UNODC and USAID Rase Awareness Among Criminal Justice Practitioners on Trafficking in Persons in Turkmenistan

This year, the theme for the  International Day Against Trafficking in Persons is on the role of technology as a tool that can both enable and impede human trafficking. UNODC plans to conduct a series of training to raise awareness among Turkmen criminal justice practitioners for strengthening response to effectively prevent trafficking in persons as well as to identify and protect victims.

 

The first such training was conducted by UNODC in partnership with the USAID's Safe Migration in Central Asia Program and the USAID's Governance Support Program in Turkmenistan on " Enhancing approaches to address trafficking in persons (TIP)" from 27 June to 5 July 2022 in Ashgabat.  

“The crime of human trafficking has conquered cyber space. However, the use of technology also provides great opportunity”, said Mr. Rustam Babayev, National Trafficking in Persons Programme Officer, UNODC Programme Office in Turkmenistan. “Future success in eradicating human trafficking will depend on how law enforcement, the criminal justice systems and others can leverage technology in their responses, including by aiding investigations to shed light on the modus operandi of trafficking networks; enhancing prosecutions through digital evidence to alleviate the situation of victims in criminal proceedings; and providing support services to survivors”.

Conducted for some 25 criminal justice practitioners, the workshop was aimed at enhancing the knowledge and skills of participants in preventing, identifying, investigating and prosecuting trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants cases, whilst ensuring a victim-centered approach and due assistance and support to victims of trafficking.

The workshop was fully in line with the UNODC’s Anti-Human Trafficking Manual for Criminal Justice Practitioners and included sessions on labor trafficking investigation and trainer/facilitator guidelines for conducting further cascading the knowledge during the on-the-job trainings. For ease of learning  the UNODC manual was translated into the Turkmen language and was widely disseminated among institutions working with victims of trafficking in persons.

During the workshop, participants learned in detail the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, reviewed the national legislation of Turkmenistan on countering trafficking in persons and respective amendments to the Criminal Code of Turkmenistan, which were introduced in 2019.

They discussed the risks that  lies in the use of  virtual -internet space by children, youth and emphasized the need to raise awareness among these groups on the safe use of internet and social media.

“Prevention and awareness-raising activities on the safe use of the internet and social media could help mitigate the risk of people falling victim of trafficking online”, stated Mr. Rustam Babayev.

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For all inquiries, kindly contact Vasilina Brazhko

Communication and PR Specialist at

UNODC Criminal Justice and PVE Programmes in Central Asia

UNODC PO in KR

+996775987817 WhatsApp

vasilina.brazhko [at] un.org