Migrant Protection and Assistance

Labour migration from Tajikistan is considerable. Lacking knowledge of their host countries’ languages, legislation, and their own legal rights leaves migrants highly vulnerable to labour or sexual exploitation or trafficking, both internally within Tajikistan, or abroad to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Russian Federation, or other countries in Central Asia and beyond. Families remaining behind, especially if heavily dependent on remittances, are also vulnerable to trafficking in persons, with women in both instances at a heightened risk.

In partnership with the Government of Tajikistan, private sector and civil society, the Migrant Protection and Assistance Unit (MPA) supports the development and implementation of activities directed towards the prevention of abuse and exploitation of migrants, and provides direct assistance to Tajik citizens who have been trafficked or who may have experienced abuse or exploitation. MPA also provides relevant capacity-building to stakeholders, including government, CSOs, international organizations and others to promote better knowledge and establishment of a victim-centered approach to counter-trafficking.

Counter-trafficking

Since 2003, IOM Tajikistan has implemented 13 national and 5 regional projects in the field of trafficking in persons. IOM provides direct assistance through the provision of shelter, legal, psychological, psychosocial and medical assistance, as well as support for victims to access vocational training courses, and assistance to start up small income-generating businesses. IOM also set up a free-of-charge hotline for victims of trafficking for self-referral and support.

In close cooperation with USAID, the upcoming counter-trafficking programming will address prevention, protection, and partnerships by supporting migrants and vulnerable at-risk groups to make safe and informed migration decisions on the basis of accurate and reliable information. IOM will also support national actors within the victim protection system to improve capacity to systematically protect victims, and to ensure the availability of enhanced cooperation mechanisms and strategies to support the trafficking survivors.

Empowering women in the context of migration

Migrants are one of the most unprotected and vulnerable population groups in Central Asia, with female migrants facing specific severe risks of sexual exploitation, or forced labour such as domestic servitude. Due to their increased likelihood to be engaged in part-time or informal employment (such as domestic or care work), the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly heightened female migrants’ vulnerabilities to trafficking and exploitation. Families reliant on remittances are also particularly vulnerable to trafficking due to increased poverty and desperation resulting from unpredictable travel bans and reduced remittance flows.

IOM Tajikistan is addressing the vulnerability of female migrants, and families staying behind, to trafficking by facilitating their labour market integration in countries of origin and destination, through targeted technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programmes. In addition, IOM will implement capacity building and strengthen cooperation between governmental actors, non-governmental actors and the private sector to improve the protection and economic empowerment of female migrant workers, reducing their vulnerabilities and ensuring access to services.

Capacity building

IOM Tajikistan provides trainings and capacity building on victim-centered law enforcement, protection, assistance and reporting (data collection, improvement of reporting skills to the international requirement etc.) to ensure victims receive increased access to trauma-informed, age-appropriate, gender- and culturally-sensitive services. These trainings are provided to those within the victim protection system including police, prosecutors, the custom services, the drug control agency, national security (border police) and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. IOM has also developed several guides, brochures and SOPs to support the above institutions implement Tajikistan’s counter-trafficking legislation in a way that is victim-centered.

IOM is also supporting international study visits for national actors within the victim protection system with academia, experts or civil societies on victim-centered approaches to trafficking in persons. Good practices are shared and trainings provided to build capacity and produce products such as the policy amendments, new national plan of actions, handbooks and guidelines.

Partnerships

IOM has supported the development of a nation-wide NGO network to enhance collaboration and coordination between NGO partners working on combating trafficking in the field, and government partners, private sector and international organizations. IOM Tajikistan is also working in close partnership with OSCE and other UN agencies such as UNFPA, UN Women, and UNICEF on counter-trafficking in country.

Governance

IOM is the leading agency on counter-trafficking in Tajikistan, and as a result, leads on the provision of technical assistance to the Government of Tajikistan in developing new legal mechanisms and improving relevant legislation to help victims of trafficking.

Prepared with IOM’s technical assistance, the adoption in 2014 of the Law of the Republic of Tajikistan on ‘Counteracting Trafficking in Persons and Providing Support to Victims of Trafficking in Persons’, is considered a major milestone for the Government of Tajikistan. IOM is working closely with government stakeholders to further advance and update the national legislation on counter trafficking. Supported by IOM, in 2016 the Government of Tajikistan adopted a National Referral Mechanism (NRM) which is a framework for identifying victims of human trafficking or modern slavery and ensuring they receive the appropriate support. IOM recently supported the Government of Tajikistan to develop a new Action Plan on Counter Trafficking for 2022-2024 which was officially endorsed on 26 February 2022 by the Government.