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RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY ASTANA 9999
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RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 2252
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0928
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1022
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 2364

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 14 TASHKENT 000270 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR G, PRM, AND DRL; G/TIP FOR MEGAN HALL AND SHEREEN 
FARAJ; SCA/RA FOR JESSICA MAZZONE; INL FOR ANDREW BUHLER 
AND NORIS BALABANIAN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM PHUM KWMN SMIG KFRD ASEC PREF ELAB UZ
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN:  SUBMISSION FOR EIGHTH ANNUAL 
TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT 
 
REF: SECSTATE 2731 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED - PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY 
 
¶1. (SBU) Post,s submission for the eighth annual Trafficking 
in Persons (TIP) report begins in paragraph 4.  Per reftel, 
this information covers the period from April 2007 to March 
¶2008. The information provided in the report has been 
gathered from numerous sources, including the Government of 
Uzbekistan (GOU), Organization for Security and Cooperation 
in Europe Project Coordination Office in Tashkent, the 
International Organization for Migration (IOM), USAID, local 
TIP-focused NGOs, and local press reports. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Embassy Tashkent's TIP point of contact is: 
 
Timothy P. Buckley 
Political Officer 
Tel: (998-71) 120-5450 x2114 
Fax: (998-71) 120-6335 
Email: BuckleyTP@state.gov 
 
¶3. (SBU) Number of hours spent on report preparation: 
 
P/E officer: 40 hours 
USAID: 2 hours 
PAS: 2 hours 
DCM: 1 hour 
 
¶4. (SBU) Post's response is keyed to the questions provided 
in paragraphs 27-30 of reftel. 
 
-------- 
OVERVIEW 
-------- 
 
¶A.  Uzbekistan is a source country, and to a lesser extent a 
transit country, for trafficking in persons.  Statistical 
data and information on trafficking activities and trends are 
scant and incomplete.  An International Organization for 
Migration (IOM) study completed in fall 2005 estimated that 
over half a million Uzbeks are victims of trafficking for 
labor and sexual exploitation annually, but the premier local 
NGO thinks this figure includes all annual labor migrants, 
not all of whom are trafficking victims.  The study, which 
was funded by USAID, cited the absence of effective 
mechanisms to regulate labor migration as a key factor in 
exacerbating the labor trafficking problem.  The study also 
noted that 90% of the surveyed victims of sexual exploitation 
hide the truth of their experience from friends and 
relatives.  There are no comprehensive statistics available 
on the extent or magnitude of the problem.  The available 
sources of information regarding TIP are:  the Ministry of 
Internal Affairs (MVD), Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), 
the National Security Service (NSS), the State Customs 
Committee, General Prosecutor's Office, media sources, 
private citizens, human rights activists, the Organization 
for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Tashkent 
Project Coordination Office, the International Organization 
for Migration (IOM), TIP-focused NGO Istiqbolli Avlod, and 
various other NGOs working on TIP.  After a deterioration in 
the diplomatic relationship accelerated following the Andijon 
violence in May 2005, the Uzbek Government, including law 
enforcement and judicial officials, was less willing to meet 
with U.S. Embassy officials to discuss TIP and many other 
issues.  However, in the second half of 2007 the relationship 
began to steadily improve, and the Government of Uzbekistan 
 
TASHKENT 00000270  002 OF 014 
 
 
was more responsive in providing data and granting requested 
meetings. 
 
Men are mainly trafficked to illegal labor markets in 
Kazakhstan and Russia, generally in the construction, 
agricultural (tobacco and cotton), and service sectors.  An 
IOM report published in May 2005 highlighted an increase in 
labor trafficking from Uzbekistan to southern regions of 
Kazakhstan.  It noted that the majority of these migrants 
work without contracts, receiving only partial or in some 
cases no pay for their labor.  Victims of labor trafficking 
typically cross the border by truck or bus to Kazakhstan. 
There have also been reports of men being taken by train to 
Russia and Ukraine.  NGO and GOU sources reported that 
Shymkent, Kazakhstan; Moscow, Russia; Baku, Azerbaijan; 
Tbilisi, Georgia; and Osh, Kyrgyzstan served as transit 
points, often for Uzbek citizens traveling with false 
documents.  Under Uzbek law, the only permitted form of 
overseas employment is through contracts arranged through the 
Ministry of Labor.  The Ministry arranges for thousands of 
Uzbek citizens to work abroad.  The majority of contracts are 
for jobs in South Korea.  All other labor migration is 
illegal, and the Government has prosecuted individuals for 
working illegally abroad.  Potential migrant workers must 
seek middlemen to facilitate employment abroad, thus opening 
the door to traffickers.  Since 2002, Uzbekistan has 
occasionally restricted overland travel by its citizens to 
Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.  Many individuals traveling for 
employment cross the border illegally. 
 
