DUSHANBE, August 5, 2009, Asia-Plus — Many Tajik young women who have found themselves in sexual bondage in Arab states are flying there from other countries, Aziz Ibrohimov, the deputy director general of the Dushanbe airport, told a press conference in Dushanbe on August 3.
Tajik young women under the age of 30 are prohibited from traveling to these countries without accompaniment of male immediate relatives, Ibrohimov said. This measure has been introduced to prevent trafficking in women, which is now in the third place globally in terms of profitability in criminal trade turnover following trafficking in weapons and narcotics, he added.
Tajik young women mainly travel to those countries from Moscow and Central Asia’s countries, the deputy director general said. “Several Tajik women that have been freed from sexual bondage over the past year said that they were trafficked from Moscow, Bishkek or Almaty,” Ibrohimov noted.
Increased economic globalization has resulted in an increased feminization of poverty, forcing greater numbers of women worldwide to migrate in search of work. Seeking economic opportunities abroad, women turn to a variety of resources, including newspaper ads, acquaintances, marriage agencies, labor recruiters, and modeling agencies. They accept positions as nannies, maids, sex workers, dancers, factory workers, and hostesses. Many of these migrants end up as victims of illegal and unscrupulous trafficking networks.
In Tajikistan, victims come primarily from Khujand or Dushanbe and most are trafficked to Russia, Central Asia, and the Persian Gulf states. Many are new arrivals to Dushanbe or Khujand from rural areas with little formal education. Victims commonly are recruited through false promises of employment.
