Police Reform

Regular meeting of the Interministerial Commission on Anti-Trafficking in Persons

The OSCE Office in Tajikistan has conducted a next meeting of Inter-ministerial Commission on anti-trafficking and seventh round of the Dialogue on anti-trafficking issues.

The event was organized by the Inter-ministerial Commission on anti-trafficking, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the OSCE Office in Tajikistan. The event was held with the participation of representatives, such as the British Embassy, the U.S. Embassy, the Embassy of Germany, the Embassy of the Russian Federation, the Embassy of Uzbekistan, the Embassy of Turkmenistan, International Organization on Migration, the European Union, specialized UN organizations, the Danish Refugee Council and a number of non-governmental organizations. The meeting was opened by the Chairperson of the Inter-ministerial Commission, Abdusattor Rajabov, the Head of Defense and Law and Order Unit of the Executive Office of the President, who greeted participants of the event and informed them on the results of the Commission for the period of 2011 and eight months of 2012.
According to A. Rajabov, a comprehensive program on anti-trafficking is being implemented currently in Tajikistan for the period of 2011-2013.
Human trafficking is a serious violation of human rights, which is expressed in different ways of human exploitation, such as labor exploitation, forced labor, slave labor and sexual exploitation. “The most popular type of this crime in Tajikistan is to export our citizens abroad by fraud, on the pretext to provide them jobs of favorable conditions, and further their exploitation as a cheap and deprived labor force,” stated Rajabov, by adding that “the majority of such crimes are committed by organized transnational criminal groups within the migration processes.”
Only in 2011, the law enforcement agencies of Tajikistan have identified nearly 100 crimes in the area of human trafficking, and more than 60 crimes within eight months of 2012.
Deputy Head of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan Hans-Peter Larsen has emphasized the progress, achieved in Tajikistan in the area of anti-trafficking, and outlined those present that the OSCE has mapped of anti-trafficking issues, as well as has published dissemination (informative) materials for preventive campaigns on human trafficking. “An effective counteraction to human trafficking means a comprehensive approach, which is impossible without a collaboration and partnership between state, public and international organizations,” said Larsen, noting that “consolidated efforts are the basis for creating the National Redirection Mechanism for Assistance and Protection of Human Trafficking Victims.”
For this reason, the OSCE has provided a ground on exchanging opinions for strengthening cooperation between civil society organizations, state bodies and international experts, working in this area. One of such experts, Vioreliya Russu, presented the report “Mapping of services and activities in the area of combating human trafficking in the Republic of Tajikistan,” and according to the participants of the Dialogue, it contained useful recommendations for the Government, civil society and international organizations, involved in the subject area. “It is necessary to support the efforts of civil society and governmental structures, including their work on combating human trafficking in a way, so it would promote the development of joint approach, based on the human rights observance, design of the unified data collection system and unified standards of assistance to the victims of human trafficking,” stated Russu in her resume.
Human trafficking is considered to be the third on profitability, after the arms and drug trafficking, as well as the scope of organized crime activities. Thus, according to data of the International Labor Organization, about 2.4 million people are the victims of human trafficking. Out of 2.4 million people, 80 percent are in sexual slavery. Two thirds of human trafficking victims are females. Nowadays, the annual amount of human trafficking income reaches $32 billion. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime considers that only 1 person out of 100 victims of human trafficking can be saved.
It should be noted, that Tajikistan is a member of Friends Group, which is assembled to combat human trafficking, founded at the UN. It is an informal voluntary association of country-members with an open structure, which is established to facilitate activation and reinforcement of global fight against human trafficking.
For reference: The Inter-ministerial commission is a permanent operating, consultative, inter-ministerial body, which is established with the purpose to coordinate the activities of ministries, state committees, committees, agencies and local executive authorities, enterprises, institutions and organizations on implementation of international legal commitments of the Republic of Tajikistan in the area of combating human trafficking. The objectives of the Inter-ministerial Commission: determination of the state policy basis in the area of combating human trafficking and generation of recommendations, aimed to increase the activities efficiency of relevant state agencies to combat this crime. Also, the Commission analyzes the status of crimes in this field, coordinates the activity of regional commissions on this matter, participates in the development of international treaties in the filed of combating human trafficking and performs other tasks in accordance with the Provision. The staff of the Inter-ministerial Commission consists of the Chairperson, Executive Secretary and members of the Commission who represent the ministries and agencies. The representatives of public associations are included in the staff of the Inter-ministerial Commission by suggestion of the Chairperson and are approved by the Inter-ministerial Commission.