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RR RUEHAST RUEHBI RUEHCI RUEHDBU RUEHIK RUEHLH RUEHLN RUEHPOD RUEHPW
RUEHSK RUEHSL RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHNT #1603/01 3351153
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 011153Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY TASHKENT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1582
INFO ALL SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIA COLLECTIVE
CIS COLLECTIVE
NATO EU COLLECTIVE
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0063
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 0256
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 06 TASHKENT 001603 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM ELAB PGOV KTIP UZ
SUBJECT: Uzbekistan: TIP Update: Trends and Tactics 
 
REF: 2009 STATE 100928; 2009 TASHKENT 1549 
 
¶1.       (SBU) Summary:  From early October to mid-November, poloff 
has had several meetings with government officials, NGO leaders, 
and representatives from the human rights community to discuss 
trends in trafficking, as well as anti-trafficking efforts.  The 
GOU continues to prioritize traditional TIP issues, addressing 
prevention, protection, and persecution in the areas of sex and 
labor trafficking, and working productively with the leading 
anti-TIP NGO, Istikbolli Avlod.  It does not consider 
state-organized forced labor in the cotton sector as a form of 
human trafficking.  End summary. 
 
 
 
Trends in Trafficking 
 
------------------------ 
 
 
 
¶2.       (SBU) Violence Against Central Asians:  Violence in Russia 
against Central Asians is a growing concern for both victims of 
labor trafficking and legal migrant workers.  Shukrat Ganiev, a 
human rights analyst from the Bukhara district, reported that in 
October, six caskets arrived in Bukhara from Moscow, where migrants 
were killed in violence between the Armenian and Russian Orthodox 
Communities and the Uzbek Community.  Oliya Ilmuradova, the 
director of a local TIP NGO in Surhandaryo Province, reported that 
most of the labor migrants from Surhandaryo are still heading to 
Russia, but due to both the increased number of hate crimes and the 
decline in available jobs in Moscow, many are going to smaller 
cities in the east. 
 
 
 
¶3.       (SBU) Orphans at Greater Risk:  Representatives from NGOs 
and the GOU exhibit a growing concern that young adults (primarily 
women) who grow up in orphanages are particularly vulnerable to 
becoming victims of trafficking.  With no family or community 
support network, they are easy prey for people offering 
opportunities and money elsewhere.  Bukhara analyst Ganiev lamented 
the fact that there is no real mechanism to protect children in 
Uzbekistan, and stressed that a juvenile justice system is needed 
that can help to address the problem. 
 
 
 
¶4.       (SBU) Corruption:  Corruption is a significant factor in 
trafficking.  Analyst Ganiev accused border guards and low-level 
officials in Uzbekistan, Russia, and Kazakhstan of complicity with 
human traffickers, stating that they take bribes in return for 
allowing easy transit.  He believes that clamping down on the 
corruption would stop the money flow, which he claims is 
inextricably linked to the narcotics trade originating in 
Afghanistan. 
 
 
 
GOU Prevention Efforts 
 
----------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶5.       (SBU) Outreach:  The Deputy Minister of Labor Shukhrat 
Saidov reported that over the past few years, the MoL has conducted 
an active outreach campaign, hosting round table discussions, 
funding television and radio broadcasts, and placing articles in 
the print media, as well as posting billboards and distributing 
brochures.  Saidov stated that the Agency for External Foreign 
Migration (under the MoL) provides weekly training sessions for 
people going abroad, in an effort to educate them of their rights 
and responsibilities.   In addition, the MoL is in the process of 
conducting a social poll to monitor trafficking, and based on the 
results, will hold additional regional seminars on prevention. 
Head of the Agency for External Foreign Labor Migration (under the 
MoL) Gafurjon Usmanov reported that he works closely with tv, 
 
TASHKENT 00001603  002 OF 006 
 
 
radio, and newspapers on anti-TIP campaigns in an effort to inform 
citizens of the law.  His office also conducts seminars with the 
help of local hokims (city administrators), mahallas 
(neighborhood-level administrators), and the country's Women's 
Committee; and administers two hotlines that are available for 
reporting trafficking.  Reports can also come in through the 
agency's website.  The General Prosecutor's Office, while generally 
focused on prosecutions, also produces pamphlets for border guards 
to distribute, and is looking for other creative ways to educate 
the public, such as by talking with movie producers about how they 
present TIP problems. 
 
