DUSHANBE, May 28, 2013, Asia-Plus — Improving the quality and accessibility of social services for victims of human trafficking and smuggled migrants is the goal of a workshop, which started in Dushanbe today.
According to UNFPA CO in Tajikistan, the two-day event is organized by UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, with financial support of the European Union.
“The workshop will enable national authorities, civil society activists and shelter staff to better apply the relevant international standards in their work with victims of human trafficking and smuggled migrants,” said Nikolai Botev, Director of UNFPA’s Sub-regional Office for Central Asia.
The absence of well-functioning identification systems and referral mechanisms is one of the reasons why victims of human trafficking and smuggled migrants are often not adequately assisted and protected in the region, according to an assessment conducted by UNFPA in the Republic of Tajikistan and other countries of Central Asia.
The workshop is specifically designed to strengthen the capacity and increase the knowledge of social workers and other professionals working with victims of human trafficking and smuggled migrants. The participants of the workshop will get acquainted with existing international standards and practical tools on psychosocial consultation and effective referral mechanisms for social services, including sexual and reproductive health services.
The workshop is part of a regional project “Strengthening the capacity of the Central Asian Republics to protect and assist victims of human trafficking and smuggled migrants, especially women and children, in partnership with NGO and civil society actors” implemented together with United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Office for Central Asia.
The project is funded by the European Union and the United States of America.
