UNODC marks the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons in Turkmenistan

In Turkmenistan, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), jointly with partner organizations organized a number of activities devoted to the commemoration of the World Day Against Trafficking in Persons marked every year on 30 July.

On 24 July 2023, a round table on the enhancement of the national legislation in the field of countering trafficking in persons (CTIP) with a focus on human-rights based and victim-centered approaches was conducted with the representatives of the Parliament, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of Population, the State Migration Service, and civil society organizations.

The present activity was a follow-up to three workshops conducted a year earlier to finalize the recommendations on the enhancement of the state’s legislation in the CTIP field to fully harmonize it with the provisions of the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.

On 31 July 2023, an awareness-raising session targeted at youth was conducted in partnership with the civil society organization “Yenme”, the Embassy of Türkiye in Turkmenistan, and the USAID-funded Safe Migration in Central Asia Project.

The event was attended by representatives of state agencies, international and civil society organizations, including the Ministry of the Internal Affairs, the Youth Union, and the National Red Crescent Society of Turkmenistan.

The program of the event included informational sessions, demonstration of dedicated videos, as well as interactive quizzes and flashmobs. 

The present activity was aimed at supporting the state’s efforts to CTIP in raising public awareness on the issue of trafficking in persons and its consequences, as well as encouraging coordinated and consistent action to combat this phenomenon, with full respect for fundamental human rights at all levels, leaving no one behind.