detained, said Chief of the Main Department on Combating Human Trafficking of the Interior Ministry Hazi Aslanov.

He made the remarks during the discussion of the annual report of the National Coordinator on Combating Human Trafficking at Milli Majlis, Report says.

According to him, the local authorities prosecuted 27 defendants (5 men, 22 women), completing the investigation of 27 criminal cases on human trafficking and forced labor, and convicted 42 human traffickers, including those who have been prosecuted in previous years.

“Out of 91 identified victims of human trafficking, 89 were Azerbaijani citizens, while two were foreigners (citizens of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan). Fifty-four of them were trafficked to Turkey, 16 to Qatar, 8 to Iran, and 5 to Russia for exploitation. Five of them were exploited in the United Arab Emirates and 3 in Azerbaijan as victims of human trafficking. Moreover, 78 of the victims were accommodated in a shelter of the Interior Ministry. The government employed 14 and sent 45 others to vocational courses. Fifty-eight victims were returned to their families,” Aslanov said.