Shymkent, June 26, 2015, at the Akimat of South Kazakhstan oblast the Commission on Human Rights under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan in cooperation with the Coordination office of International Organization for Migration for Central Asia, the Akimat of South Kazakhstan oblast, the Ministry of Healthcare and Social Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the OSCE Programme Office in Astana presented the Special Report on combating trafficking in persons in Kazakhstan.

The Special Report devoted to highlighting current issues of combating trafficking in persons, providing comprehensive analysis of the situation with the rights of victims of trafficking in Kazakhstan and ensuring their rights to access special social services was developed with the support of IOM Development Fund and Coordination office of International Organization for Migration for Central Asia; and was approved by a resolution of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan on December, 2014. The Special Report gives a comparative analysis of anti-trafficking national legislation and its implementation and provides conclusions and recommendations to prevent trafficking, protect and assist victims of trafficking, strengthen prosecution and improve interaction between state bodies and civil society in the field of combating human trafficking.

The event was attended by the representatives of Akimat Departments of Coordination of Employment and Social Programs from South Kazakhstan, Almaty, Kyzylorda and Zhambyl oblasts, as well as the NGOs, representatives of international agencies, members of the Commission on Human Rights and media.

The event was opened by Mr. Abishev, the Secretary of the Commission on Human Rights, who informed about the importance of the Special Report for Kazakhstan and mentioned that all countries in the world face the problem of human trafficking. The Deputy Akim of South Kazakhstan oblast, Mr. Tuyakbayev, underlined that it is very relevant to conduct the presentation of the Special Report in South Kazakhstan as the oblast is situated on the border between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan and is also a region with the largest population in Kazakhstan.

The Head of OSCE Programme office in Astana, Ms. Zarudnaya, informed that development and adoption of the Special report has found support within community of international experts. Ms. Tulegaliyeva, the Director of Social Services Department of the Ministry of Healthcare and Social Development, assured that the Ministry continues its work on finalization of the Standard of Special Social Services for victims of trafficking drafted within IOM project in 2014. Besides, she informed that draft document is currently being considered by the Budget Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan. She highlighted the need to discuss provisions of special services with responsible authorities and implementers in Shymkent, as the city was selected by the Ministry as a pilot region to provide social services to victims of trafficking in 2016. Her suggestion was supported by the Deputy Director of Crime Police Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Mr. Kabylov, who stressed out that human trafficking is one of the most dangerous crimes on the global scale, and reported that the Ministry of Internal Affairs implements its activities on combating trafficking in persons in close cooperation with the civil society and taking into consideration the recommendations of the Special Report, as well as the National Action Plan on combating trafficking in persons for 2015-2017. The Rector of South Kazakhstan State University Mr. Myrkhalykov informed that community of the oblast pays attention to prevention of human trafficking through conducting information campaigns in the region. He also informed that within state social programs of the oblast the University regularly conducts events targeted to eliminate exploitation of child labour.

IOM’s representative confirmed its readiness for further cooperation with the Government of Kazakhstan in the field of combating human trafficking and underlined that interagency cooperation should be focused on improving the capacity of all actors involved in the identification of vulnerable individuals and referring them for further assistance.

The NGO participating in the event also confirmed that the recommendations given by the Special Report are relevant and arrived on time. Ms. Khadicha Abysheva, the Chairman of the NGO "Sana Sezim" in Shymkent, thanked the Commission on Human Rights preparing the report, which emphasizes the enormous contribution of the NGOs in the fight against trafficking and reflects various researches and monitoring reports prepared by the NGOs.

Ms. Zulfiya Baysakova, the Chairman of the Association of Legal Entities "Union of Crisis Centers of Kazakhstan", appreciated the work done by the members and experts of the Commission, the Ministry of Healthcare and Social Protection for its work on the Standard of Special Social Services for victims of trafficking and suggested to include victims of domestic violence into beneficiary of the Standard.

By the end of the presentation, all participants assured that they will further promote coordinated approaches in combating trafficking in persons in Kazakhstan.

For any further information and media requests, please contact Ms. Anissa Kuanova, akuanova@iom.int