On first joint visit, OSCE Special Representatives meet President of Kyrgyzstan, discussed prevention of human trafficking and violence against women

BISHKEK, 30 July 2011 – On a joint visit to Kyrgyzstan, the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, and the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Gender Issues, Wendy Patten, stressed today the importance of continuing co-operation with the authorities of Kyrgyzstan to better prevent and fight against trafficking in human beings and all forms of gender-based violence.

The Special Representatives met today with President Roza Otunbaeva at the conclusion of their visit.  The meeting focused on the need to maintain a high political priority on the prevention of violence against women and trafficking in human beings, especially for labour exploitation. 

The five-day visit was the first joint visit of the two Special Representatives to an OSCE participating State.  They met representatives of Kyrgyzstan's government, Parlamentarians, law enforcement and prosecutorial authorities, as well as international organizations and civil society. They discussed the importance of establishing dedicated structures and effective co-ordination at the government level to address human trafficking and gender equality issues. 

“The trafficking in human beings that we face today is a massive scale phenomenon of modern-day slavery, and stronger anti-trafficking action is needed”, said Giam-marinaro.

“The OSCE Center in Bishkek and my office support the authorities of Kyrgyzstan in the development of the third National Action Plan on human trafficking. Kyrgyzstan can build on the existing strong partnership with civil society to promote prevention and ensure support to victims. The OSCE is committed to facilitating international co-operation to strengthen the criminal justice response to human trafficking”.

The joint visit underscored the importance of women's empowerment and a gender perspective in preventing violence against women and trafficking in human beings, and in making women's full participation in reconciliation efforts a reality.

“Women play a critical role in achieving peace and security,” said Patten.

“I welcome the commitment of the Government of Kyrgyzstan to developing a Na-tional Action Plan to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security.  With the active involvement of civil society, a strong national strategy will help ensure women's full and equal participation in reconciliation and address the needs and concerns of women affected by violence. The OSCE stands ready to support this process.”

Giammarinaro and Patten also discussed the need to address root causes of trafficking and gender-based violence, such as discrimination against women, and explored pos-sibilities to strengthen co-operation to this end, including through economic and legal empowerment of women and education of young people on gender equality and hu-man rights.