United Nations

Capacity building of criminal justice practitioners on the detection and investigation of TIP crimes in Turkmenistan.

On 26-27 April 2023 the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) organized a workshop on the detection and investigation of trafficking in persons( TIP) crimes based on the United Nations Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime (also known as the Palermo Protocol), for a group of twenty law enforcement and judiciary officers in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

The topics discussed during the workshop included:

• the main international instruments in countering trafficking in persons;
• intelligence gathering and evidence collection;
• special investigation techniques and methods of investigation, including proactive investigation method, victim identification and handling from the perspective of the victim-centered;
• human rights-based and gender-sensitive approach;
• psychological profile of victims of trafficking;
•  special needs of victims of trafficking;
• national and international cooperation and coordination of efforts handling trafficking in persons cases; Interpol’s capacities in addressing trafficking in persons and the summary of the latest Interpol operations globally.
• Federal Judicial Police of Belgium’s practice in investigations of trafficking in persons cases for the purpose of sexual and labor exploitation, as well as forced criminal activities.

“Strengthening the capacities and expertise of practitioners is one of the key aspects in countering trafficking in persons, which will allow them to successfully detect, investigate and prosecute cases of trafficking in person”, - noted Dr. Reda Sirgediene, UNODC Regional Adviser for Central Asia on Countering Trafficking in Persons and Smuggling of Migrants. 

During the 2-day workshop rendered by international experts, the participants gained practical experience, learnt the best international practices and enhanced operational capacities in addressing the trafficking in persons crime in line with the Palermo Protocol.

The workshop was organized within the UNODC Global Programme against Trafficking in Persons, implementing the UNODC Regional Programme for Central Asia 2022-2025.