Second national simulation-based training on combating trafficking in persons kicks off in Tajikistan
A five-day national simulation-based training on combating trafficking in persons kicked off on 27 October 2025 in Safed-Dara, Tajikistan. The event is co-organized by the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) under its EU funded PROTECT initiative within the framework of GLO.ACT programme, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mission in Tajikistan under the project “Improved Prosecution of Trafficking in Persons and Victim Support Phase II.”
Some 45 participants from the Office of the Prosecutor General, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Ministry of labor, migration and employment of population, and the NGOs “Femida,” “Caravan of Hope,” and “Mayram” are taking part in the event.
Delivered for the second time in Tajikistan, the training offers front-line responders an opportunity to simulate real-life anti-trafficking responses, using actors to recreate trafficking scenarios. Cases of human trafficking for labour and sexual exploitation will be simulated during the exercise.
Jean-Benoite Manhes, the OSCE Deputy Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, said: “The OSCE is proud to support Tajikistan in building institutional capacity, fostering dialogue across sectors, and promoting policies that have a tangible impact. The knowledge and skills you develop here will not remain in this room, they will help improve victim identification, enhance inter-agency co-ordination, and increase the effectiveness of prosecutions and victim support in your daily work.”
“Combating trafficking in human beings is a priority area of the OSCE’s work and one of the prerequisites for achieving comprehensive security across the Organization’s participating States,” said Tatiana Turcan, Acting Head of the OSCE Programme Office in Dushanbe. “The complex and hidden nature of human trafficking requires effective multilateral co-operation to address this phenomenon. I would like to acknowledge the significant efforts made by the Government of Tajikistan over the past year, particularly in increasing trafficking investigations and strengthening co-operation with international organizations on the repatriation of victims. This simulation exercise provides an important platform for collaboration among key stakeholders to protect the rights of victims and ensure the prosecution of perpetrators,” added Turcan.
The live simulation exercise is part of the Programme Office’s ongoing efforts to assist Tajikistan in combating human trafficking and in improving the identification and support of victims through a more co-ordinated approach. It is implemented in line with the recently approved National Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings for 2025-2027.
Additional Information – UNODC: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) is implementing the European Union-(EU) funded PROTECT initiative within the framework of GLO.ACT across Afghanistan (concluded), Iraq, Pakistan, and Tajikistan. This initiative also addresses challenges in the broader Central Asia region, including the Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, with a primary focus on enhancing the effectiveness of responses to trafficking in persons (TIP) and smuggling of migrants (SOM), particularly in relation to criminal justice.
For more information about the UNODC EU funded PROTECT initiative, please visit: https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act6/index.html