KAZAKHSTAN: SLAVERY CONVENTIONS RATIFIED

UNCLAS ASTANA 000301 SIPDIS STATE FOR INL/AAE, G, G/TIP, SCA/CAN, SCA/RA, DRL, PRM SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM SOCI KCRM PGOV KZ SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: SLAVERY CONVENTIONS RATIFIED REF: 07 ASTANA 3313 ¶1. According to a government press service, President Nazarbayev signed the bill on February 5 to ratify the League of Nations' Slavery Convention of 1926, the 1953 UN Protocol on Amendments to the Slavery Convention, and the 1956 UN Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery. ¶2. The lower house of Parliament approved ratification of the draft law in December (reftel); the upper house approved it in January. Initially, the law was drafted to implement one of the provisions of the OSCE Chairmanship Action Plan aimed at improving the capacity of law enforcement to combat slavery, assist victims of trafficking, and bring Kazsakhstani legislation in line with international standards. ¶3. Comment: It is now likely that this ratification will result in the development of amendments to the criminal code to strengthen the laws against slavery. Specifically, the amendments may make it easier to prosecute a case by ending the requirement to prove that the victim was recruited for purposes of exploitation. End Comment. ORDWAY