Dushanbe, Tajikistan, 24 September 2024 - Nearly every country in the world is affected by trafficking in persons, whether as a country of origin, transit, and/or destination for victims. It is a problem that demands coordinated international response involving various types of stakeholders. Among such are diplomatic and consular officials. They have a crucial role to play in responding to cross-border trafficking cases, including by identifying and referring the cases as well as providing support, protection, and advocacy for victims.
Recognizing this critical function, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan and its Legal Department jointly organized a two-day training workshop for diplomatic and consular staff on effective response mechanisms to trafficking in persons from 24 to 25 September 2024 in Dushanbe. The workshop is delivered by UNODC under the framework of the Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants (GLO.ACT) and is funded by the European Union.
Twenty-two diplomatic and consular officials (17 male, 5 female) posted in various countries of transit and destination as well as those in Dushanbe participated in the training workshop. The workshop kicked off with opening remarks by Mr. Murodali Khudoyorzoda, Deputy Head of Legal Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan, who highlighted that: “today’s workshop is essential for empowering our diplomatic and consular staff to combat human trafficking effectively. By enhancing our understanding and response mechanisms, we can better protect victims and uphold human rights in Tajikistan's global efforts against trafficking".
Throughout the first day, the consular officials were able to learn about the trafficking phenomenon, statistics, and trends in Tajikistan and Central Asia, the international and national legal framework on trafficking, as well as on the various forms of international cooperation and the role that consular officials play in this regard. On the second day, participants were trained on victim-centred approaches as well as on indicators of trafficking, followed by an interactive case study and mock interview exercises.
“I am confident that this training workshop will contribute to strengthening Tajikistan’s capacity to combat trafficking in human beings, to improve information-sharing between countries and promote victim-centered approaches to trafficking”, said H.E. Ambassador of the Delegation of the European Union, Raimundas Karoblis.
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The training workshop was held under the umbrella of the EU-funded initiative PROTECT: Improving Migration Management & Migrant Protection in Selected Silk Route Countries (2023-2026).
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is implementing the European Union-(EU) funded PROTECT initiative within the framework of GLO.ACT across Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and Tajikistan. This initiative also addresses challenges in the broader Central Asia region, including the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, with a primary focus on enhancing the effectiveness of responses to trafficking in persons (TIP) and smuggling of migrants (SOM), particularly in relation to criminal justice. Meanwhile, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) is responsible for implementing the PROTECT initiative in Afghanistan (specifically through virtual MRC Afghanistan), Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Their primary objectives include improving gender-sensitive and rights-based migration governance at the national level and establishing Migrant Resource Centres (MRCs).
The project is funded by the European Union.
For more information, please contact:
Martin Reeve (Mr.), Coordinator, GLO.ACT, Human Trafficking and Migrant Smuggling Section, UNODC
Email: martin.reeve@un.org
Golda Myra ROMA (Ms.), Senior Project Manager, ICMPD Silk Routes Region – Budapest Process
Email: Golda.Roma@icmpd.org