OSCE hosts regional workshop on combating trafficking in human beings

ALMATY, Kazakhstan, 9 November 2011 – The fourth annual workshop on  promoting law enforcement and judicial cooperation among source, transit and destination countries in response to human trafficking and migrant smuggling in Central Asia began in Almaty today.

The two-day workshop is organized by the OSCE Centre in Astana in co-operation with Kazakhstan’s Interior Ministry, UN Office on Drugs and Crime, International Organization for Migration, U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan, the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, and the OSCE Office in Tajikistan.

Some 70 senior prosecutors, law enforcement officers, representatives of Foreign Ministries and non-governmental organizations from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, the UK, USA and Uzbekistan, as well as experts from the Council of the Baltic Sea States and Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) are taking part in the workshop.

They will exchange information about current trends in human trafficking and migrant smuggling from, through and within Central Asia, including types, methods and routes; the number of cases detected, investigated and adjudicated; as well as best practices in joint international investigations of transnational trafficking offences. An objective of the meeting is to strengthen international co-operation to combat human trafficking more effectively and to develop ways to provide victims with required assistance and protection.

“Dialogue and interaction between governmental and non-governmental stakeholders in the countries of origin, transit and destination is crucial for combating transnational forms of human trafficking," said Jeannette Kloetzer, Acting Head of the Centre. "The meeting will help states from the OSCE region and beyond in adjusting their joint strategies and developing practical measures to prevent and prosecute human trafficking, as well as protect victims."

Armanbek Baymurzin, the Head of the Interior Ministry’s Organized Crime Control Department said: “In order to better combat human trafficking and related crimes, state bodies must undertake effective, co-ordinated actions in co-operation with the non-governmental sector.”

The workshop follows similar events held in Tashkent, Ashgabat, and Abu-Dhabi in 2008, 2009 and 2010 respectively. It is part of the OSCE Centre's long-term commitment to assist Kazakhstan in combating human trafficking.