Azerbaijan probes child-organ traffickers

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Azerbaijan probes child-organ traffickers

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3513439.stm

Organ trafficking is a problem in some former Soviet states

 

 

The Azerbaijani government says it is keen to crack down on child

traffickers who are believed to take children abroad and sell their organs

for profit.

 

National Security Minister Namiq Abbasov said the authorities were

investigating reports that sick children were being taken abroad for medical

treatment and adoption and then being used for human transplants.

 

" Under the guise of adoption, children who are allegedly afflicted by grave

diseases are taken out of Azerbaijan, ostensibly for treatment, " Mr Abbasov

told the country's ANS television.

 

" In the course of our investigations, it has come to light that these

children are used for organ transplants, but we have no hard evidence, " he

said.

 

The results of the investigations would be passed to the Interior Ministry

and prosecutors, he said.

 

Mr Abbasov acknowledged that people trafficking was a problem in Azerbaijan

and other states of the former Soviet Union.

 

Corruption

 

Azerbaijan's ANS TV station has been investigating whether it is possible to

take a child abroad from Azerbaijan and use his internal organs for

transplantation.

 

Evil people can achieve what they want without any documents

 

ANS TV presenter

 

Its report concluded that " official arbitrariness in this sphere allows

unprotected small children to be illegally taken out of the country " .

 

A lawyer told the station that although the adoption process in Azerbaijan

was technically free of charge, it was necessary to pay bribes to finalise

the process, increasing the likelihood of children falling into the wrong

hands and being spirited away illegally.

 

A 12-year-old boy called Muzaffar told reporters he had come to Baku from an

impoverished rural area to earn money and would gladly go abroad with anyone

who offered to take him.

 

" But Muzaffar is unaware that his organs might be taken out and sold. We

were the first to inform him of such a likelihood, " the presenter said.

 

An official from a leading international non-governmental organisation, who

asked to remain anonymous, said more than 100 children had disappeared in

transit between orphanages and hospitals in 2003, blaming it on official

corruption.

 

 

Orphanages are accused of corruption

 

The official complained that the authorities were unwilling to disclose

information about child disappearances and the adoption issue in general.

 

According to the UN agency for children, Unicef, about 1.2 million children

are trafficked worldwide each year in a thriving business worth $10bn, and

it is getting worse.

 

The International Campaign against Child Trafficking (ICACT) points out that

children are not only trafficked for their organs and body parts but for a

variety of illegal purposes, including sexual exploitation, adoption by

childless couples, begging and transporting drugs.

 

Street children

 

Another related issue in Azerbaijan is the phenomenon of street children,

which was unheard of in Soviet times.

 

After gaining independence, the old system just collapsed and there is no

alternative to replace it

 

Unicef child protection officer Dilara Babayeva

 

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the social welfare system ceased to

operate effectively in Azerbaijan, forcing many children onto the streets

and making them vulnerable to exploitation, according to Unicef child

protection officer Dilara Babayeva.

 

" During the Soviet system, there was a specific government plan and specific

policy which was directed towards the welfare of each individual, " she said.

" But unfortunately, after gaining independence, this old system just

collapsed and there is no alternative, which could - which should - replace

it. "

 

BBC Monitoring, based in Caversham in southern England, selects and

translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the

Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.

 

 

 

SEE ALSO:

Country profile: Azerbaijan

16 Oct 03 | Country profiles

Scientists hit out at tissue law

08 Feb 04 | Health

Organ traffickers 'threaten' nuns

13 Feb 04 | Africa

 

 

 

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