Providing Assistance to Victims of Human Trafficking, in Central Asia

Providing Assistance to Victims of Human Trafficking, in Central Asia

Written by Saadia Haq

Central Asia has a track record of trafficking in persons; here the phenomenon can take many forms, however according to IOM field research, trafficking for labor exploitation is the most common. And underage girls and boys are also becoming VOTs (victims of trafficking) and engaged in prostitution in Central Asia. For instance, in Tajikistan, for instance, the average age of a prostitute has reportedly fallen to eleven or twelve years, and many of these child prostitutes are sold to exploiters by their families.

On a larger scale, the returnee victims find hostile climate within the deeply conservative regional society as trafficking and prostitution are still considered a huge taboo.  To tackle these issues, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Office for Central Asia, UNFPA in partnership with regional NGOs and civil society activists is implementing a special project “Strengthening the capacity of the Central Asian Republics to protect and assist victims of human trafficking and smuggled migrants, especially women and children.”

Globally, the fight against trafficking in human beings is high on the agenda of policy makers, but in practice however, the protection and promotion of the rights of trafficked persons are often placed below the concerns of immigration control and prosecutions. This leaves most trafficked victims highly vulnerable and basically no future beyond the nightmare.

More ever in Central Asia, there is an absence of well-functioning identification systems and referral mechanisms that hinders the assistance and provision of to the victims of human trafficking and smuggled migrants. 

Therefore, this project is aiming to improve the quality and accessibility of social services for victims of human trafficking and smuggled migrants. It is focusing on capacity buildings through conducting workshops across the Central Asian countries. Last month, the first such two-day workshop was held in Dushanbe. It is specifically designed to strengthen the capacity and increase the knowledge of social workers and other professionals working with victims of human trafficking and smuggled migrants.

Through the workshop the participants acquired concise information on existing international standards and practical tools on psychosocial consultation and effective referral mechanisms for social services, including sexual and reproductive health services.

Moreover, the participants were able to strengthen their network on a national base and build common understanding on principles for the adequate assistance and protection measures in assisting trafficking cases.

An additional value of this project is the partnership with UNFPA, adds the focus on the rights of child and female who are victims of human trafficking or smuggled migrants and ensuring that all trainings and services take into consideration the unique needs of these groups.

UNFPA’s Sub-regional Office for Central Asia says, “Trafficked women and girls face high sexual and reproductive health risks, hence it is essential to provide service providers with information for ensuring quality counseling and services.”

This landmark regional initiative is catering to representatives from key government structures, shelter staff and grassroots NGOs that are involved in providing identification, assistance and protection services to these vulnerable groups.

The project is funded by the European Union and the United States of America.

References:

1. Central Asia report on trafficking in persons, UNFPA
2. UNODC, http://www.unodc.org/centralasia/en/xacx44.html