 
 
¶6.       (SBU) Biometric Passports:  Deputy Prosecutor General 
Alisher Sharafutdinov reported that the development of a new 
biometric passport may help to to prevent trafficking.  He states 
that the new passport, which is only in the development stages now, 
will allow better monitoring of migration trends and improve the 
social support for migrants.  Civil society representatives are 
hopeful that it will also cut down on corruption of border guards, 
who will not be able to easily accept a passport that does not 
belong to the traveler. 
 
 
 
¶7.       (SBU) Tracking Database:  Nodir Kurbanov, the Head of the 
Trafficking Unit in the Ministry of InternaI Affairs (MIA), 
reported that the MIA is completing a joint project with the UNODC, 
started in 2007, of creating a specialized database of trafficking 
cases.  He hopes to complete the database this year, and to be able 
to use it to track TIP trends starting in early 2010. 
 
 
 
Protection:  Rehabilitation Center Opened 
 
--------------------------------------------- ------ 
 
¶8.       (SBU) On November 8, the Ministry of Labor opened the 
long-awaited Republican Rehabilitation Center in Tashkent, a 
victims center that will accommodate 30 people and will provide 
services to both men and women.  The Center has a large nursing 
staff, but also employs one psychologist, one lawyer, and one 
social worker to assist victims with finding employment.  (Note: 
Nodira Karimova, director of the leading anti-TIP NGO in 
Uzbekistan, believes that the Center will be more of a medical 
institution than a traditional shelter that addresses the needs of 
victims holistically.  Nevertheless, the Center fills a gap in 
services, as the two other existing NGO-run shelters do not 
accommodate male victims.) 
 
 
 
¶9.       (SBU) Deputy Minister Saidov reported that after the GOU 
has some experience with the Rehabilitation Center, it hopes to 
open regional centers for TIP victims, perhaps in the Ferghana 
Valley, the Samarkand/Bukhara area, or Navoi.  The location of the 
next facility will depend on the number of reported cases from each 
region. 
 
 
 
Prosecution 
 
--------------- 
 
¶10.   (SBU) Interagency Commission Activities:  Deputy Prosecutor 
General Sharafutdinov is the senior prosecutor responsible for 
trafficking issues, and chairs the Interagency Commission that 
addresses TIP.  The Commission is currently working on 
recommendations for the Supreme Court to ensure that TIP-related 
crimes are properly classified as such.  It also works to improve 
law enforcement, to improve relations with NGOs, and to increase 
the professionalism of people working in the field.  The 
Commission's next meeting, scheduled for the end of the year, will 
address what still needs to be done to fully implement the National 
Action Plan against TIP. 
 
TASHKENT 00001603  003 OF 006 
 
 
¶11.   (SBU) Staffing Increases:  Kurbanov reported an increase in 
attention to TIP issues, illustrated by an increase in the number 
of personnel devoted to TIP issues.  Staffing in Tashkent has 
increased from eight to sixteen and in Samarkand from six to 
thirteen.  He reported that the total number of people throughout 
the country now monitoring TIP cases is 134. 
 
 
 
¶12.   (SBU) Fewer Amnesty Possibilities:  A common TIP-related 
problem in years past was that first-time TIP offenders were 
eligible for amnesty, and often did not serve full prison terms. 
Sharafutdinov reported that that loophole has been narrowed.  He 
explained that now, fewer TIP offenders are eligible to apply for 
amnesty due to mitigating circumstances.  Currently, women, minors, 
foreign nationals, and those suffering from serious health problems 
may apply.  If a trafficker is a repeat offender or if the damages 
to the victim(s) are quite severe, the trafficker is not eligible 
for amnesty despite any mitigating circumstances. 
 
 
 
¶13.   (SBU) 2009 Cases:  Kurbanov reported that between January and 
September 2009, 959 TIP cases have been opened.  Of those, 318 have 
been in sex trafficking, and 641 labor trafficking. 
 
 
 
Increased International Cooperation 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶14.   (SBU) The MIA's Kurbanov reported that several officials have 
participated in study trips this year to France, Italy, the UAE, 
and Moldova, in coordination with the UNODC and OSCE.  He reported 
good working relations with counterparts in Russia, Azerbaijan, and 
Kazakhstan, as well as with law enforcement in the UAE. 
 
