DUSHANBE, December 28, Asia-Plus — The heads of the major Embassies and donor organisations working in Tajikistan (the Principals’ Group) discussed the problem of human trafficking at their most recent meeting on December 7 in Dushanbe.
Press release issued by the Principle’s Group on December 27 said that the main presentation, given by Mahmoud Naderi, Chief of Mission of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), made clear that human trafficking covered all manners of abuse – from tying a victim into debt, retention of passport or travel documents through to physical violence – and was directed against women, children, and even men.
“The stereotypical example of human trafficking is of women being made to work in the commercial sex trade in states like the UAE,” said the press release,” But in reality the problem goes further than this and victims of trafficking can be found in a wide range of employment sectors in both developed and developing countries and can be subject to sexual- or labour exploitation.
The IOM, working closely with the government of Tajikistan on the trafficking problem with US funding, is concentrating its efforts on preventing the phenomenon of trafficking through better education and information; building up the capacity of government and others to counteract trafficking; and repatriating some of the victims. In addition the OSCE has been working on a project, part-funded by the European Commission, to raise awareness of the issue of trafficking amongst youth. Finally the government of Tajikistan is playing its part by enacting appropriate legislation and establishing an inter-ministerial commission.
The Principals’ Group agreed that the international community, together with the Tajikistan government and civil society, needed to become more engaged in the problem of human trafficking and should work more closely together to overcome it.
