La Strada Documentation Center

Irregular Migration and Smuggling of Migrants from Armenia

Document number
1656
Date
2002
Title
Irregular Migration and Smuggling of Migrants from Armenia
Author/publisher
International Organisation for Migration (IOM)
Availability
View/save PDF version of this document
Document type(s)
Research/Study/Analysis,
Keywords
Migrant rights; Migration management; Comprehensive approach to migration; Migration policy; Restrictive migration measures, Informal sector, Labour exploitation, Irregular Migration, Feminization of migration, Economic migration, Labour migration, Free movement, Undocumented migrants; Undocumented labour;
Summary
In terms of irregular migration, Armenia is an origin country and to a much smaller extent a transitcountry. In the period since 1991, it is conservatively estimated that of a total population of less thanfour million, 800,000 to one million people have migrated, either legally or illegally. Push factorshave been the sharp rise in impoverishment (particularly in urban areas), drastic cuts in socialspending and the removal of exit controls since 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union.This study focuses on illegal or irregular migration and particularly smuggling of migrants fromArmenia.Chapter 1 of the reportprovides an introduction and background to the study, including why it was felt necessary, thedefinition of migrant smuggling used in the study and the research methodology. Chapter 2 looks atnature and incidence of the problem in Armenia. Chapter 3 gives brief description of transitmigration in Armenia. Chapter 4 outlines and analyses the legislation in place to combat migrantsmuggling in Armenia. The concluding chapter provides recommendations to deal with the issue.
Related documents