DUSHANBE July 12, Asia-Plus — Summary of operations on trafficking in persons comes from the Ministry of Interior (MoI) practically every day, Abdurahmon Azimov, the head of the Inter-Agency Commission for Combating Human Trafficking, remarked at a seminar on preventing human trafficking that was held in Dushanbe on July 12. 

According to him, there were cases, when from $50 to $3,000 were offered for one person.  

Telling the meeting on the results of work of the Inter-Agency commission, Firouz Sattorov, the head of the department for preventing human trafficking of the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Mission to Tajikistan, noted that many Tajik nationals had been returned to the homeland, draft program for law enforcement officials and training framework for employees of the judicial system had been elaborated.

 “Under this training framework, 219 judges have taken training courses,” said Sattorov, “Besides workshops are being conducted for prosecutors; one of such seminars will be held in Moscow in the near future.”  Besides, to raise human trafficking awareness among the population various booklets, audio and video materials are being produced, as well as comments to the law on preventing human trafficking are being worked out, he said.  

Thanks to efforts of the IOM Mission two centers to support trafficking victims have been established in Tajikistan: one in Dushanbe and another one for minors in Khujand.  “Over the past two years, due to activities of the Dushanbe center, 92 persons have been freed from bondage,” Sattorov said, adding that 19 minors have been freed from bondage due to efforts of the Khujand center.  

Rahmatullo Ziyodulloyev, an official with the Prosecutor-General’s Office, noted that in 2005-2006, 11 criminal proceedings were instituted against 17 persons on charges of trafficking charges and 52 trafficking victims were freed.