Uzbekistan is a source country for both labor and sexual 
trafficking.  The typical sexual trafficking victim in 
Uzbekistan is a young woman (age 17-30).  According to NGOs, 
the Government, the media, and information gathered by the 
Embassy, most female victims of sexual exploitation were 
trafficked to the United Arab Emirates, Kazakhstan, Russia, 
Thailand, Turkey, India, Israel, Malaysia, South Korea, and 
Japan.  Many reports of women being trafficked abroad 
indicate that the victims traveled by air, although NGO 
workers report that secondary airports and transit routes are 
becoming more prevalent since authorities are reportedly much 
tougher at the main international airport in Tashkent.  Many 
victims have been unwilling to become involved in legal 
proceedings that could result in their testimony becoming 
public due to both societal pressure and the fear of 
retaliation from their traffickers.  Victims are also well 
aware that under Uzbek law, female smugglers convicted of 
first-time criminal offenses are frequently amnestied. 
Because many human traffickers are women, this practice 
further discourages victims from participating in legal 
proceedings. Uzbekistan Airways has an extensive route 
network that provides direct service from Tashkent to the 
United Arab Emirates (UAE), Thailand, Turkey, Israel, 
Malaysia, India, South Korea, and numerous European 
destinations; however, due to strict visa regimes it is 
difficult for traffickers to use Tashkent as a transit point 
for victims from other countries.  The main anti-TIP NGO is 
aware of only a handful of trafficking victims from other 
countries who transited Uzbekistan over the past several 
years. 
 
According to the Government and NGOs, internal trafficking 
generally takes place from rural to urban areas.  Internal 
trafficking exists in agriculture, construction, domestic 
servitude, and other forms of unskilled labor.  Methods used 
include withholding of pay and/or identity documents, such as 
passports.  In order to work legally in a particular region 
 
TASHKENT 00000270  003 OF 014 
 
 
or city, a citizen must register with the local 
administration and obtain a permission stamp in his or her 
passport.  Those living and working in a city without that 
stamp are doing so illegally and are subject to fines, jail 
time, and removal from the city.  Traffickers threaten to 
inform the police of people who are working illegally. This 
is especially true in Tashkent city.  According to IOM, sex 
trafficking most often originates in Tashkent, Bukhara, and 
Samarkand, while labor trafficking originates mainly from 
Karakalpakstan, Surkhandarya and the Ferghana Valley. 
 
The GOU has stated that labor trafficking constitutes the 
majority of cases and that trafficking for sexual 
exploitation has increased.  Information provided by NGOs and 
media reporting suggests that both labor and sexual 
trafficking are increasing, particularly as economic 
conditions deteriorate.  There is anecdotal evidence that in 
many villages with high unemployment most of the men have 
left to work abroad, leaving only the elderly, women, and 
children.  However, there are no comprehensive data 
definitively showing this upward trend.  One high level GOU 
official said that little can be done to stop trafficking 
since, in many cases, people can only find work abroad.  This 
official and others have acknowledged that the stagnation of 
the economy is making the fight against trafficking more 
difficult.  Nonetheless, a high-level official in the 
Ministry of Internal Affairs said in February 2008 that "the 
trafficking-in-persons issue is now on the national agenda." 
 
¶B.  Often traffickers make contacts with the victims through 
family members.  Several victims have said that their friends 
introduced them to recruiters.  Traffickers are also known to 
pose as entrepreneurs and businesspeople.  Agents in 
nightclubs or prostitution rings solicit women, some of whom 
are already engaged in prostitution.  Victims are offered 
jobs and decent salaries relative to low local salaries, and 
victims often believe they will work in restaurants or as 
cleaners.  Labor trafficking victims are typically moved 
across the border to Kazakhstan by bus or truck, or to Russia 
by train, whereas sexual trafficking victims are often given 
plane tickets and are met by their future trafficker upon 
arrival in the destination country.  False documents are 
being used to move some victims, and a main NGO reports that 
Almaty, Kazakhstan is becoming a more common departure point 
by air since officials have increased scrutiny of single, 
female passengers flying out of Tashkent Airport.  Osh, 
Kyrgyzstan is also a common departure point, although NGO 
staff said its use is decreasing. 
 
Government officials have steadily increased cooperation with 
NGOs in fighting TIP during this reporting period.  This is 
evidenced by the extensive participation of Government 
officials in anti-TIP training sessions in all 12 provinces, 
the nationwide educational campaign, and the direct 
cooperation of Government officials with TIP-focused NGOs. 
The Ministry of Internal Affairs has a special criminal 
investigation unit and a criminal prevention unit tasked with 
preventing TIP.  There is a willingness to take action 
against Government officials linked to TIP, especially at the 
lower provincial level where corruption is common. 
Recognizing its own limited resources, the Government is 
willing to make use of others' resources (NGOs and 
international organizations) to fight TIP, and anti-TIP NGOs 
now enjoy a more cooperative, open relationship with the 
Government of Uzbekistan. 
 
The Government inter-agency working group on TIP, formerly 
 
TASHKENT 00000270  004 OF 014 
 
 
supported by the OSCE with INL funding, concluded its work 
upon the completion of its main task to draft comprehensive 
legislation, which as of February 2008 was under 
consideration in parliament.  The National Security Service 
(NSS), which is particularly powerful in Uzbekistan and 
includes the Border Guards, conducted five inter-agency 
meetings to discuss TIP issues in 2007.  The MVD's 
specialized Anti-Trafficking Unit has taken consistent 
measures to fight trafficking.  Officials from the MVD, 
Prosecutor's Office, Ministry of Education, Ministry of 
Health, and Ministry of Labor are also cooperating with NGOs 
in an ongoing public information campaign to raise awareness. 
 The draft national action plan to combat TIP remains with 
the Presidential Apparatus, and government officials noted 
they expect a decree to be issued by the President in 2008 as 
a parallel step to the TIP-specific legislation.  The 
Government continues to direct border guards at airports to 
give more scrutiny to unaccompanied young women traveling to 
the UAE, Turkey, South Korea, Malaysia, and Indonesia; it 
authorizes them to deny such women permission to leave the 
country.  Likewise, the Office of Passports and Exit Visas 
under the MVD has ordered its officers to scrutinize 
applications of young men and women traveling abroad for 
work. 
 
