Ashgabat, July 9, 2024. A delegation of Turkmenistan comprising representatives of the Interdepartmental Working Group on the development and implementation of the National Action Plans of Turkmenistan on Combatting Trafficking in Persons visited the Republic of Belarus from 26 June to 2 July 2024 to learn the experience of Belorussian colleagues in combating human trafficking as part of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) project in Turkmenistan “Strengthening the legal framework on trafficking in persons in Turkmenistan to better address the needs of youth and women through a survivor-centered approach”.

As part of the visit, the delegation of Turkmenistan met with representatives of the Department for Citizenship and Migration and the Main Department for Drug Control and Combating Trafficking in Persons of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Republic of Belarus. Members of the delegation were also exposed to the activities of the International Training Center of the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Belarus, the Life Safety Center of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Republic of Belarus, the operations of the “hotline” run by the national NGO "Business Women's Club" of the city of Brest and the Rehabilitation Center of the International Organization for Migration in the city of Minsk for victims of human trafficking as well as the activities of the Border Guard Service of the State Border Committee of the Republic of Belarus on identification of victims of human trafficking at the entry and exit from the country at the Minsk national airport.

In the course of the meetings the emphasis was placed on the implementation of the National Mechanism for Identification and Referral of Victims of Trafficking in Persons. The delegation of Turkmenistan was presented with practical aspects of work of law enforcement agencies, social and non-governmental organizations within the framework of the National Mechanism for Identification and Referral of Victims of Trafficking in Persons, including prevention, identification, interception and investigation of cases of trafficking in persons, many of which are already being committed in cyberspace.

A separate topic of the presentations was the social protection system and programs for social support, rehabilitation and reintegration of victims of trafficking in persons, including children, minors and women. In this regard, the Belarusian colleagues presented the areas of work of State Rehabilitation Centers and Crisis Rooms that provide support to all those in difficult life situations, including victims of domestic violence and human trafficking. Representatives of the delegation of Turkmenistan were also familiarized with the system of training and advanced training of specialists of State Rehabilitation Centers and Employment Services, including the topic of identification and referral of victims of trafficking.

According to the members of the delegation of Turkmenistan, the experience of the Republic of Belarus in countering trafficking in persons will be taken into account in implementing a new National Action Plan of Turkmenistan on Combatting Trafficking in Persons which is currently being finalized with the support of the IOM in Turkmenistan.

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The IOM Project “Strengthening the legal framework on trafficking in persons in Turkmenistan to better address the needs of youth and women through a survivor-centered approach” is funded by the IOM Development Fund (IDF). As part of this project, IOM has provided recommendations to relevant national stakeholders for improvement of the CTIP legal framework of Turkmenistan in line with international standards and best practices, which directly relate to areas such as criminalization of trafficking and related offenses, investigation and prosecution, victim identification, status and access to support services, as well as prevention of trafficking through safe migration and socio-economic empowerment of women and youth. The project is also supporting the development of the new CTIP National Action Plan of Turkmenistan inclusive of specific actions aimed at women and youth empowerment in response to emerging trends and challenges in combating human trafficking.

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The International Organization for Migration has been working in Turkmenistan since 1997. IOM is one of the key partners of Turkmenistan in combatting trafficking in persons. Two previous National Action Plans of Turkmenistan on Combatting Trafficking in Persons (2016-2018, 2020-2022) were developed and implemented with the support of IOM in Turkmenistan.

IOM contact person in Turkmenistan:

Gulshirin ANNADURDIYEVA, Project Associate

phone: +99365717260, e-mail: gannadurdiye@iom.int