OSCE supports the first high-level Republican Conference on combatting the trafficking of human beings in Tajikistan
On 26 October 2023, the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe (Office) supported the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the organization of the first high-level Republican Conference on combating trafficking in human beings. The event, entitled “Combating trafficking in human beings: challenges and views”, brought together a total of 50 participants including representatives of the Inter-Ministerial Commission on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings (THB) as well as researchers, Government representatives, and non-governmental and international organizations engaged in the anti-trafficking arena. The conference was organized in co-operation with the International Organization for Migration.
The participants raised several issues related to current trends and challenges related to the fight against trafficking in human beings in Tajikistan. The discussion covered topics related to Tajikistan’s implementation of international legal documents in the field of combating human trafficking, the adjustment of the legislation regarding child trafficking and the application of the principle of non-punishment of victims, the improvement of national referral practices on THB cases and co-operation between the Government and civil society regarding support to survivors.
The First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs and the Chair of the Inter-Ministerial Commission, Alamshozoda Abdurakhmon Alamsho, said in his opening speech that “trafficking in human beings has worried the world community in the last years, including Tajikistan”. He also noted that the capacity of the Tajiks law enforcement to combat human trafficking has been strengthened, and, as a result, the number of identified human trafficking cases increased, due to the support of the social and international partners, including OSCE.
Adriana Barilov, Gender Equality and Anti-Trafficking Officer at the OSCE Programme Office mentioned that the conference “provided the chance for all the governmental and non-governmental actors to discuss and improve the co-operation in the field of combatting human trafficking and the provision of victim support services.” She also highlighted the Office’s commitments to supporting the work related to the fight against human trafficking, victim protection, and inter-agency and inter-state co-operation in this area in Tajikistan, while co-operating with all the interested parties”.
The event is part of the Office’s efforts to support the Government of Tajikistan to implement the 2022 – 2024 National Action Plan on Combatting Trafficking in Persons. The OSCE will continue supporting Tajikistan to fulfill its OSCE commitments related to the prevention and combatting of all forms of human trafficking.