Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, July 29
By Huseyn Hasanov – Trend:
Developing effective methods of providing assistance to the victims of human trafficking was the central topic discussed at an OSCE roundtable meeting in Ashgabat, Trend reports referring to the OSCE office in Ashgabat.
Representatives from a number of relevant Turkmen ministries and organizations were present. They included the Mejlis (parliament) of Turkmenistan, the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court, the Bar Association of Ashgabat and Women’s and Youth Unions, amongst others.
“Combating human trafficking and providing support for its victims remains a key priority for the OSCE’s Human Dimension in all 57 of its participating States,” said Ambassador Natalya Drozd, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.
Drozd underlined the importance of co-operation between international organizations, civil society and other interested parties in order to develop effective anti-trafficking measures. “It is only through broad co-operation and joint activities that we may achieve the most positive results in our attempts to combat trafficking and provide all necessary support for its victims.”
Leading the event were two experts from Ukraine currently based at the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna. They first presented the principles of the OSCE’s approach to combating human trafficking and practices in providing assistance to victims, before facilitating general discussions and group work.
Participants divided into groups discussed and prepared presentations on the provision of status of victims of human trafficking, the provision of a standardized support service to victims of human trafficking, and the regulation of the work of centres for the rehabilitation of victims of human trafficking. Group presentations were followed by a general discussion examining further steps for the preventing and combating of human trafficking in Turkmenistan.