UZBEKISTAN: AUTHORITIES TO OPEN REHABILITATION

UNCLAS TASHKENT 001304 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA, DRL, AND G/TIP G/TIP FOR MEGAN HALL, SCA FOR JESSICA MAZZONE AND BRIAN RORAFF E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM ELAB KTIP KWMN KCRM PGOV PREL SOCI UZ SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: AUTHORITIES TO OPEN REHABILITATION CENTER FOR TRAFFICKING VICTIMS REF: A. TASHKENT 1274 ¶B. TASHKENT 1225 ¶C. TASHKENT 1265 ¶1. (U) On November 11, the state-controlled UzReport.com website reported that - in line with a resolution of President Karimov's from November 5 - the Ministry of Labor will open a national rehabilitation center in Tashkent to assist and protect human trafficking victims. According to the website, the rehabilitation center will have 30 beds and provide human trafficking victims with food and lodging, as well as any necessary medical, psychological, and legal assistance; help reestablish contact between victims and their relatives; and assist in victims' social rehabilitation. The center will be open to all trafficking victims - including Uzbek citizens, foreigners, and stateless individuals - who will be accommodated at the center for 30 days and will be allowed to stay longer if necessary. According to the website, the Labor Ministry will appoint the center's head in consultation with the government's interagency commission on combating human trafficking, and the center's operations will be financed by the state. ¶2. (U) In a separate post from November 10, the state-controlled Gzt.uz website added that the rehabilitation center will have a staff of 20, who will provide assistance to trafficking victims "in accordance with an individual plan that will be worked out based on the results of a comprehensive examination and assessment of their health and need." The website also reported that the Labor Ministry has been given a month to organize the center. ¶3. (SBU) We have not seen President Karimov's November 5 resolution, but we will try to procure a copy. On November 12, poloff discussed the government's plans to open a shelter with International Organization for Migration (IOM) officials in Tashkent, who confirmed hearing about the government's plan but knew of no additional details (Note: IOM itself is unregistered in Uzbekistan, but it operates as a registered local NGO, Istiqbolli Avlod. IOM plans to attempt to register in the near future, see ref A. End note.) Ministry of Interior officials first reported to poloff the government's plans to open a shelter for trafficking victims in September (ref B). Also in late September, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) office in Tashkent reported that it planned to work with the government on training staff for the rehabilitation center and developing an appropriate identification and referral mechanism (ref C). COMMENT -------------- ¶4. (SBU) We applaud the Uzbek's decision to open a rehabilitation center, as providing direct assistance to trafficking victims was one of the items we specifically requested of the government this year. IOM (as Istiqbolli Avlod) already operates two shelters for trafficking victims in Tashkent and Bukhara, but these appear to have already reached their capacity, and there is now need for additional shelters in Uzbekistan. In designing its own shelter, we will urge the government to at least consult with IOM, which has many years of experience of providing assistance to trafficking victims in Uzbekistan. NORLAND