KAZAKHSTAN: TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS DONOR COORDINATION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASTANA 001147

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR SCA/RA (LEE),INL/AAE (ALTON),SCA/CEN (OMARA),G/TIP
(LEMAR-MEREDITH)

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SMIG ELAB KCRM PHUM PREL
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS DONOR COORDINATION
MEETING


1. Summary: On April 24, the International Narcotics and Law
Enforcement office (INL) hosted the inaugural Trafficking in Persons
(TIP) Donor Coordination Meeting in Astana. Participating
organizations are listed in para. 12. INL Astana, as TIP
Coordinating Office in the Emfaswy, invkted internathno`l a ca
representatives an$ OK`/&f)c)QLS toshARe0i~Vruylaof i~lQQQkkg~lmnkre.vtmlgerr/&$Tjc rcvhqucss and religious leaders; repatriation of victims of
trafficking; and managing campaigns to reach out to the public and
provide information on TIP. The INL Manager for TIP programs
described projects with law enforcement, procurators, judges, and
other security services to improve detection, investigation,
prosecution, and conviction of traffickers through training and
enhancing institutional capacity, including the establishment of an
Anti-TIP Center within the Ministry of Internal Affairs Legal
Institute.


3. IOM is the main partner and a primary implementer of anti-TIP
activities in Kazakhstan for the Embassy INL Office and USAID.
Katerina Badikova, Acting IOM Chief of Mission, briefed participants
not only on IOM's TIP programs but also on the wide range of other
activities related to assisting displaced persons, refugees,
irregular, and regular migrants. (Note: Of no small importance is
IOM's role in collecting and analyzing non-official TIP statistics,
in part through the information obtained through the NGO network
funded by USAID. Post uses this information extensively when
preparing input for the annual TIP Report for Kazakhstan. End
note.)


4. Eurasia Foundation Central Asia (EFFCA) representative Jeff
Erlich briefed the group on his organization's Labor Migration
Program. He pointed out that EFCA supports NGOs which in turn offer
assistance to labor migrants, and EFCA also provides labor migration
training directly to civil society and government officials. Erlich
pointed out the connection between illegal labor migration and
trafficking and advocated for closer ties with attending
organizations to achieve complementary goals.


5. According to Tatiana Aderkhina, Program Officer for Child
Protection, UNICEF concentrates its anti-TIP efforts on development
of specific methods to assess child trafficking including
unaccompanied minors, street children, children involved in begging,
informal markets, prostitution etc. For this purpose Aderhkina
reported that UNICEF plans to conduct an assessment study to cover
both internal and external trafficking and look at both children who
have been trafficked and those at high risk. The results of this
survey will be available in July and, depending on the extent of the
problem, UNICEF may raise the issue with the GOK to seek possible
solutions.


6. OSCE Centre Human Dimension Officer Eugenia Benigni explained
that the OSCE supports initiatives on combating trafficking that
include organizing conferences aimed at raising TIP awareness among
the general public, NGOs, and local authorities; and training for
law enforcement officers through practical exercises. She said that
future activities will include cooperative programs with NGOs and
the introduction of a national referral mechanism for TIP victims to
provide them with a pathway to assistance.

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INDIRECT TIP INTEREST
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7. First Secretary and Chief of the Astana Office of the Turkish
Embassy, Mehmet Ucar, informed the group that his mission does not
have an anti-TIP program and considers it better to address
trafficking in the source countries, not a destination country like
Turkey. He described the difficulties of intercepting trafficked
individuals given the ease with which Central Asian countries can
obtain a visa to Turkey. However, Ucar claimed that the Turkish
government's efforts to combat overall crime would impact
trafficking as well. He said that Turkey is increasing cooperation
against organized crime and terrorism, trafficking and smuggling,
begging and forced stealing, purse and bag snatching. Cooperation
may be possible with the UNICEF program which focuses on children.
Ucar said that to implement its programs, the Turkish government is
promoting law enforcement training for officers from Turkey and
countries in the Central Asia region at the Turkish International
Academy against Drugs and Organized Crime (TADOC).


8. UNODC Regional Project Coordinator, Nina Keremi focused on the
trafficking - HIV/AIDS nexus. She highlighted the high risk of AIDS
for trafficked women and requested information on HIV/AIDS testing
at TIP shelters established by IOM in Kazakhstan. Baidikova
responded that all victims using the shelters are given medical
assistance including HIV/AIDS testing if desired. Not all do, but
out of 200 people tested in 2006 one victim tested positive for HIV
and every fourth victim tested positive for STD.


9. Erlich of EFCA concurred with the idea that women trafficked for
prostitution or enslaved were at higher risk of HIV/AIDS and noted
the same problem occurs with illegal immigrants who cannot seek
medical care or have no recourse to police protection when sexually
or otherwise abused. He suggested that adding an HIV component to a
migration project would be a worthwhile match of two compatible
projects.


10. Amir Yelchibekov, UNDP Country Manager, reported that his
organization did not have a anti-TIP program but he suggested it
would be a good idea to conduct a joint training on trafficking for
Border Guards at the Merke railway station on the
Kazakhstan-Kyrgyzstan border as they are the first people who face
migrants entering the country. INL Officer pointed out that recent
experience combining anti-TIP training for Border Guards with MVD
Officers and others was less than successful for the Border Guards.
Continuing, he said training Border Guards to recognize trafficked
individuals through suspicious documents or other characteristics
was a useful suggestion and that INL had conducted fraudulent
documents training for Border Guards several times over the past
year but more could always be useful.


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MEETING OUTCOMES - LET'S DO IT AGAIN
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12. The participants decided that for further coordination of
anti-TIP activities, donors will meet on a quarterly basis. INL TIP
Program Manager volunteered to develop and distribute a Joint
Activity Calendar to include information about particular TIP events
organized by each donor. The calendar will be updated and
distributed to the participants on a monthly basis. The Quarterly
meetings and monthly updated calendar will help donors to schedule
their activities in a more efficient manner, avoid duplication of
efforts to combat trafficking in persons.


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PARTICIPATING ORGANIZATIONS
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13. Regional INL Officer, U.S. Agency for International Development
(USAID),International Organization for Migration (IOM),United
Nations Development Program (UNDP),United Nations Office for Drug
and Crime (UNODC),United Nations Children's Emergency Funds
(UNICEF),Organization for Security Cooperation in Europe(OSCE),
Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia(EFCA),Turkish Embassy. Special
guests of the meeting were the representatives of the General
Procurator's Office and the Ministry of Interior.

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COMMENT
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14. The broad participation and active interest of the attendees
are a good basis for to continued dialogue on trafficking. The
attendance of GOK representatives was a strong indication of GOK
interest in combating TIP.

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ORDWAY