KAZAKHSTAN: POTPOURRI OF TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS CASES

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ALMATY 003102

SIPDIS

STATE FOR INL RICHARD, BUHLER, AND CARROLL; EUR/ACE; SCA/CEN FOR
MUDGE

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SNAR PINS PGOV PHUM KCRM KCOR KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: POTPOURRI OF TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS CASES


ALMATY 00003102 001.2 OF 002



1. Summary: The following is a collection of media reports on
various types of TIP ranging from debt servitude to sex tourism.
End summary.

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DEBT OF THE PARENTS PAID BY ENSLAVING THE CHILDREN
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2. In late May, the local newspaper "Express-K" and Kokshetau
newspaper "Kurs" reported on a debt servitude incident in
Kokshetau, northern Kazakhstan. The under-aged daughter of an
enslaved woman was forced into the same servitude to ensure the
mother's silence and help pay off her debt. A relative of the
victim approached the leader of a Kokshetau NGO, the Feminist
League, for help. Based on the facts provided by the relative, a
Feminist League representative filed a complaint with the
Administration of Combating Organized Crime of the Northern
Kazakhstan Oblast Division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs
(MVD) on April 18, 2006. According to the Department on Combating
Trafficking in Persons in the headquarters of the Ministry of
Internal Affairs, the complaint was denied due to the lack of an
alleged crime. The MVD representative explained that the victim
was questioned by the police but did not share any information
that would support the compliant. On the contrary, she claimed
that she was satisfied with her living and working conditions.
The newspaper reported that according to various witnesses, she
had bruises and scars and was hospitalized in early March.
According to the Feminist League, when the victim was asked about
injuries, she said that she was drinking and fell several times.
The press also reported the victim refused to undergo a medical
examination.


3. The businesswoman involved in this case is a well-known farm
owner. According to the Feminist League, four more debt servitude
victims escaped from the same farm but, being skeptical about the
impartiality of law enforcement, are not willing to testify. The
head of the Feminist League in Kokshetau alleged to post that her
complaint was rejected because the farm owner has relatives
working in the Kokshetau Division of the MVD. The MVD claimed,
however, that the NGO leader is exaggerating the seriousness of
the situation.


4. The alleged victim continues to work at the farm. Her older
daughter also continues working for the relatives of the farm
owner as a household servant in return for food and clothes.

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CHILD LABOR
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5. Trafficking in child labor also exists in Kazakhstan.
Interfax-Kazakhstan reported that according to Sofia An, Project
Coordinator of ILO-IPEC (International Labor Organization and
International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor),children
are exploited primarily in agriculture, i.e. on tobacco and cotton
farms, and in shady businesses such as at bazaars, on the streets
and in petty crime. Sofia An reported that many children work on
cotton farms in Southern Kazakhstan Oblast, with the consent of
their parents, who justify the work as necessary for the family's
survival.

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FORCED PROSTITUTION IN KAZAKHSTAN...
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6. In early June the "Express-K" newspaper reported the arrest of
an 18-year old alleged pimp in Pavlodar (Northern Kazakhstan
Oblast). His sex-slaves were reportedly locked in rented
apartments. The suspect took the young women to saunas and hotels
to sell their services. The pimp and his colleagues took almost
all of the money earned by women, leaving barely enough for food.
Victims say that they were threatened and beaten regularly. One
of them contacted the police, who began an investigation which led
to the arrest of the teenaged pimp.

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...AND ABROAD
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7. According to the MVD, on January 6, 2006, the Administration
of Combating Organized Crime of the Karaganda Oblast Division of

ALMATY 00003102 002.2 OF 002


the MVD arrested a resident of Karaganda who was the head of the
criminal organization that trafficked women to clients abroad.
The traffickers reportedly enlisted the support of security guards
of various tourist hotels in destination countries whose role was
to ensure access to the hotels and scout for promising clients.
All earnings were taken from the victims. As in most trafficking
cases, the prostitutes were threatened and punished in case of
disobedience. Police discovered a similar case in Astana in
March.


8. In the end of April, "Express-K" reported that in the southern
Kazakhstani city of Taraz, police arrested a female trafficker
almost a year ago. After being convicted of trafficking young
women to Turkey for sexual exploitation, the woman received a four
year suspended sentence. The Procurator's Office objected to the
Court's leniency. The objection was sustained and the trafficker
was sent to prison.

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SUMMER INTERNSHIP
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9. Not all trafficking cases include violence. Policemen of the
Administration of Combating Organized Crime of the Almaty Oblast
Division of the MVD opened a criminal case regarding abduction of
under-aged girls for the purposes of sexual exploitation. It
appears that a criminal organization conveyed under-aged girls
between Ushtobe and Almaty for quite some time until a 13-year old
was abducted. Policemen noticed very young girls from Ushtobe on
Saina Street in Almaty, which is notorious for prostitution. Upon
investigation, the police determined that the girls had been
kidnapped. The criminal group that organized the trafficking
consisted of a female pimp from Almaty, her assistant in Ushtobe,
drivers of private taxis, and an under-aged boy who was a
schoolmate of a potential "victim." Their victims were typically
from poor families and displayed promiscuous behavior. The group
lured its victims into taxis using their schoolmates as bait. No
violence was necessary since the victims did not offer any
resistance. However, according to Mr. Sansyzbayev, Head of the
Regional Department of Internal Affairs, many girls from Ushtobe
travel to Almaty to earn some money during summer break and,
therefore, it is difficult to identify those leaving Ushtobe
involuntarily.

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COMMENT
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10. Comment: In a country where the media is kept on a tight
leash, it is a good sign that trafficking cases are showing up in
the press at all. Unfortunately, a change in society's attitude
towards TIP victims is slow to be realized. Our main contact in
IOM frequently laments the difficulty in changing the belief that
trafficking is usually the victim's fault. In press reports, the
victims are regularly described as choosing their path and
therefore are responsible for the consequences, notwithstanding
the facts of the cases. At the senior level of Kazakhstani police
forces we repeatedly hear of the Government's commitment to
attacking this crime. Given the size of the police force and the
limited budget for providing in-service officer training, changing
the attitudes in law enforcement will also be a long process.
However, senior-level MVD support, publication of the arrests
noted above, and cases such as the one in Taraz, where an
objection to a light sentence was sustained, give hope for
continued progress in combating trafficking. End comment.

ORDWAY