Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Cooperation between Central Asian countries to combat human trafficking and develop cross-border cooperation was discussed at a forum dedicated to the "Palermo Protocol". It was held on the eve of World Day against Trafficking in Persons on 30 July.

The organizer of the international forum was the National Center of the Republic of Uzbekistan for Human Rights together with the Representative Office of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Uzbekistan. 

The forum "Palermo Protocol: National Experience and Foreign Practice" was attended by representatives of ministries and departments, law enforcement agencies, national human rights institutions, representatives of individual UN agencies, scientific and educational institutions, civil society institutions from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan as well as representatives of international organizations.

The Palermo Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, is the main instrument of international law that defines the crime of trafficking in persons and the basis for the development of national legislation to combat trafficking in persons. The Protocol supplements the 2000 UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime.

Uzbekistan acceded to this Protocol in accordance with the presidential decree from 8 July 2008. The Protocol commits ratifying states to prevent and combat trafficking in persons, to protect and assist victims of trafficking in persons, and to promote cooperation between states to achieve these goals. As of May 2020, 176 parties have ratified it.

Forum participants discussed the latest trends in human trafficking, the difficulties associated with this phenomenon, including the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the UN, about 2.7 million people worldwide become victims of human trafficking every year.

One of the most violent crimes in the world, human trafficking deceives and victimizes women, men and children from all corners of the world and makes them the target of exploitation on a daily basis. Human trafficking is a global problem that transcends national boundaries and deprives people of their human dignity.

Uzbekistan is taking consistent measures to develop international and regional cooperation in the fight against human trafficking, improve national legislation and mechanisms.

In 2019, on the initiative of the President of Uzbekistan, the National Commission on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and Forced Labor was established.

Taking into account international experience, a new version of the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On combating human trafficking" was developed. According to the updated law, the identification of victims of human trafficking is carried out in order to identify them and provide them with the necessary assistance and protection, as well as to prevent the risk of their re-involvement in human trafficking. The law also defines the procedure for social rehabilitation and adaptation of victims of trafficking in persons.

Uzbekistan scored higher in the US Department of State’s 2021 Trafficking in Persons Report. The country in this report is included in the second category (Tier 2), earlier during 2018-2020. Uzbekistan was in the second group of countries under special surveillance (Tier 2 Watch List).

This year’s report acknowledges the Uzbek government’s efforts to prevent forced labor in the cotton harvest, identify violations of laws against forced labor and hold perpetrators accountable, and work with civil society institutions and international organizations.

The work on the protection and reintegration of women and children trapped in the zones of armed conflict in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the measures taken to provide social protection and employment for labor migrants in the context of a pandemic, were also noted.

During the forum’s discussions, representatives of the countries of the region analyzed the main reasons for low identification and insufficiently effective investigation of crimes related to human trafficking.

It was noted that in order to successfully counter the facts of human trafficking, a qualitative change in approaches to solving existing problems, close interaction and systematic work of authorized bodies, consolidation of efforts of the state and civil society are required.