Exploitation up, trafficking down
More cases of sexual exploitation were reported in 2016, a report from the Interior Ministry revealed on February 22. However, the number of human trafficking cases saw a reduction last year compared with 2015. In 2016, the ministry reported 52 cases of sexual exploitation involving 87 victims who were rescued and 64 perpetrators who were arrested, of which 27 were foreign nationals. This is compared with 2015 figures which saw 48 cases involving 138 victims. Sixty-nine people were arrested, of which 12 were foreigners. As for human trafficking, there were only 24 reported cases last year, compared with the 46 reported in 2015. The government rescued 108 victims last year, including six people under 15, 21 between 15 and 17 years of age and 81 people above the age of 18. Thirty-six people were arrested, three of whom were foreigners.