 
 
¶15.   (SBU) Nodira Karimova, director of the leading anti-TIP NGO 
in Uzbekistan, also noted improved international and cross-border 
cooperation, but still sees it as an area with potential for major 
advances.  She described a case in July this year in which her 
office served as an intermediary between the Uzbek Embassy in 
India, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Internal Affairs in 
Uzbekistan, and officials in India.  The parties worked together 
both to get the victims in India repatriated and to get the 
traffickers returned for prosecution.  Kurbanov pointed to the same 
case as an example of successful international cooperation. 
 
 
 
¶16.   (SBU) Coordination with the UAE:  The UAE remains one of the 
leading destination points for trafficked Uzbek women and girls. 
Kurbanov stated that a study trip to the UAE this year resulted in 
increased cooperation with law enforcement, and a successful 
repatriation of several Uzbek girls. Currently, when the UAE 
informs the Uzbek MFA that Uzbek girls are being held, the MFA 
tells the Ministry of Internal Affairs.  MIA then works directly 
with the UAE to get the Uzbek citizens out quickly. 
 
 
 
The View from the Leading TIP NGO 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶17.   (SBU) Cooperation with the GOU and other Partners: 
Istikbolli Avlod is the leading local NGO addressing trafficking in 
persons in Uzbekistan, and the local implementing partner of the 
International Office for Migration (IOM).  Its director, Nodira 
Karimova, has been a force for change in how the government and law 
enforcement address TIP issues.  Karimova described the progress 
made in training law enforcement to identify both victims of 
 
TASHKENT 00001603  004 OF 006 
 
 
trafficking and the traffickers themselves, as well as an upcoming 
project to train customs officers and to expand a victim referral 
program.  She also discussed partnering with local churches to 
support victims, and training local imams to address attitudes 
toward victims.  Karimova described productive relationships 
between her organization and the various relevant ministries and 
law enforcement groups, and expressed her amazement about how much 
progress has been made in the past few years on TIP issues.  She 
also expressed her opinion that all border guards should be 
provided with victim identification training. 
 
 
 
¶18.   (SBU) Shelters for Victims:  Istikbolli Avlod runs two 
shelters for victims of TIP - one in Tashkent and one in Bukhara. 
Women generally stay in the shelter for anywhere from two weeks to 
three months, depending on the level of trauma they have 
experienced.  The Tashkent shelter can accommodate 12-15 women, and 
can also provide for their children, if necessary.  (Since 2005, 43 
children have spent time in the shelter.)  Local police assist in 
relations with the neighbors, calling the shelter a place for 
"girls without families," rather than identifying it as a shelter 
for TIP victims.  At the shelter, women receive medical attention, 
psychological attention, legal assistance, and vocational training. 
Women can also receive vocational training to prepare for life 
after the shelter.  Currently the shelter receives funding from 
USAID, but the grant will expire in June 2010. 
 
 
 
¶19.   (SBU) Employment Opportunities for Victims:  Karimova noted 
improvements in finding employment for former victims, stating that 
the Ministry of Labor promotes "labor markets," in which 
disadvantaged people are matched to certain jobs.  Under the 
program, selected employees can't be fired by the company that 
hires them; employment decisions must go through the MoL.  Such 
protections are part of the comprehensive TIP law passed in March 
¶2008.  (Note: Deputy Minister of Labor Saidov recently described a 
new program slated to begin soon that will match open jobs to 
socially disadvantaged people, and will take into account the work 
and skills of the applicants, as well as their location.  If they 
are unskilled, the Ministry will provide training and a stipend 
until they are suitable for employment.) 
 
 
 
¶20.   (SBU) Hotlines and Personal Connections Pay Off:  Lilya 
Khamzayeva, also with the Tashkent branch of Istikbolli Avlod, 
reported in a meeting with DAS Krol on November 20 an instance of a 
call coming in to an Andijon-based TIP hotline from women taken to 
Dubai.  Thanks to the personal relationship between Karimova and 
officials in Dubai, the trafficked women were located, brought to a 
law enforcement facility, and returned to Uzbekistan within two 
days of the hotline report. 
 
 
 
¶21.   (SBU) Future Plans:  Looking ahead, Karimova mentioned that 
the NGO would like to conduct training for journalists, stating 
that although the press has significantly increased its coverage of 
TIP issues, journalists tend to focus on the sensationalist aspects 
of stories, and would benefit from training on how to cover TIP 
cases.  In the longer-term, Karimova sees the NGO opening a small 
business - perhaps a laundry or a bakery - that will provide 
victims with a place to develop skills and will allow the shelter 
to be self-sustaining. 
 
