Important to step up co-ordination of anti-trafficking efforts, says OSCE Special Representative during official visit to the Russian Federation

Vienna, 14 February 2017 – OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Madina Jarbussynova, concluded on 11 February a six-day official visit to the Russian Federation to discuss the country’s implementation of OSCE anti-trafficking commitments.

In Moscow, the Special Representative held in-depth discussions with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who expressed his appreciation for the OSCE’s anti-trafficking work. He expressed his support for the Office of the Special Representative and welcomed the focus of the upcoming 17th Alliance against Trafficking in Persons conference on children.

The Special Representative also met with Mikhail Fedotov, the Presidential Council Chairperson on Human Rights and Civil Society Development, the Deputy Chairperson of the Supreme Court, the Deputy Ministers of the Interior, of Labour and of Social Protection, representatives of the Prosecutor General’s Office, the Investigative Committee and the State Duma as well as with Tatiana Moskalkova, the Ombudsperson for Human Rights and representatives of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation. “Co-ordinating the efforts of all governmental agencies and civil society actors involved in anti-trafficking is crucial to increasing the effectiveness of legal and political measures to combat trafficking in human beings,” Jarbussynova noted. “The adoption of a comprehensive law in Russia on anti-trafficking, as recently recommended by the Presidential Council, would further strengthen existing national legislation and place the rights of victims at the centre of Russian national anti-trafficking policy.”

The Special Representative visited a temporary detention facility for foreigners established under the Ministry of Internal Affairs in the Moscow Oblast. Acknowledging the implementation of policy aimed at facilitating regular migration and preventing slave and forced labour, she emphasized the vital role relevant authorities play in ensuring the protection of the rights of vulnerable migrant workers in Russia, the second-largest migrant receiving country in the world.

Jarbussynova also visited the Republic of Tatarstan, meeting with the President of the Republic and high-level representatives of executive structures to discuss the implementation of anti-trafficking policies and visiting an assistance centre for migrants.

Throughout the visit, meetings also took place with a wide range of civil society and international organizations accredited in the Russian Federation.

The Special Representative regularly conducts goal-oriented high-profile country visits to strengthen the capacity of OSCE participating States to address human trafficking in a comprehensive and effective manner, as well as to collect and share knowledge and best practices in preventing and combating this serious crime and human rights violation.