As a member of the global community, the Republic of Tajikistan prioritizes the protection of human rights and freedoms, recognizing them as the highest value in accordance with its constitutional norms. In this regard, relevant state bodies carry out effective activities to safeguard and uphold human rights, preventing any form of violations. The Interagency Commission on Combating Human Trafficking serves as the competent authority in this field, with its operations entrusted to the Ministry of Internal Affairs under the Government of the Republic of Tajikistan’s resolution dated March 2, 2023.

Since early February 2025, at the initiative of the Head of the Interagency Commission on Combating Human Trafficking, First Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Tajikistan, Lieutenant General of Police Alamshozoda Abdurakhmon Alamsho, training seminars on "Combating Human Trafficking" have been organized across the country. These seminars engage legal scholars, experts, and representatives of international organizations to strengthen the capacity of state institutions in preventing and counteracting human trafficking-related crimes.

At the initial stage, training seminars were organized for judges, with participation from judges of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Tajikistan, the city of Dushanbe and its four districts, as well as city and district courts in Bokhtar and Kulob regions of Khatlon Province.

The latest training event took place on February 18-19, 2025, in the city of Khujand at the Ministry of Internal Affairs’ conference hall for the Sughd region. It was attended by judges from Sughd province and 18 districts and cities of the region, as well as representatives from the International Organization for Migration, civil society organizations, legal scholars from the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Tajik National University, and operational officers from the Organized Crime Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The primary goal of the seminar was to enhance judicial practices in handling human trafficking-related criminal cases and to ensure justice for trafficking victims by applying national legislation, international legal instruments, resolutions of the Plenum of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Tajikistan, and investigative experience.

It is important to highlight that in today’s world, human trafficking manifests in various forms, including forced labor, sexual exploitation, economic exploitation, and coercive services, all of which violate an individual's personal freedom. Through abuse, violence, oppression, exploitation, or deception, individuals become victims of trafficking, suffering grave violations of their rights and freedoms. Globally, these crimes are classified as serious and particularly grave offenses, as they not only infringe on human rights but also threaten the socio-economic stability of societies and may impact national political systems. Efforts to reduce and prevent these crimes are being undertaken both nationally and internationally.

During the seminar, scholars and experts delivered analytical presentations on topics such as combating human trafficking in the context of international law, understanding human trafficking, victim identification, victimological factors in preventing trafficking-related crimes, principles of interaction with victims, victim-blaming issues, and the specifics of international cooperation in combating human trafficking.

The topic of combating human trafficking was thoroughly analyzed and discussed from multiple perspectives, including legislative theory, investigative operations, law enforcement practices, and judicial proceedings. Participants actively engaged with speakers, posing questions and receiving well-founded legal responses based on their professional experiences.

Additionally, seminar participants shared their views on the discussed topics, and several proposals were presented to scholars for consideration regarding potential amendments to existing legislation.

Source: www.vkd.tj