Second Central Asian regional simulation-based training strengthens joint response to human trafficking

Over 130 practitioners from Central Asia and Türkiye gathered this week at Lake Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan, for a five-day regional simulation-based training exercise on combating trafficking in human beings.

The training was opened by Nurlanbek Azygaliev, Vice Speaker of the Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic, who emphasized during his opening remarks that, “platforms created by the OSCE, especially simulation trainings, have become not just a place for training, but a real tool for establishing partnership, trust and interaction.”

Throughout the week, participants from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan took part in an immersive “learning-by-doing” training that reflected real-world human trafficking scenarios. Set in a complex, multi-country fictional environment, the simulation focused on trafficking for sexual and labour exploitation, as well as forced criminality.  Participants worked through realistic cases involving the recruitment, transport, and exploitation of vulnerable individuals including children, persons with disabilities, and undocumented migrants. They were tasked with carrying out joint multi-agency and cross-sectorial investigations, applying standard operating procedures to identify presumed victims, and delivering victim-centered assistance and protection, especially for those facing multiple, overlapping risks.

“With our simulations, we aim to break down silos and foster a spirit of cooperation in your joint efforts to combat human trafficking. True progress can only be achieved when law enforcement, civil society, prosecutors, asylum authorities, labour inspectors, and social workers work hand in hand” said Kari Johnstone, OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings during the closing ceremony today.

The exercise was organized by the OSCE Programme Offices in Bishkek and the Office of the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, in close co-operation with the Migration and Human Trafficking Council under the Speaker of the Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Ministry of Interior of the Kyrgyz Republic, and the Ministry of Labour, Social Care and Migration of the Kyrgyz Republic as well as OSCE Field Operations in Central Asia. 

The event was made possible thanks to support from the governments of Germany, Ireland, Italy, France, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, and Switzerland, as well as the United States Mission to the OSCE. The training also benefited from the expertise and financial support of the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and the Prague Process Secretariat.