OSCE promotes support for victims of human trafficking in Uzbekistan

Establishing a more systemic and sustainable protection of the rights of victims of human trafficking and labour exploitation through national referral mechanisms is the focus of an OSCE-supported three-day workshop that opened in Tashkent on 10 October, 2011.

The workshop is organized by the OSCE Project Coordinator in Uzbekistan jointly with the Anti-trafficking Unit of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the Inter-Agency Commission of Uzbekistan for anti-trafficking. It brings together representatives of the authorities and Uzbekistan’s non-governmental organizations (NGO) involved in anti-trafficking work, as well as criminal justice and NGO experts from Austria, Czech Republic and Ukraine.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan Ambassador Istvan Venczel in his opening speech said: “Establishing co-operation between the state authorities and civil society actors to combat human trafficking is vitally important, especially for ensuring the right of trafficked persons to adequate identification, assistance and protection.”

The workshop participants are discussing the challenges of addressing the threats of human trafficking, as well as best practices in identifying trafficked persons, supporting the victims in their claims for their rights and facilitating their access to justice.