Dushanbe, Tajikistan, October 29, 2020 – The U.S. Embassy’s Chargé d'Affaires John Ginkel participated in an online close-out event celebrating the accomplishments of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)’s Dignity and Rights project, implemented by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). The Dignity and Rights project greatly contributed to countering trafficking in persons and promoting the rights of vulnerable migrants in and from Tajikistan. Throughout the event, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other partners discussed achievements, lessons learned, and best practices to prevent trafficking in persons and protect the rights of migrants and trafficking survivors.

For 20 years, the Governments of Tajikistan and the United States of America have worked in partnership to counter human trafficking. Through the Dignity and Rights project, USAID  trained more than 500 government officials, non-governmental organizations, and students on human rights, ethical recruitment, and ways of countering trafficking in persons, and raised awareness for over 18,000 people about the risks of human trafficking and the rights of migrants.

Over the past five years, over 1,000 trafficking survivors and vulnerable migrants have received rehabilitation and reintegration through USAID’s Dignity and Rights project, which also enabled more than 62,000 people to access services to protect their rights, including those available through government agencies. Through this project, USAID supported the participation of civil society organizations to monitor and promote changes to national legislation with regards to migrants’ rights and facilitated their implementation through a series of annual national dialogues that were co-hosted by IOM and the Ministry of Labor, Migration and Employment of Population of the Republic of Tajikistan.

“For many years now, we have fostered collaborative partnerships with the Tajik government, private sector, and civil society stakeholders to improve foreign labor recruitment and prevent trafficking incidents, raise public awareness, and enable survivors to access justice,” said Chargé Ginkel. “Together, as partners, we can strengthen such systems to better serve the citizens of Tajikistan.”

Since 2001, USAID has invested more than $20 million to raise awareness about human trafficking and provide assistance to trafficking survivors in Tajikistan. USAID will continue to promote anti-trafficking in Tajikistan through the Safe Migration in Central Asia program by empowering survivors, establishing systems and services that protect at-risk groups, influencing social norms that increase trafficking risks, and working with community leaders and officials to improve data and policies.

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USAID is a leading international development agency and a catalyst for achieving sustainable development. For more information, visit the USAID/Tajikistan website: https://www.usaid.gov/tajikistan.