Georgian Police Detain Couple for Child Labor Exploitation
By Tea Mariamidze
Thursday, July 5
The officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) of Georgia have detained a couple, for the exploitation of two 8 year old girls’ labor.
The information was released by Mamuka Chelidze, the Head of the Main Division Combating Organized Crime of the Central Criminal Police Department of the MIA on Wednesday.
According to Chelidze, the officers of the Division of Combating Trafficking and Illegal Migration, in cooperation with the Chief Prosecutor's Office of Georgia and the Social Service Agency of the Ministry of Health, detained man born in 1957 and his wife, born in 1959 on the charges of child trafficking.
“The investigation found that the couple exploited children born in 2010, in particular, they inflicted psychological pressure on the girls and forced them to collect money by begging,” he stated.
The crime committed by the husband and wife envisages from 17 to 20 years in prison or life imprisonment.
The investigation is in progress under Article 143 of the Criminal Code of Georgia, involving child trafficking.
Chelidze added that the Ministry of Internal Affairs actively organizes various activities for effective fight against youth trafficking.
He said the US Department of State positively assessed the measures taken by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to combat human trafficking in 2018. According to the document, Georgia fully meets the international standards of human trafficking fight.
“The report positively evaluated effective investigation of trafficking cases and criminal prosecution against criminals and Georgia's effort is to provide one of the best examples of elimination of children's problems in the street,” he added.
The 2018 ‘Trafficking in Persons Report’ focuses on effective ways local communities can address human trafficking proactively and on how national governments can support and empower them.
“The Government of Georgia fully meets the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking… The government demonstrated serious and sustained efforts by updating law enforcement guidelines for victim identification, including on the treatment of victims, screening for indicators at border posts, and victim-centered interview practices. The government identified more victims and continued to provide comprehensive care,” the report reads.
In addition, the report reads that although the government meets the minimum standards, victim identification remained inadequate for children in exploitative situations on the street and Georgian and foreign workers in vulnerable labor sectors.
