Kyrgyz Republic Launches Annual “100 Days Against Trafficking in Persons” Campaign on World Day Against Trafficking in Persons

Government and civil society, together with UNODC and other international partners, launched another “100 Days Against Trafficking in Persons” campaign in the Kyrgyz Republic. With the theme “Together Against Trafficking in Persons,” this year’s campaign promotes implementation of the national referral mechanism for victims of trafficking in persons.

“Often survivors of trafficking in persons do not report what happened to them to the police or other institutions. This can be due to a lack of trust or fear of what relatives or others might think. These types of crime remain latent and are not registered accordingly”, said Mr. Marlis Jumabaev, Head of the Criminal Police Department under the Ministry of Interior. “During the first half of the year, five cases of trafficking in persons were registered in the country. Investigations are underway”.

The Kyrgyz Republic introduced a national referral mechanism for victims of trafficking in persons in 2019. Together with other partners, UNODC has been supporting the Government to develop standard operating procedures for 15 authorized bodies involved in the identification and referral of victims of trafficking in persons.

The 2021 campaign has been designed in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Social Development, Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Education and Science. UNODC, Winrock International, the International Organization for Migration, International Labor Organization, OSCE, Solidarity Centre and 19 other NGOs are involved.

 “Our fight against this crime continues. We need to ensure strong partnerships and coordination to respond to new trends, the use of new technologies and evolving types of exploitation,” said Ms. Aliza Soltonbekova, First Deputy Minister of Health and Social Development.

This year’s theme of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons (Victims’ Voices Lead the Way) puts victims of human trafficking at the center of the campaign and highlights the importance of listening to and learning from survivors of human trafficking. In support of the world day, UNODC facilitated a radio broadcast explaining how to protect oneself and discussing measures to prevent human trafficking.

As part of the national campaign in the Kyrgyz Republic, press conferences, roundtables, flash mobs and many other activities are scheduled to take place in all seven oblasts of the country. A youth camp will be organized. TV and radio programs and talk-shows are planned. The police will step up its efforts to identify victims and detect cases of human trafficking.

UNODC partnered with government and civil society to conceptualize and launch the “100 Days Against Trafficking in Persons” campaign for the first time in 2017. The campaign is organized in the Kyrgyz Republic on an annual basis.

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