DUSHANBE, July 23, 2008, Asia-Plus — A ten-day international summer school seminar on teaching young people from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan about the dangers of human trafficking for youth and university students aged 15-22 from Central Asian countries of Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan started in ShifoOrlenok camp in Qairoqqum, Sughd province yesterday, press release issued by the OSCE Office in Dushanbe said.
The ten-day summer school, staged by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan in cooperation with NGOs MODAR and Consortium of Initiative under support of the President’s Inter-Ministerial Commission to Combat Human Trafficking, has brought together high school and university students, aged 15 to 22.
“The OSCE welcomes the active work of the Government of Tajikistan in combating this plague,” said Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, Head of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan. “Several factors put children at risk of being trafficked – extreme poverty, especially in rural areas, unemployment and lack of prospects, problems in the education system and, finally, weak protection structures. Therefore, much work is still ahead of us and requires full co-ordination with the key actors in the country and in the Central Asian region.”
Participants are learning about the definition of human trafficking, its forms and root causes and legislation and programs for combating the problem.
“Every year the number of labor migrants leaving the country in search of work is increasing. Among the migrants, there are a great percentage of youths, aged 17-25. Child trafficking for exploitation is taking on dangerous proportions. Countries with transition economies, i.e. all of Central Asia, are considered particularly at risk,” said Graziella Piga, Manager of the Gender and Anti-Trafficking Program at the OSCE Office in Tajikistan Program at the OSCE Office in Tajikistan, “The summer school aims to help young people develop a sense of personal and social responsibility, and also give them the information they need to protect themselves. The participants will have the opportunity to combine their seminar work with relaxation, sharing of experience, information and building new networks. We consider this a unique opportunity and we are sure the students will benefit.”
The actual length of the schools will be 12 days (10 days of seminars plus 2 days for travel to and from the site). In total there will be a total of 7-day seminar and 3 roundtables on the following issues: concept and definition of human trafficking; forms of human trafficking; reasons behind the problem of human trafficking and legislation and programs; national and international legislative bases for combating human trafficking; programs to prevent human trafficking and collaboration with government institutions and departments to press for the passage of laws on victim protection and rehabilitation.
At the end of the international school, there will be a final event including displays of participant artwork, informational stands, prizes for the best work and a play produced entirely by the participants.
