Zestafoni, Georgia: A foreign citizen has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for human trafficking by the Zestafoni Regional Court after the Prosecutor’s Office presented evidence of his crimes.
According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the accused was involved in a scheme that lured three Thai citizens to Georgia, promising them to work in a beauty salon in Batumi.
However, upon their arrival, the accused took away their passports. They confined them in his temporary residence in Zestafoni, where he forced them to provide sexual services to foreign clients under threat and psychological pressure. The accused also took a large portion of the money that the victims earned through exploitation.
The Zestafoni Regional Court found the accused guilty of human trafficking, a crime punishable by 8 to 15 years of imprisonment under the Georgian Criminal Code. The court also ordered the accused to compensate the victims for the damage caused by his actions.
Human Trafficking in Georgia
Human trafficking is a severe problem in Georgia, which is considered a source, transit, and destination country for victims of sex and labour trafficking. According to the US State Department, Georgia has made significant efforts to combat human trafficking but still faces challenges in identifying and protecting victims, prosecuting and convicting traffickers, and preventing the crime.
The government of Georgia fully complies with the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking. The government also demonstrated impressive law enforcement success, significantly increasing the number of individuals convicted of trafficking and ensuring all convicted trafficking offenders served some time in prison.
The Georgian government also demonstrated strong prevention efforts and continued its close partnership with anti-trafficking NGOs in victim assistance and prevention efforts.
If anyone suspects human trafficking, they can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline toll-free at (888) 373-7888.
