OSCE supports international roundtable on exchange of best practices on combating human trafficking and illegal migration
The OSCE Programme Office in Astana supported the international roundtable "Exchanging experiences and best practices in combating human trafficking and illegal migration" held in Shymkent, Kazakhstan on 31 May 2018.
Some 40 officials from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan representing governmental departments on combating organized crime, border control, migration control and finance will discuss and exchange best practices in combating human trafficking as well as ways to promote co-operation. Border officials from Belarus and UK will present the best practices of their countries on ways of counteracting organized crime on human trafficking in their respective countries.
The event aims to increase the effectiveness of co-operation among law enforcement agencies from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in the field of countering transnational organized crime, specifically human trafficking and illegal migration, as well as identifying and seizing illicit proceeds from these crimes.
The Deputy Head of the Criminal Police Department of the Interior Ministry of Kazakhstan, Sagat Madiyev, said: “Nowadays, our country has built a sufficient system of counteracting trafficking in human beings, which is constantly being improved. A set of legislative and organizational measures aimed at preventing the detection of the suppression and disclosure of crimes related to trafficking in persons was carried out.”
The Deputy Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Astana, Diana Digol, said: “The process of protecting victims of human trafficking requires early identification and a thorough knowledge of how traffickers operate, so that the involved authorities can best co-ordinate and detect organized criminal groups. As this crime can be very complex in nature, it is crucial to learn from other countries and international experts how their experience has helped them to combat this modern form of slavery”.
“Helping victims is a key component in combating trafficking in human beings. I know that 11 state shelters for affected people were opened in Kazakhstan – this is a huge achievement,” said Paul Jukic, Political Counsellor, Chief of Political Section at the US Embassy in Astana. “Since Kazakhstan is a country of destination, where the overwhelming majority of victims are foreign, I hope that the next step will be the development of regulations that allow placing them in public shelters, too.”
The event was co-organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Astana in co-operation with the Interior Ministry and the United States Embassy in Astana. It is part of the OSCE Programme Office’s long-standing efforts to support the host country in implementing the OSCE Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings.