28.05.2021

On May 28, 2021, an online dialogue was held via the ZOOM platform on the topic "Enhancing Victim Identification and Strengthening Criminal Prosecution in Combatting Human Trafficking in the Republic of Kazakhstan." The event was organized by the Representative Office of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Kazakhstan, in collaboration with the Commissioner for Human Rights in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Police Lieutenant-Colonel Elshad Mammadli, Chief Operations Commissioner for Special Important Cases of the Main Department on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, participated in the event. Other participants included US Ambassador to the Republic of Kazakhstan William Moser, IOM Subregional Coordinator in Central Asia and Head of the IOM Mission in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan Zeynal Hajiyev, international human trafficking expert Vitaliy Kasko, and IOM consultant from Australia Hanna Antonova. Representatives from Georgia, Moldova, various international and non-governmental organizations also attended.

The event featured the presentation of a report evaluating the effectiveness of criminal prosecution and victim identification in human trafficking cases in Kazakhstan, prepared by international experts under the IOM's "Combating Human Trafficking" project. Presentations based on international experiences in this area were also shared.

Participants were informed about the legal aspects of combating human trafficking in the Republic of Azerbaijan, including legislation, international cooperation, principles of punishment and enforcement, and mechanisms for identifying victims. Detailed information was provided on the normative-legal framework, as well as measures for the rehabilitation, integration, and provision of social, medical, and psychological support to trafficking victims.