OSCE promotes protection of vulnerable groups through anti-trafficking workshop

On 16 and 17 June 2025, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Uzbekistan (PCUz), jointly with the OSCE Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking of Human Beings, conducted a two-day workshop in Tashkent on addressing trafficking in human beings among vulnerable groups.

“I am pleased that today we are bringing together professionals from Uzbekistan, AEquitas and Association of Southeast Asian Nations - Australia Counter Trafficking (ASEAN-ACT), along with our colleagues from the Secretariat, to share good practices and international standards,” said Ambassador Antti Karttunen, Head of Office of the PCUz. “These will enable us to improve legislation, policies and monitoring systems, which, in turn, will provide us with the effective tools to identify, refer and protect victims and prosecute the perpetrators.”

Topics covered included risk factors contributing to the vulnerability of children and persons with disabilities, as well as practical strategies for reducing the risk of exploitation. Exercises led by an international expert focused on the implementation of trauma-informed practices in interviewing survivors.

The training event was attended by 30 representatives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Employment and Poverty Reduction, the General Prosecutor’s Office, the Law Enforcement Academy, the National Agency for Social Protection and the NGO “Istiqbolli Avlod” (“Prospective Generation”).

The workshop was organized in co-operation with the National Commission on Combating Trafficking in Persons and Decent Work and Uzbekistan’s Child Rights Ombudsperson, with the support of ASEAN-ACT and AEquitas.