¶C.  The Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD), Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs (MFA), National Security Service (NSS), 
Customs Committee, Ministry of Labor, General Prosecutor's 
Office, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Social Welfare, Oliy 
Majlis (Parliament), and National Women's Affairs Committee 
are all involved in anti-trafficking efforts.  Mahallas 
(traditional neighborhood associations) and 
government-sponsored youth organizations also take part in 
prevention efforts.  The MVD plays the most prominent role as 
the preeminent investigative body and is also responsible for 
issuing exit permits. 
 
¶D.  Government officials addressing the issue of trafficking 
must cope with cultural taboos, corruption, lack of 
resources, and poorly developed criminal investigative 
techniques.  However, progress has been made in overcoming 
cultural taboos in discussing sexual trafficking, and 
officials at both the local and national level now regularly 
address the topic publicly.  Despite concerns that mass labor 
migration could reflect poorly on Uzbekistan,s economic 
conditions, officials now also admit labor trafficking is a 
problem.  Lack of funds greatly limits the Government's 
ability to address TIP.  Even though officials have addressed 
the problem publicly, they lack experience and expertise on 
combating TIP.  However, this is changing as a result of an 
ongoing project funded by the State Department,s Bureau of 
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) and 
implemented by the key anti-TIP NGO in Uzbekistan.  More than 
200 Uzbek law enforcement officials in all 12 provinces 
received training in 2007, and NGOs have already noticed 
increased knowledge about the issue among rank-and-file 
officers and greater sensitivity towards victims.  The MVD 
reports that, nationwide, it has 118 officers working 
specifically on TIP.  These are in turn supported by an 
additional 154 regular police officers working on the issue, 
for a total of 272 dedicated officers.  However, overall 
corruption is believed to be a problem.  The MVD and the 
Prosecutor's Office have both received U.S. Government 
training in criminal investigative techniques, including the 
handling of crime witnesses and victims. 
 
The Government has made an effort to increase the level of 
 
TASHKENT 00000270  005 OF 014 
 
 
support for prevention and education programs.  Government 
officials have been working closely with TIP-focused NGOs 
supported by IOM, USAID, and the State Department,s INL 
Bureau to establish prevention programs.  The Consular 
Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has continued 
to develop an assistance and repatriation program designed to 
make it easier for Uzbek trafficking victims abroad to 
return.  In some cases the time frame for identifying victims 
and issuing certificates of return has been reduced from six 
months to two weeks, thereby eliminating long, unnecessary 
detentions; often this has been the result of close 
cooperation with a local NGO.  A main NGO reported that the 
police, MFA, Consular Department, border guards, and overseas 
diplomatic missions began notifying it of women returning 
from abroad who appeared as if they might be victims of 
trafficking.  The NGO noted that increased cooperation with 
the government over the past year has made it easier to 
operate more effectively.  The NGO is regularly allowed to 
assist groups of women returning from abroad at the airport 
and help them through entry processing.  In Karakalpakstan, 
the MVD has distributed brochures warning of the dangers of 
trafficking and provided other travel-related information to 
all first-time passport recipients.  The brochures are 
available in Russian, Uzbek and Karakalpak. 
 
¶E.  (SBU) The GOU regularly monitors anti-trafficking efforts 
conducted by relevant ministries.  MVD, prosecutors, and MFA 
officials speak publicly about trafficking during speeches, 
news releases, and news conferences.  Often the speeches take 
place during training sessions on combating TIP.  IOM started 
anti-trafficking operations in Tashkent in 2003 through an 
affiliated local NGO.  IOM's local NGO partners operate ten 
TIP-focused hotlines throughout Uzbekistan, which received 
over 17,806 calls in 2007, which is an eight percent increase 
over 2006. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
INVESTIGATION AND PROSECUTION OF TRAFFICKERS 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶A.  The law prohibits all crimes associated with trafficking, 
including trafficking of minors, and provides for penalties 
of five to eight years imprisonment for trafficking-related 
crimes.  At present the Uzbek Criminal Procedure Code 
addresses several trafficking-related offenses.  The most 
common charge is Article 135 (The Recruitment of People for 
Exploitation).  The Government reported that additional 
offenses that have been or can be used in TIP prosecutions 
included Article 137 (Kidnapping); Article 138 (Forced 
Illegal Imprisonment); Article 209 (Official Forgery); 
Article 210 (Reception of Bribe) and Article 211 (Giving of a 
Bribe).  Recruitment for trafficking is punishable by 6 
months to 3 years' imprisonment and fines of up to 
approximately 1,900,000 soum (approximately $1,520).  The 
recruitment charge could be levied against international or 
domestic traffickers.  All law enforcement agencies are 
charged with upholding the anti-trafficking provisions of the 
criminal code.  The current laws are not adequate to cover 
the full scope of TIP, and long-promised specific 
anti-trafficking legislation was finally forwarded from the 
Presidential Apparatus to the lower house of the parliament 
in January 2008.  On February 21, 2008 the lower house 
approved the "first reading" of the draft law, meaning the 
legislative body agreed in principle to the TIP legislation. 
The next step is for the detailed provisions of the draft to 
be examined and possibly modified before a subsequent vote at 
an upcoming plenary session of the parliament. 
 
