UN Special Rapporteur Siobhán Mullally will assess the issue of trafficking in persons in Tajikistan during an official visit to the country from December 8-15, 2021, according to press release issued by the UN Resident Coordinator Office in Tajikistan
“This visit will be an opportunity to meet relevant officials, civil society, organizations and survivors, to discuss trafficking in persons in all its forms, the key human rights concerns arising, as well as the progress that Tajikistan has made in combating trafficking in persons,” Mullally said.
“I will pay particular attention to the main challenges in implementing international and legal frameworks on trafficking to ensure the human rights of victims, and effective prevention. A particular concern will be the risks of trafficking that may be faced by refugees, asylum seekers, migrant workers and their families.
“Gender equality and the gender dimension of trafficking will be a central focus, in particular the risks of trafficking for purposes of sexual exploitation, prevention of all forms of trafficking and access to effective remedies. Child rights and concerns in relation to child trafficking for all forms of exploitation will also be examined.”
“I will also examine Tajikistan’s existing and planned measures to prevent trafficking, including protection of the rights of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, and to identify and protect victims, ensure access to justice and to effective remedies and social protection for survivors. Measures to combat impunity for trafficking in persons, and ensure effective investigations, will be examined.”
While in Dushanbe, Ms. Mullally will meet representatives of Government agencies, as well as UN officials, members of civil society organizations and human rights defenders, especially those working on prevention, and on identification and victim assistance. She will also assess the challenges of identifying, and ensuring protection to victims of trafficking among asylum seekers and refugees, and people at risk of trafficking.
The Special Rapporteur will hold a press conference to share her preliminary observations with the media. It will take place at the UN Headquarters in Dushanbe on December 15 at 4:00 pm (5/1 Lohuti Street). Access will be strictly limited to journalists.
The Special Rapporteur’s findings and recommendations will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2022.
Ms. Siobhán Mullally (Ireland) was appointed as Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children by the UN Human Rights Council in July 2020, to promote the prevention of trafficking in persons in all its forms, and to encourage measures to uphold and protect the human rights of victims. She is also the Established Professor of Human Rights Law and Director of the Irish Center for Human Rights at the School of Law, National University of Ireland, Galway. Prior to her appointment as Special Rapporteur, she was a member of the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA), elected as President of GRETA from 2016-2018 and as 1st Vice-President from 2014-2018.
The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
