VZCZCXRO8596
RR RUEHIK RUEHPOD RUEHYG
DE RUEHNT #0987/01 2390857
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 260857Z AUG 08
FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0209
INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT 4307
RUEHTA/AMEMBASSY ASTANA 0521
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK 4924
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0780
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0547
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 0803
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 4508
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 2800
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 0819
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 7561
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1458
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 2762
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC 0360
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC 0211

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TASHKENT 000987 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR G/TIP MEGAN HALL; SCA FOR JESSICA MAZZONE; INL FOR 
ANDREW BUHLER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KCRM KWMN UZ
SUBJECT: UZBEKISTAN: HUMAN TRAFFICKING A HOT TOPIC IN 
STATE-CONTROLLED PRESS 
 
REF: A. TASHKENT 900 
     ¶B. TASHKENT 787 
     ¶C. TASHKENT 769 
 
SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED -- PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary:  The Government of Uzbekistan is off to a 
fast start in implementing its new anti-trafficking national 
action plan as five of 12 provinces plus Tashkent City have 
already formed and convened mandated local inter-agency 
committees to discuss prevention and protection measures. 
The state-run Women's Committee of Uzbekistan also held a 
roundtable on August 20 with high-level official 
participation.  State-controlled media reported each 
provincial anti-TIP meeting, the workshop, and several new 
cases in separate press articles.  A key anti-trafficking NGO 
is delighted by the pace of change on the issue but worries 
the Government of Uzbekistan may get ahead of itself.  The 
Ministry of Foreign Affairs also delivered an unsolicited 
response to the 2008 TIP Report on Uzbekistan, which we see 
as a positive sign the Uzbeks are taking the issue seriously. 
 End summary. 
 
Provincial-level Committees Form Quickly 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) Per ref A, pursuant to the new comprehensive anti-TIP 
law, Uzbekistan adopted a national action plan which mandated 
the creation of both national and provincial level 
inter-agency committees to address TIP issues.  Following 
quickly on the heels of the first national inter-agency 
meeting on July 24, state-controlled press published articles 
confirming that five of the 12 provinces (plus Tashkent City) 
have already formed and convened inter-agency committees. 
Meetings in Tashkent City and Jizzakh were reported on August 
5; similar articles on August 12 confirmed that committees 
convened in Syrdaryo and Kashkadaryo Provinces; and on August 
15 there was a story on the kickoff meeting in Surkhandaryo 
Province.  Key anti-trafficking NGO Istiqbolli Avlod 
confirmed that the Samarqand committee has convened as well. 
 
 
Women's Roundtable 
------------------ 
 
¶3. (U) The state Women's Committee of Uzbekistan held a 
roundtable on August 20 in Tashkent which was attended by 
high-level government officials (with active leadership by 
Deputy Prosecutor-General Alisher Sharafutdinov) and covered 
in the press.  Nodira Karimova, Director of the NGO 
Istiqbolli Avlod, told poloff that despite numerous 
trafficking-themed forums, conferences, and workshops held 
this year, this one was notable in that it was organized by 
the government without an international co-sponsor.  She 
added that it contributed to the rising awareness of the 
problem in Uzbekistan and drove home the message that the 
Government of Uzbekistan is actively trying to address the 
issue.  The main discussions focused on the provision of 
"socio-legal and medical help" for victims. 
 
New TIP Cases Reported 
---------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) Uzbek newspapers also reported several new cases of 
human trafficking in recent weeks, continuing the trend of 
increasing openness and coverage of trafficking in persons 
cases (ref B).  According to a July 24 article in Huquq, a 
Russian citizen who promised a Ferghana woman a job as a 
waitress in a Malaysian hotel was arrested while seeing the 
would-be victim off at Tashkent Airport.  The same 
publication, produced by the Office of the General 
 
TASHKENT 00000987  002 OF 003 
 
 
Prosecutor, reported that a Tohir Ravshanov was charged with 
human trafficking after allegedly promising work to three men 
in Kazakhstan but instead sold them to a Kazakh citizen for 
USD 400 each.  The men "had to work for free" for a month 
before managing to return home, where they alerted 
authorities. 
 