TASHKENT 00000270  006 OF 014 
 
 
 
¶B.  Trafficking-related crimes come with penalties of between 
five to eight years in prison.  However, under proposed 
amendments to the criminal code submitted to the parliament 
in January 2008, sentences would increase to 10 to 15 years. 
MVD officials have said that these proposed amendments are 
critical to ensuring that convicted traffickers are not 
amnestied.  Typically, amnesties are extended to those 
convicted of crimes carrying prison terms of less than ten 
years.  Under the proposed amendments, therefore, fewer 
traffickers will be amnestied.  MVD officials have expressed 
frustration at convicting traffickers and then seeing them 
amnestied.  Another reason that traffickers receive amnesties 
is because many of them are women, who are much more likely 
to receive an amnesty for their first offense, in accordance 
with Uzbek cultural beliefs.  Numerous press clippings during 
the reporting period show that offenders are indeed being 
punished with sentences of 5-8 years in prison. 
 
¶C.  There are no specific penalties for labor trafficking 
offenses.  However, recruiters using deceptive recruitment 
practices are often prosecuted under other sections of the 
criminal code dealing with trafficking-related crimes. 
Uzbekistan is a major source country, and stories of 
deceptive labor recruiters promising poor Uzbeks lucrative 
jobs 
overseas appear frequently in press articles. 
 
¶D. According to Department of Justice officials, penalties 
for sexual assault in Uzbekistan range from three to seven 
years imprisonment, which is less than the sentences 
typically meted out for trafficking offenders.  Sexual 
assault of a person under 14 years of age is punishable by 15 
to 20 years in prison.  Sexual assault by multiple persons 
carries up to 15 years. 
 
¶E. According to the Uzbek Criminal Code, prostitution per se 
is not criminalized.  However, owning and operating brothels, 
as well as pimping, are criminalized.  Illegal brothels do 
operate in Uzbekistan, but not openly. 
 
¶F. In contrast from previous years, the Government made 
significant efforts to provide detailed trafficking 
prosecution statistics for 2007,. Data was provided via 
official diplomatic correspondence from the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs in Tashkent, the Uzbekistan Embassy in 
Washington, DC, and in person from the Deputy Minister of 
Internal Affairs.  According to the Government, 273 
trafficking cases (involving 303 suspects) were investigated 
in 2007.  The suspects included 161 males and 142 females; 
this is the first time a gender breakdown of trafficking 
offenders was available, and counters previous anecdotal 
evidence that traffickers are predominantly women.  Courts 
subsequently considered 139 cases (involving 185 suspects), 
which in Uzbekistan almost certainly results in a guilty 
verdict. 
 
Many convicted traffickers do not serve complete sentences; 
they are amnestied.  Amnesties are common for those with 
prison terms of less than ten years, especially for women in 
accordance with strong Uzbek cultural beliefs.  Since the 
present trafficking-related sentences range from 5-8 years 
and many convicted traffickers are women, convicted 
traffickers are often eligible to receive amnesties. 
However, Department of Justice officials stress that this is 
not automatic and is only possible for first-time offenders. 
Officials claim that, in the past five years since they 
 
TASHKENT 00000270  007 OF 014 
 
 
tracked the data, there have been no known recidivists.  The 
government provided data on amnesties which indicates 28 
cases (involving 53 traffickers) were given amnesty in 2007, 
including 10 who admitted guilt in the preliminary 
investigation phase, 26 who acknowledged wrongdoing before 
the court, two who were amnestied and released from jail, and 
15 who were amnestied and had jail sentences reduced. 
However, there were far fewer amnesties than court cases, 
which illustrates that, in contrast to previous years, more 
offenders are serving time in prison for 
trafficking-in-persons crimes.  The government reports that, 
as of January 31, 2008, there are 66 trafficking offenders 
incarcerated for violations of Article #135 of the Criminal 
Code (recruiting people for exploitation).  Officials were 
not able to confirm a breakdown showing whether cases were 
for sexual or labor exploitation.  Sometimes amnesties are 
granted immediately and others are granted on a large-scale 
in conjunction with important national holidays or 
milestones, so it is difficult to determine how much of the 
sentence is served before an amnesty is applied. 
 
Previously provided data showed 148 people were convicted for 
TIP-crimes in 2005, which according to the General 
Prosecutor's Office represented a significant increase over 
the three previous years combined (147 total), reflecting the 
emergence of the trafficking-in-persons issue on the law 
enforcement agenda.  In 2005 the MVD registered 250 crimes 
under Article 135, adding that 268 people were detained on 
the basis of these crimes, and that 675 people were 
recognized as victims.  In 2005 the GOU stated that TIP 
activity related to sexual exploitation was growing, as 
evidenced by the fact that 196 of the total number of victims 
that year were sexually exploited. 
 
¶G. The government typically lacks resources and skills to 
provide extensive training; however in February 2008 the 
Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs emphasized that more 
training has recently been added to the curriculum for young 
officers at the training academy and additional courses are 
being developed in response to this recent challenge. 
The MVD expressed its appreciation for ongoing training 
programs provided by the United States (through the State 
Department,s INL Bureau and the Embassy,s Democracy 
Commission Grants) and NGOs (especially the IOM-affiliated 
group Istiqbolli Avlod, which is implementing a two-year INL 
program).  In 2007, Istiqbolli Avlod conducted 10 training 
events for law enforcement officials throughout Uzbekistan 
involving more than 200 officers from MVD Units for Fighting 
Crimes Related to Recruitment of Persons for the Purpose of 
Exploitation, Units for Entry-Exit and Citizenship, and Crime 
Prevention Units.  The General Prosecutor,s Office publicly 
cited these training sessions as contributing to a 35% 
increase in the government,s ability to detect trafficking 
crimes from complaints.  The network of trafficking NGOs 
consistently reported increased awareness among law 
enforcement personnel to the problem and greater sensitivity 
towards victims as a result of these training sessions. 
 
