The Armenian government proposes to criminalize forcing parents to abandon their newborn children amid threats, false information, violence, and so on, said Armenian Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Zaruhi Batoyan on Thursday.

In particular, the Minister noted that these phenomena should be fined AMD 200 to 500 thousand, or by arrest for a term of not more than 3 months, or by imprisonment for a period of 1 to 4 years.

“A more serious liability threatens if the act was committed by a doctor or a group of persons by prior conspiracy. Then the term of imprisonment is punishable by a term of 2 to 5 years. If these actions are committed by an organized group or entail the death of the victim, then the term of imprisonment should be from 4 to 8 years in prison,” she said adding that this legislative initiative would help combat the trafficking of children.

The legislative initiative of the government received a positive conclusion from the parliamentary committee.