Uzbekistan: State-run Shelter for TIP Victims Nears

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019-02-27
TAGS: PGOV KTIP PHUM PREL KWMN SOCI UZ
SUBJECT: Uzbekistan: State-run Shelter for TIP Victims Nears
Completion

REF: a) 08 TASHKENT 1304

CLASSIFIED BY: Timothy P Buckley, Second Secretary; REASON: 1.4(B),(D)


1. (C) Summary: Officials from the Ministries of Internal Affairs
and Justice told poloff in separate meetings on February 11 that,
pursuant to President Karimov's decree in November and the
country's new anti-TIP law, the first state-run shelter for TIP
victims is nearing completion and will officially open its doors
this spring. The 30-bed facility will accommodate men, women, and
minors in separate spaces and include support and rehabilitation
programs. Nodira Karimova, Director of the premier anti-TIP NGO
Istiqbolli Avlod, was impressed by the bricks and mortar
renovations but predicted growing pains when the shelter opens its
doors. The shelter will be the cornerstone of government efforts
to provide direct assistance to trafficking victims and demonstrate
its commitment to implementing its 2008 legislation; however, the
government lacks expertise and experience in supporting victims and
the two USAID-supported shelters are expected to continue to have
an important role in assisting TIP victims. End summary.

Capital Renovations Complete
--------------


2. (U) In official meetings on February 11 to discuss trafficking
in persons issues, Abdugafur Sattarov, the Deputy Head of the
recently created Department for Human Rights Protection within the
Ministry of Internal Affairs, eagerly reported to poloff that
Uzbekistan will soon open its first state-run shelter for TIP
victims in the Chilonzor District of Tashkent. Sattarov noted that
the Republican Inter-Agency Commission on TIP, in one of its first
efforts since being established pursuant to legislation adopted
last year, coordinated the development of the shelter. Capital
construction began in earnest after President Karimov's November
resolution (reftel),with input from the interagency commission,
formally tasked the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection to open
the shelter. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided information
under cover of a diplomatic note on February 13 that the Uzbek
Government has spent USD 176,000 to date renovating the shelter
space. A total of 20 staff will administer to male, female, and
minor victims in separate spaces within the facility. In a
February 11 meeting, Ministry of Justice officials highlighted the
joint behind-the-scenes effort by numerous ministries in a short
period to set up the shelter and clarified that it is considered a
structural division of the Ministry of Labor.

Growing Pains Expected
--------------


3. (C) On February 11 poloff met with Nodira Karimova (please
protect),the Director of the International Organization for
Migration (IOM)-affiliated NGO Istiqbolli Avlod, to discuss the new
state-run shelter, which will be the first of its kind in Central
Asia. Government officials recently invited Karimova for a tour of
the shelter facility, which will be in a large renovated former
government office building. She was impressed by the bricks and
mortar renovation project and how quickly it was implemented;
however, she expressed concern that there may have been too much
focus on creating a shiny veneer at the expense of carefully
thinking through the service delivery or long-term maintenance
needs. (Note: Nonetheless, it is significant that the government
invited a noted anti-TIP NGO expert for an advance tour. End
note.) She conceded that it is natural to expect some growing
pains since the government has no expertise or experience in
providing direct assistance to TIP victims. She is concerned that
the 20 staff are not well-suited for the work of properly
rehabilitating victims, and she was told a significant number of
the staff will be trained nurses. "This is not a hospital,"
Karimova said, and emphasized that after repatriation victims need
a multifaceted package of medical, psychological, and vocational
assistance.

Continuing Role for NGOs
--------------


4. (U) Karimova currently runs the only shelter for TIP victims
(with funding support from USAID) in Tashkent, which is just down



the street from where the new state-run facility will open up; yet
she is not worried about competing with the government. She
believes there will still be a clientele, especially among women
who are sexually exploited overseas, that will need her services.
Karimova also noted that there is still a need for additional
shelter space and she welcomes the government's efforts to expand
services to its citizens. Plus, the state-run facility will be the
first to provide assistance to the increasing numbers of male labor
trafficking victims that currently have nowhere to turn to.

Other Shelters Needed
--------------


5. (U) Sattarov told poloff that the Tashkent shelter is just the
beginning, as the government will subsequently turn its attention
to establishing additional shelters in other parts of the country.
Karimova, whose organization also administers a smaller
USAID-supported shelter in Bukhara, and other NGO workers have long
noted the acute need for TIP shelters beyond the capital city,
especially in the far northwest province of Karakalpakstan and the
populous Ferghana Valley. Sattarov confirmed that the Republican
Inter-Agency Commission on TIP will also coordinate funding and
logistical arrangements on future projects. Karimova expressed
hope that the government would take advantage of the opportunity to
look at lessons learned from the first experience in Tashkent
before embarking on subsequent projects.

Comment
--------------


6. (C) The Government of Uzbekistan is keenly aware of criticism
that it has not done enough to assist TIP victims, which was its
primary motivation for promising state funding for victim
assistance on the 2008 legislation. The shelter will be its
marquee effort to follow through on this commitment. Uzbekistan
enthusiastically took other major strides in the fight against TIP
in the past year -- the legislation, criminal code amendments,
adopting the UN TIP protocol, vigorous public awareness efforts,
and the adoption of a national action plan -- but providing direct
assistance to victims or supporting shelters was still noticeably
absent. We share Karimova's concern that, in the government's
haste to put a shelter on the scoreboard, the facility may not run
smoothly or effectively at first, and we also urge continued U.S.
Government support for the two existing shelters for the
foreseeable future. Yet the shelter will be another important
milestone and a welcome addition to the landscape.
NORLAND

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