In addition,,various embassies and international 
organizations have also provided training on counter-TIP to 
Uzbek law enforcement officials.  The United Nations Office 
on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) launched a new anti-TIP program 
in March 2008 that includes training for law enforcement 
officers and the OSCE has also proposed a counter-TIP project 
for 2008 that also includes funding support from the State 
Department,s INL Bureau. 
 
 
TASHKENT 00000270  008 OF 014 
 
 
¶H.  The Government has cooperative relationships and 
agreements with several countries and is party to the Minsk 
Convention.  The Government works very closely with Interpol 
Tashkent on combating TIP.  The GOU readily acknowledges that 
it needs more cooperative relationships and agreements with 
countries of destination in order to more effectively 
prosecute trafficking.  MVD officers have expressed strong 
interest in strengthening their relations with counterparts 
in Russia, Kazakhstan, and the UAE.  In the next phase of an 
ongoing INL-funded program, IOM plans to organize meetings to 
help build these connections in 2008. 
 
¶I.  There are no known requests for extradition of accused 
traffickers.  The Government has extradition agreements with 
several countries.  The Government may extradite its citizens 
to another country if there is a bilateral extradition treaty 
in place. 
 
¶J.  The Government is not tolerant of trafficking.  NGOs have 
obtained anecdotal information regarding low level, local 
corruption usually involving forged or fake travel documents 
or marriage certificates. 
 
¶K.  There is no evidence of direct Government involvement in 
trafficking.  However, some Government employees may have 
accepted bribes from traffickers to facilitate their 
operations.  According to unconfirmed information from NGOs, 
local officials have falsified or sold travel documents in 
the past.  These allegations usually involve the issuance of 
exit visas.  In February 2008 a full-page article appeared in 
a prominent state-controlled newspaper describing a 
trafficking-in-persons case.  In a frank admission of 
local-level corruption, the article noted that a trafficking 
conspirator quickly obtained travel documents and permits for 
a female victim that could only have been possible with the 
help of "connections."  The Deputy Minister of Internal 
Affairs said that local level passport officials have been 
given specific instructions to carefully analyze suspicious 
travel plans, especially among first-time applicants.  There 
is scant information from NGOs alleging that, at the local 
level, individual police officers have received bribes from 
traffickers.  In April 2007 the local press reported that a 
Lieutenant Colonel working as an investigator at the Ministry 
of Internal Affairs branch at Tashkent Airport was sentenced 
to ten years in prison for demanding a USD 500 bribe from a 
repatriated victim of trafficking. 
 
¶L.  Uzbekistan does not contribute troops to international 
peace-keeping efforts. 
 
¶M.  Uzbekistan does not have an identified child sex tourism 
problem.  It is difficult for individual tourist visitors to 
obtain tourist visas and, if they do and visit Uzbekistan, 
there are onerous registration requirements once in the 
country.  Flights to Uzbekistan are also expensive and 
sporadic, and a strong cultural emphasis on family honor make 
it an unlikely child sex tourism destination. 
 
------------------------------------ 
PROTECTION AND ASSISTANCE TO VICTIMS 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶A.  Uzbekistan is mainly a source country for trafficking and 
NGOs have reported almost no foreign trafficking victims who 
ended up in Uzbekistan.  A strict visa regime, even for 
transit passengers, and inconvenient, expensive flight 
networks also make Uzbekistan an impractical transit point. 
 
TASHKENT 00000270  009 OF 014 
 
 
 
¶B.  The Government has provided only limited direct support 
to trafficking victims within Uzbekistan.  Government data 
indicates that in 2007 the National Security Service (NSS) 
provided assistance to 40 trafficking victims who 
participated in investigations; their testimonies led to 23 
convictions.  The Government lacks funding for sustained 
support to individual victims.  There are two shelters in 
Uzbekistan that support trafficking victims, one in the 
capital Tashkent and one in Bukhara.  Both are currently 
funded by USAID and operated by IOM through the local NGO 
Istiqbolli Avlod.  The Government previously told the Embassy 
that it is interested in investigating the possibility of 
supporting Tashkent's shelter for victims of trafficking, but 
this has not materialized.  The Foreign Ministry assists 
victims in returning to Uzbekistan from abroad by providing 
passports or travel documents at no cost to stranded victims. 
 Airport police contact a women's NGO in Tashkent when they 
identify suspected trafficking victims or in cases of the 
return of known female deportees from abroad.  The Tashkent 
shelter has housed 286 victims since it opened in 2004 and 
also offers legal, psychological, medical, and career 
development assistance.  The Tashkent shelter assisted 88 
victims in 2007 alone.  The Bukhara shelter has served 59 
victims since opening during 2006, including 34 in 2007. 
NGOs describe an urgent need for additional victim shelters 
in the remote northwest Autonomous Republic of 
Karakalpakstan, as well as in the Ferghana Valley. 
 
¶C. The Government lacks funding for widespread support for 
victims, although officials said that provincial governors 
have been tasked to provide employment opportunities for 
returned traffickers.  It is unlikely that such efforts are 
extensive thus far, but this is a prelude to formal 
requirements that are included in the draft national action 
plan, which officials expect to be implemented as a 
Presidential decree concurrent with the passage of the draft 
legislation.  There was no funding support provided to 
international NGOs, although the government has supported 
awareness campaigns conducted by local NGOs and 
neighborhood-level groups. 
 
