OSCE workshop on combating human trafficking in Uzbekistan

TASHKENT, 25 May 2010 - Building the capacity of law enforcement personnel to combat human trafficking is the focus of a three-day workshop that opened in Tashkent today.

Senior representatives from local law enforcement agencies, criminal justice experts from France, Israel, Italy and the United States and experts from the OSCE Secretariat will discuss practical ways of improving operational effectiveness and capacity of Uzbekistan to fight human trafficking.

"Trafficking is a common challenge transcending national boundaries, and I hope that this workshop will help to remove impediments to effective law enforcement co-operation. It is certainly a valuable resource to have the participation of people from so many backgrounds and countries and yet with the common goal to promote law enforcement co-operation and co-ordination in combating human trafficking," said Ambassador Istvan Venczel, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator, in his opening speech.

The workshop was organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan, the OSCE Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and the French, Israeli and U.S. Embassies in Uzbekistan, and is supported by the Uzbek authorities.

Participants will address the challenges of managing the threats of human trafficking, investigative approaches to human trafficking cases and special investigative techniques, the challenges and barriers to prosecuting human trafficking cases, timely victim identification procedures and casework practices. The workshop will be based on good practices in the field of counter-trafficking with a commitment to a "victims first" human-rights approach.