IOM welcomes new law to combat human trafficking

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Tuesday welcomed a recent decision by the Tajik government to enact a law combating human trafficking, the first such legislation in Central Asia. "We are very optimistic about this law," Frederic Chenais, IOM acting chief of mission, told IRIN from the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, noting they were happy with the government's collaboration over the past year and hoped that the law would receive final approval. "It's been a year since the government recognised the problem," Chenais said, adding that in May IOM was provided with an office at the Ministry of the Interior to address the issue of trafficking. And while trafficking in the mountainous Central Asian state was not as big as in neighbouring Kyrgyzstan, it remains an important issue of concern requiring greater attention. The law, which received its initial approval on 2 July by the Tajik lower house of parliament, aims at increasing support for counter trafficking initiatives by providing the terminology needed to prosecute traffickers and assist victims, while at the same time identifying responsibilities between various government agencies such as prevention, assistance and the reintegration of victims. For its final approval, the law must be adopted by the upper house and signed by President Emomali Rakhmonov before it becomes effective. According to the IOM official, this will happen by September. "The legislation is one step. Now we have to monitor it and follow up its implementation," Chenais said. "In Tajikistan this is a very sensitive issue because of its cultural background. Usually people who have been a victim of trafficking don't tell their story," he explained, noting that IOM was preparing a new report in the next two months to offer new data on the issue. According to an earlier IOM report, however, over 700,000 women and children are trafficked across borders each year worldwide. CIS countries are becoming the most important geographical source of trafficking in women in Asia, with the Central Asian states of Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan being no exception. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, economic hardship and widespread unemployment made the desire to emigrate abroad even stronger, providing a more conducive environment for traffickers to recruit, cheat, abuse and exploit their victims.