¶D. The NGO Istiqbolli Avlod ("Future Generation"), as well as 
IOM, are in regular contact with Consular and airport 
officials regarding returning TIP victims.  As a result of 
improved government cooperation and sensitivity, their staffs 
are regularly allowed into restricted areas to greet and 
assist returning victims.  Since the opening of the Tashkent 
victims' shelter in December 2004, IOM has provided victims 
with more long-term assistance.  IOM and Istiqbolli Avlod 
reported assisting 477 trafficking victims in 2007 who 
returned to Uzbekistan.  IOM officials are also in regular 
contact with Uzbek consular officials in the UAE, Thailand, 
Turkey, Malaysia and China.  NGOs have reported improved 
cooperation from the Uzbek Ministry of Foreign Affairs 
through its consular missions abroad in providing timely 
documents.  A series of USAID-funded hotlines received 17,806 
calls in 2007, an eight percent increase from 2006. 
 
¶E.  While there are no official laws outlawing prostitution 
per se, Uzbek law prohibits brothels and pimping.  Illegal 
brothel operations are small and localized, and there is no 
known problem of foreign sex workers working in Uzbekistan. 
Visa requirements are very strict to enter the country and, 
once here, there are stringent internal registration and 
monitoring requirements that affect all foreigners. 
 
 
TASHKENT 00000270  010 OF 014 
 
 
¶F.  Trafficking victims are not jailed or prosecuted upon 
their return to Uzbekistan.  Upon arrival, victims are 
typically allowed a few days to rest before filing police 
reports.  However, victims are requested to sign 
documentation in instances when they departed the country 
illegally, but they are immediately amnestied and not charged 
with this crime.  The Prosecutor's Office and the MVD have 
reported that they recognize the importance of not treating 
victims as criminals, and one high-level official noted that 
"it would just make a bad situation worse."  Various training 
sessions, which emphasize the victim-based approach, have 
also allowed investigation-level officers to see the value of 
the victim,s testimony. 
 
¶G.  The Government has increasingly encouraged victims to 
give statements and assist with investigations.  MVD 
officials have made clear that voluntary cooperation of 
victims is critical to building trafficking cases.  Victims 
may seek civil redress, file civil suits, and/or seek legal 
action against traffickers.  There are no formal programs in 
place to effectively protect victims who might be material 
witnesses.  There is no victim restitution program.  NGOs 
reported that, as a result of training programs, 
investigating officers are more sensitive to victims compared 
to previous years, when the prevailing attitude was that they 
"got what they deserved."  Furthermore, authorities have 
started to permit attorneys who work with the NGOs to sit in 
on depositions, which substantially increases victims' 
comfort level in participating in investigations and reminds 
officers to be considerate.  Nonetheless, during a recent 
visit to the trafficking shelter in Tashkent, an NGO official 
noted that a majority of the victims present were too 
ashamed, emotional, or frightened to cooperate with police 
requests to assist in investigations. 
 
¶H.  The Government provides minimal protection to victims or 
witnesses.  Government officials have visited one NGO's 
office and provided guidance to returned victims about 
answering the phone and questions from strangers.  An MVD 
officer has also provided victims with his cellular phone 
number to call in case of an emergency.  Most long-term 
victim support is provided by the USAID-funded shelters in 
Tashkent and Bukhara. 
 
¶I.  According to the Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, the 
Government has tried to improve training to recognize 
trafficking victims, especially to young officers studying in 
the training academy.  The chief of the MVD,s anti-TIP unit 
added that they are still responding to the recent challenges 
posed by this "young crime."  The Government regularly 
provided in-kind contributions for training, such as venues 
and transportation for NGO representatives.  IOM officials 
speak with Uzbek Consuls abroad at least once a week. 
 
¶J.  The Government provides little financial assistance to 
repatriated nationals who are victims of trafficking.  The 
government does, however, assist victims in returning to 
Uzbekistan. According to Uzbek law, girls under the age of 18 
qualify for assistance during repatriation, but the sums are 
small. 
 
¶K.  NGOs working with trafficking victims include IOM, which 
operates through its local affiliated NGO Istiqbolli Avlod. 
This NGO in turn has a network of 10 regional NGOs around the 
country.  According to July 2007 data, IOM provided airfare 
to return 477 victims to Uzbekistan from various countries 
and had registered 659 trafficking cases involving Uzbek 
 
TASHKENT 00000270  011 OF 014 
 
 
victims.  With USAID support, IOM provides two shelters for 
victims staffed by a full-time doctor and psychologist and 
part-time trainers to assist them in their repatriation.  The 
Tashkent shelter has assisted 286 victims since opening in 
2004, and the Bukhara shelter has assisted 59 victims since 
its 2006 opening.  The Embassy Democracy Commission also 
supported three counter-TIP projects through local partners, 
including a women,s NGO which organized a series of 
vocational trainings and to prevent trafficking; a group of 
young journalists who designed an Uzbek language website that 
regularly posts articles on human trafficking, exploitation 
of children, and unemployment; and an NGO which provides free 
legal consultations to labor migrants and advice on how to 
prevent themselves from becoming TIP victims.  Cooperation 
between certain local NGOs and the local authorities remains 
strong; IOM and other TIP-focused NGOs are in close, regular 
contact with GOU officials, meeting returning victims at the 
airport and assisting them with their readjustment. 
 
