Forced begging as a form of human trafficking is a focus of an OSCE roundtable

A roundtable discussion on forced begging and labor exploitation in the Central Asian context concluded on 28 January 2022. The OSCE Programme Office in Nur-Sultan organized the online event in partnership with the Law Enforcement Academy under the Prosecutor General’s Office.

Thirty-seven representatives of law-enforcement agencies, prosecution authorities, civil society and academia discussed state obligations in the field of combating trafficking in persons and the importance of strengthening regional co-operation between law enforcement agencies and non-governmental organizations in the fight against labor exploitation. Experts from Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, and the Russian Federation presented good practices on methods of counteracting organized crime related to human trafficking in their respective countries.

The event follows the address of the President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev outlining the need to co-ordinate the efforts of state bodies to effectively combat human trafficking and to protect its victims.

The event was part of the OSCE Programme Office’s long-standing efforts to support the host country in combating human trafficking and in implementing the OSCE Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings.