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The Government proposes to stipulate in the RA Labour Code what is the compulsory or forced labour. It is set in the Labour Code that the compulsory or forced labor is banned. The compulsory or forced labor is considered by the proposing amendment any labor or service done by the use of any form of coercion or demanding from a person under use of threat or done by a person, for which that person has not voluntarily informed about his/her consent, except the designed cases of the paragraph 3 of this Article.

The compulsory or forced labour is not considered the labor, which, in accordance with law, does the convicted person, the military or alternative service, every labor, which is required during the emergency situations threatening the life of the population or welfare.

The parliament in the first reading debated these provisions at September 12 regular sittings during the debate of the legislative package On Making Addenda to the RA Labour Code, On Making Addendum to the RA Criminal Code and on Making Addendum to the Law On Human Trafficking and Identification of and Support to Persons Subjected to Exploitation.

The RA Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Ruben Sargsyan presented the package. As a result of the adoption of the drafts, in accordance with requirements of the Constitution, the Convention of the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Convention of the Council of Europe on Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, the ‘compulsory or forced labour’ term will be set in the Code, the scope of the labours not being considered as such labour, the term compulsory or forced labour will be complied with the law on RA Criminal Code entered into force from July 1, 2022, as well as on Human Trafficking and Identification of and Support to Persons Subjected to Exploitation in terms of unity provision.

As a result of the abovementioned, the disclosure of the cases of compulsory and forced labour, the process of the victims’ identification will be improved.

The member of the NA Standing Committee on Labor and Social Affairs Lilit Stepanyan presented the endorsement of the Committee.