------------------- 
PREVENTION 
------------------- 
 
¶A.  The GOU continued to repeatedly acknowledge in public 
forums that, as a recent global challenge, TIP exists and is 
a problem in Uzbekistan.  It has done this during press 
conferences, as well as at anti-TIP training seminars and 
conferences.  The Government has emphasized that TIP problems 
are just as serious as in surrounding countries that fared 
better on previous versions of the TIP report, especially 
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,and Georgia.  The Government believes 
that the focus should also be on transit and destination 
countries, and that more effective multilateral mechanisms 
are needed for combating trafficking. 
 
¶B.  In 2007 there was an increase in newspaper articles, 
television programs, and radio shows discussing trafficking 
in persons.  According to government-provided data, there 
were 360 counter-TIP articles printed in newspapers and 
magazines; close monitoring of daily press clips confirmed 
that more attention has been devoted to the topic, including 
a front-page article when an embassy officer met with the 
Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs to update this report. 
The government also reported that MVD officers participated 
in 184 radio speeches to raise awareness about TIP in 2007 
and that 793 television segments were aired throughout the 
country.  Ministry of Foreign Affairs representatives 
attended an embassy-sponsored screening of an American 
TIP-themed film in the summer of 2007 and expressed interest 
in broadcasting it on Uzbek national television (however, the 
Department reported that the U.S. network would not grant 
copyright permission).  However, the Embassy received 
permission to distribute copies of the film to NGOs 
throughout the country, which are using it in local in-house 
awareness-raising efforts.  The National Security Service 
(NSS) also produced videos describing how TIP criminal groups 
operate, which were broadcast on state-run media. 
 
The state radio also continued airing awareness campaigns 
that are sponsored jointly by the MVD and IOM, particularly 
in the regions.  Regional television stations worked with 
NGOs to air informational public service announcements (PSAs) 
regarding the dangers of TIP and to advertise ten regional 
TIP hotlines run by the NGOs.  An NGO in Surkhandarya 
received an Embassy Democracy Commission grant to conduct 
radio PSAs raising awareness about trafficking.  A group in 
Tashkent also received Democracy Commission funds to 
 
TASHKENT 00000270  012 OF 014 
 
 
establish a website that often includes articles on human 
trafficking and exploitation.  A different NGO outside of 
Tashkent used Democracy Commission funds to support free 
legal consultations to labor migrants and provided advice 
about how to avoid becoming a victim of human trafficking. 
The Government likewise cooperated with NGOs and allowed them 
to place posters warning about the dangers of TIP on public 
buses, passport offices, in subway cars, and consular 
sections abroad.  USAID provided funding support for these 
public informational campaigns.  The Government has likewise 
paid to translate these posters into the Karakalpak language 
and distribute them for those living in the westernmost 
region of Uzbekistan.  The Government permitted NGOs to 
advertise ten regional TIP hotlines on local television 
stations.  As a result of these awareness campaigns, IOM's 
ten USAID-funded hotlines received a total of 17,806 calls 
during 2007, representing an eight percent increase over 
¶2006.  The majority of these calls were inquiries about 
employment abroad, and IOM sources said that about 10% of 
callers specified trafficking in their calls.  The GOU also 
jointly runs awareness programs in schools and colleges. 
Many schools have cooperated with a local NGO to hold summer 
camps on raising awareness of trafficking. 
 
The GOU formed "coordinating units" in Nukus, Termez, Jizzak, 
Navoi, Bukhara, Samarkand, and Syrdarya Provinces, and a 
joint unit for Namangan and Andijon Provinces.  These units 
combine the efforts of NGOs and the government and include 
representatives from the MVD, Ministry of Health, Ministry of 
Education, Ministry of Labor, Prosecutor's Office, and local 
NGOs.  Religious leaders in Jizzak Province have also been 
trained to speak out against trafficking in persons.  Imams 
have mentioned the dangers of trafficking during Friday 
prayers. 
 
¶C.  The relationship between GOU officials, NGOs, and other 
civil society elements improved substantially in 2007. 
Istiqbolli Avlod attributed a better working relationship to 
its strong, sustained efforts to make inroads with the 
government, and the INL-funded trainings have helped build 
mutual trust and a working relationship.  As the government 
has increasingly admitted the prevalence of the TIP problem 
in Uzbekistan, it has encouraged NGOs to do more and relied 
on them to provide support services to victims that are not 
offered by the government.  The government, which has been 
suspicious of international NGOs with foreign funding 
streams, seems to have accepted the positive role anti-TIP 
NGOs play. 
 
¶D. Uzbekistan carefully monitors the whereabouts of its 
citizens within the country, but it does not have extensive 
records of actual outmigration.  However, all citizens 
wishing to depart the country (with the exception of some CIS 
countries, including Kazakhstan) must obtain an exit permit 
stamp in their passports.  MVD officials note that next- 
generation passport technology will improve its capacity to 
track migration data.  Uzbekistan will start rolling out new 
biometric passports in 2008 and intends to complete the 
project by 2011, when a majority of old passports are 
scheduled to expire.  There are resources budgeted to provide 
the necessary data collection equipment to all border posts 
as part of a multi-year project.  Border guards have been 
instructed to screen for trafficking victims at key exit 
points.  Authorities have reportedly been very successful at 
Tashkent Airport, but the large number of northbound migrants 
crossing the land borders with Kazakhstan make it difficult 
for authorities to identify potential trafficking victims. 
 
TASHKENT 00000270  013 OF 014 
 
 
 
¶E.  Inter-agency cooperation on TIP issues appears to be 
limited.  A previous inter-agency working group developed 
draft legislation that is currently in the parliament but 
disbanded once the draft was completed.  The MVD is mainly 
responsible for anti-TIP activities within the country, and 
it does have a special unit which coordinates the Ministry,s 
activities throughout the country.  On a multilateral basis a 
Central Asia Regional Information Center (CARICC) was 
established in late 2007 which, despite its counter-narcotics 
focus, is expected to facilitate anti-TIP cooperation between 
law enforcement agencies in the region.  There is no public 
corruption task force in Uzbekistan. 
 
¶F.  The Government has developed a draft national action plan 
on TIP, which it plans to implement as a Presidential decree 
concurrent with the expected passage of its new anti-TIP 
legislation.  The MVD, NSS, MFA, Ministry of Labor, Ministry 
of Health, Supreme Court, Ministry of Education, General 
Prosecutor's Office, and NGOs were involved in its 
development.  However the draft is under review at the 
Presidential Apparatus, and has not been finalized or signed. 
 Amendments which would strengthen Article 135 of the 
Criminal Code (The Recruitment of People for Exploitation) 
were submitted to the Presidential Apparatus in summer 2005 
and finally forwarded to the parliament in early 2008. 
 
¶G.  The Government of Uzbekistan has made substantial efforts 
during the reporting period to implement its own awareness 
campaign by dedicating time on state-controlled media to 
anti-trafficking public announcements featuring law 
enforcement officials.  According to government data there 
were 184 radio broadcasts and 793 television spots throughout 
the country.  The target audience is generally potential sex 
trafficking victims.  The government also supports awareness 
efforts conducted by NGOs by permitting the use of space in 
public places and transportation for awareness-raising 
brochures and posters, many of which include information 
about the USAID-supported network of hotlines.  Uzbekistan is 
a source country, and those who form the demand for Uzbek 
victims of forced labor are located abroad. 
 
¶H.  Not applicable 
 
¶I.  Not applicable 
 
-------------- 
TIP Heroes 
-------------- 
 
¶A.  Post is pleased to nominate Ms. Liliya Khamzaeva as an 
anti-trafficking hero for inclusion in the 2008 report.  Ms. 
Khamzaeva has worked as the Program Assistant at the Uzbek 
NGO Istiqbolli Avlod for more than four years and has been 
instrumental in raising the profile of the trafficking in 
persons issue in Uzbekistan.  Ms. Khamzaeva, who 
speaks fluent English, has worked tirelessly to liaise with 
international organizations and prepare documentation for 
Uzbek trafficking victims to return from abroad.  Istiqbolli 
Avlod, in parternship with IOM, helps victims to return from 
abroad, provides shelter and support services, and conducts 
awareness campaigns for the general public and 
government officials.  Ms. Khamzaeva contributed to a 
successful INL-funded project that trained 200 law 
enforcement officers on human trafficking in 10 sessions 
around the country in 2007, which high-ranking government 
officials already acknowledged had an immediate impact on 
 
TASHKENT 00000270  014 OF 014 
 
 
field-level law enforcement effectiveness in the struggle 
against 
trafficking.  She traveled to the United States last year as 
part of an International Visitors Program which focused on 
anti-trafficking, and she has applied her experience abroad 
to develop new strategies and proposals which will diversify 
the NGO,s activities.  Ms. Khamzaeva is highly dedicated to 
her work and is a valuable resource in a country that has 
only recently begun to grasp the seriousness of the human 
trafficking problem. 
 
¶B.  Post is also pleased to nominate Ms. Muratova Makokhat, a 
lawyer working at the local anti-trafficking NGO Istiqbolli 
Avlod.  For five years she has represented the interests of 
repatriated victims testifying in Uzbek courts, which can be 
an intimidating experience.  Ms. Makokhat also regularly 
meets returning victims at the Tashkent Airport and at the 
land border with Kazakshtan, where she facilitates their 
entry and escorts them to the shelter services.  She has 
personally visited immigration prisons in the UAE twice, 
where she has assisted in efforts to identify and interview 
victims and help prepare and expedite repatriation documents 
on their behalf.  Ms. Makokhat has also traveled to 
Kazakhstan upon the request of victims, family members to 
work directly with Kazakh law enforcement officials to secure 
the release and return of trafficking victims.  She is also 
involved in training Uzbek law enforcement officers as part 
of an ongoing INL-funded program, which has already been 
credited with raising awareness about the problem and 
increasing sensitivity towards victims.  We salute Ms. 
Makokhat,s efforts and are honored to nominate her as a hero 
for this year,s Trafficking in Persons Report. 
 
--------------- 
Best Practices 
---------------- 
 
The Uzbek NGO Istiqbolli Avlod has been at the forefront of 
efforts to address the trafficking in persons problem in 
Uzbekistan.  The number one destination for female victims of 
sexual exploitation is the United Arab Emirates (UAE); many 
victims violate visa and immigration requirements and end up 
incarcerated and too afraid to even acknowledge their 
nationality.  Officials from Istiqbolli Avlod began making 
multiple trips to the UAE each year to build connections with 
local authorities and directly identify Uzbek victims in 
detention facilities.  NGO staff reach out to victims in 
their native languages (Uzbek or Russian) and provide 
assurances that they will help them expeditiously return home 
without serious legal consequences.  This has in turn placed 
more burden on the only two shelters in the country but has 
resulted in more victims obtaining assistance.  The NGO staff 
has also worked hard to make inroads with Uzbek consular 
staff in the UAE and officials at the airport in Tashkent to 
help get victims home as efficiently as possible.  This 
innovative approach to identify and reach out to victims in 
the destination country could be a useful model for 
anti-trafficking organizations in other parts of the world. 
NORLAND