¶5. (U) The website of the state-run Uzbekistan National News 
Agency (uza.uz) reported on August 5 that 10 criminal TIP 
cases have been filed in Jizzakh Province since the beginning 
of the year, adding that those who "committed such crimes 
with the aim of making easy money have been strictly punished 
for their deeds." 
 
¶6. (U) The Ministry of Justice's publication, Inson va Qonun, 
reported on August 5 that three members of an Uzbek criminal 
group were arrested on March 26 after "adding a psychotropic 
substance" to the soft drinks of five Uzbek women and selling 
them for USD 250 in Kazakhstan, where they were forced to 
work as prostitutes.  The investigation is still ongoing. 
 
Too Much of a Good Thing? 
------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) Karimova told poloff that she and fellow 
anti-trafficking activists are delighted by the pace of 
progress in Uzbekistan, and they could not have imagined the 
government would move so quickly and energetically to 
implement the new law.  Yet Karimova (please protect) also 
expressed concern that the government may be getting ahead of 
itself, and that there may be too many big changes too 
quickly without sufficient organizational capacity to 
properly implement them.  She said there is a need to make 
sure the significance of all the major developments of the 
past few months -- the new law, adoption of the UN Protocol 
(ref C), the national action plan, inter-agency committees, 
and results of several workshops -- filters down to local 
level officials.  Some local officials were still unaware of 
what the law even said, Karimova reported, which prompted her 
to produce reference booklets for local officials as part of 
an ongoing INL-funded project.  (Note:  This project has had 
a major impact and we support her idea to provide more 
in-depth training to law enforcement officials throughout the 
country.  End note.)  She also mentioned that high-level 
policymakers may believe they have done their part and they 
may not pay attention to TIP long enough to fine-tune the 
laws as shortcomings are identified. 
 
¶8. (SBU) Karimova is also unsure about the future of shelters 
according to the new Uzbek law, which specifies that they 
should be supported with public funds.  She said the only 
examples of publicly operated shelters that she is aware of 
are in Belarus and Moldova (with plans in Azerbaijan as 
well), which she believes are not successful models. 
Karimova added (please protect) that Uzbekistan, which has a 
bare-bones social service system in the best of situations, 
"is not ready" to administer shelters; therefore, she hopes 
the government will not rush to put an ineffective structure 
in place. 
 
Uzbek Response to TIP Report 
---------------------------- 
 
¶9. (U) On August 7 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a 
diplomatic note to the Embassy "to state the Government of 
Uzbekistan's position with respect to recommendations" in the 
2008 TIP Report.  The note reiterated Uzbekistan's efforts to 
ratify ILO Conventions 138 and 182, adding that child labor 
"is not mandatory...but is an additional support in family 
farms."  Concerning the need to improve data collection, the 
MFA note reminded that "until recently the country did not 
 
TASHKENT 00000987  003 OF 003 
 
 
have separate laws on criminal aspects of TIP."  Changes are 
underway, it assured, including more strict punishments once 
the criminal code is revised.  The note also described plans 
for greater assistance to victims and more public awareness 
campaigns.  (Note:  We will forward the full text of the 
translated note to G/TIP.  End note.) 
 
Comment: 
-------- 
 
¶10. (U) The Government of Uzbekistan has decided that 
trafficking in persons is a hot issue, and the abundance of 
press articles on recent arrests and new anti-TIP activities 
are playing a positive role.  The Uzbeks made a surprisingly 
fast start out of the gate since the release of the 2008 TIP 
Report, and the unsolicited response from the Ministry of 
Foreign Affairs demonstrates Uzbekistan's determination to 
solidify its hold on Tier 2 on next year's edition. 
 
BUTCHER