First national simulation-based training on combating trafficking in persons held in Tajikistan

A four-day national simulation-based training on combating trafficking in persons concluded on 29 October 2021 in Safed-Dara, Tajikistan. The event was co-organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe and the OSCE’s Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings.

Some 40 participants from the Office of the Prosecutor General, Tajikistan’s Interior Ministry, Tajikistan’s Ministry of Health and Social Protection and the NGOs “Femida” and “Caravan of Hope” attended.  

Delivered for the first time in Tajikistan, this pioneering training exercise offered front-line responders the opportunity to simulate real-life anti-trafficking responses using actors to recreate trafficking scenarios. Cases of human trafficking for labour and sexual exploitation were simulated during the training.

The training agenda consisted also of a one-day theoretical part, which informed participants about the essence and content of the event, combating trafficking in persons legislation of Tajikistan and roles and rules of behavior of the simulation exercise.

“It’s been a terrific year for national simulation-based trainings to combat human trafficking, with exercises held in Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Albania, and Tajikistan. Now that the Tajik national referral mechanism has been reviewed and a new national anti-trafficking plan is being discussed, this exercise is particularly timely,” said Valiant Richey, OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings. “The training showed the participants the value of regular collaboration between law enforcement and social services, and provided a great opportunity for the newly-appointed staff of the state-run shelter to gain valuable experience from the specialized NGO. It also addressed the issue of labour exploitation, a form of trafficking that is often overlooked and requires special attention in the OSCE region and beyond. I look forward to seeing the lessons learned put into action,” said Richey.

The live simulation exercise was carried out as part of the Programme Office’s ongoing efforts in assisting the host country to combat human trafficking and better identify and assist victims of human trafficking through a new co-ordinated approach.