Ashgabat, 23 April 2021 - Within the framework of the project “Reducing socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrants and communities in Central Asia and the Russian Federation” funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the IOM Office in Turkmenistan conducted a webinar “Innovative approaches in providing assistance and protection to the victims of human trafficking”. Primary purpose of the webinar was to discuss with the members of the National Working Group on combating human trafficking the current tendencies in the field and further action on the implementation of the National Action Plan of Turkmenistan on Combatting Trafficking in Persons for 2020-2022 (NAP CT). Online meeting was attended by all current members of the Working Group including representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mejlis (Parliament), Ombudsman’s Office, Ministry of Finance and Economy, State Committee for Statistics, Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population, State Migration Service, Ministry of Defense, the State Frontier Service, Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Prosecutor General’s Office, Supreme Court, the State Customs Service, the Institute of State, Law and Democracy, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Healthcare and Medical Industry alongside with public associations “Ynam” and “Yenme”. 

The workshop presented global trends in the evolution of human trafficking, factors, and new challenges that affect this phenomenon including the COVID-19 pandemic as well as an innovative approach to the identification of victims of human trafficking and the possibility of using electronic means of communication to prevent human trafficking and identify victims. Regarding the aforementioned, IOM international expert Ms. Tatiana Fomina introduced participants recommendations of international experts and best practices in the organization of combating human trafficking that can be adopted by relevant government agencies of Turkmenistan to improve migration management. In turn, the Head of the IOM Mission in Turkmenistan Mr. Azat Atajanov presented a Migrant Registration Application (MiRA), developed and piloted by IOM, intended to track conditions of migrants stranded and trying to return to homeland during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Attendees learned about current international practices on combating trafficking in persons, relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, and discussed further cooperation and possibilities of enhancing coordination and cooperation among participants in the implementation of the NAP CT.

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For additional questions, please contact:

Dovlet Chariyev

IOM Communication Focal Point

E-mail: dchariyev@iom.int

Tel:+99312 488407