OSCE celebrates World Day against Trafficking in Persons in Kyrgyzstan

A scientific conference titled Current challenges of human trafficking, attended by representatives of scientific and education organizations of Kyrgyzstan, was held in Bishkek on 30 July 2018, on the occasion of World Day against Trafficking in Person.

The conference was organized by the Kyrgyz Ministry of Education and Science, the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek, the International Labour Organization and the association El Agartuu.

Various research findings on human trafficking in Kyrgyzstan showing that the country serves as the origin, transit or destination for victims were presented at the conference.

"Labour and sexual exploitation of people is an invisible but serious issue across the world, including in Kyrgyzstan,” said Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Bishkek Pierre von Arx.“As a counteraction, OSCE supported the development of the National Action Plan on anti-trafficking, which addresses four main areas of combating human trafficking: prevention, prosecution, victims protection, and partnership between state bodies, civil society and international organizations.”

Nurzhan Tulegabylova, the head of El Agartuu, said that international reports suggest that over 80 per cent of victims of transnational trafficking are women and children, 70 per cent of which are sold to another country for the purpose of sexual exploitation. “However, precise statistics of trafficked victims in Kyrgyzstan are not yet available, because trafficking is still unfortunately treated as a latent problem.”