Tajikistan recorded 177 cases of human trafficking in 2025, including 10 cases involving the sale of minors, Head of the Investigative Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office Khayriddin Ilyoszoda said at a news conference on February 13.
Law enforcement authorities reportedly instituted 56 criminal proceedings against 73 individuals. Eight of the cases involve child trafficking. Investigations are ongoing in two cases, while the remaining files have been forwarded to court.
Earlier, the U.S. government’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report 2025 noted that 57 human trafficking-related cases were initiated in Tajikistan in 2024, three fewer than in 2023.
The report stated that Tajikistan has not yet met minimum international standards in combating trafficking but acknowledged efforts by the authorities to address the issue.
According to the report, 272 victims of human trafficking were identified in 2024, including 238 subjected to forced labor and 34 to sexual exploitation. By comparison, 47 victims were identified in 2023.
Under Tajik law, human trafficking-related crimes include kidnapping, the buying and selling of persons, unlawful deprivation of liberty, child trafficking, organizing illegal migration, and other related offenses.
Authorities say combating human trafficking remains a priority of state policy. An interagency commission on combating human trafficking has been operating in the country since 2005.