 
 
¶22.   (SBU) Jizzakh Branch Activities:  Jizzakh, located about 
three hours southwest of Tashkent, is primarily an agricultural 
area, but it has become a trafficking center due to its close 
proximity to the Kazakh and Tajik borders, as well as the difficult 
economic circumstances there.  Nazifa Kamalova is the Project 
Manager for the Jizzakh branch of Istikbolli Avlod, and she reports 
that many victims of both internal and external trafficking wind up 
in Jizzakh and come to her for assistance in requesting new 
passports for those whose documents have been taken, in initiating 
criminal cases, and in helping to find employment.  Most of their 
 
TASHKENT 00001603  005 OF 006 
 
 
efforts, however, are directed at community outreach and awareness 
raising, and these programs include an innovative project of 
training young people to visit schools and talk with students on a 
peer-to-peer level about trafficking.  These young trainers teach 
through interactive games, videos, and question and answer 
sessions.  Kamalova said they have 46 young trainers throughout the 
district, some of whom are still students themselves, and that the 
program has been very successful. 
 
 
 
¶23.   (SBU) Registration for IOM:  IOM is currently not registered 
in Uzbekistan, although it implements a fair number of programs 
through Istikbolli Avlod.  When IOM representatives visited in 
October for a conference, they stated that they had been told that 
all the necessary agencies had approved their recent application 
for registration, and that the application was "on the President's 
desk."  Khamzayeva reported, however, that in early November she 
received a request from the MFA to submit details on all of IOM's 
activities in Uzbekistan since 2002.  Khamzayeva is taking the 
MFA's interest as a positive sign. 
 
 
 
Forced Labor in the Cotton Sector 
 
----------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶24.   (SBU) The GOU generally does not consider forced labor in the 
cotton sector in its anti-trafficking efforts.  Deputy Prosecutor 
General Sharafutdinov did state that Uzbekistan has to face the 
child labor issue, and mentioned that a draft law is in the 
parliament that seeks to create criminal punishment for using child 
labor.  Deputy Minister of Labor Saidov stated that the Ministry is 
trying to educate the people on child rights, and if that is not 
successful, will look at possible criminal punishment for using 
forced labor - referring to the same draft legislation. 
 
 
 
Suggestions for Moving Forward 
 
--------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶25.   (SBU) Train Uzbek Embassy Officials:  Analyst Ganiev 
discussed the issue or radicalization of diaspora communities 
abroad, noting that radical imams target migrant workers, who 
return to Uzbekistan after a year or two with radical religious 
views.  Ganiev believes the GOU needs to reach out to diaspora 
communities through its embassies to help Uzbeks with their 
problems and provide them with alternatives to radicalization. 
Tashkent-based human rights analyst Sukhrobjon Ismoilov also 
encouraged government involvement in diaspora communities, stating 
that right now, migrants are often taken advantage of (sometimes 
even by long-term members of the diaspora who claim to be able to 
help them) because they do not know their rights.  Ganiev also 
encouraged more training for Uzbek embassy officials on TIP issues, 
claiming that he has documented 15 cases of Uzbeks applying to 
Uzbek embassies for new travel documents who were unable to obtain 
them.  It could be that officials are unaware that this is a common 
problem with victims of trafficking, and thus do not give 
appropriate attention to the problem. 
 
 
 
¶26.   (SBU) Improve Official Attitudes:  Ismoilov believes an 
attitudinal shift in how the government looks at migrant workers is 
necessary before it will be able to effectively tackle labor 
trafficking.  He avers that officials look at migrant workers as 
traitors looking for easy money, not as useful citizens 
contributing to the Uzbek society and economy through remittances. 
(Note:  An article in the state-sponsored press on November 13 
seems to confirm this, stating that a social poll showed that the 
majority of trafficking victims are men between 25-40 who consider 
high earnings more important than the content of work.) 
 
TASHKENT 00001603  006 OF 006 
 
 
Comment 
 
------------- 
 
¶27.   (SBU) The GOU continues to address TIP issues, making 
concerted efforts to address prevention, protection, and 
prosecution of sex and labor trafficking.  NGO leaders report a 
cooperative relationship with various government agencies, and 
highlight government anti-TIP efforts as well as their own 
substantial achievements.  End Comment. 
 
 
 
BUTCHER 
BUTCHER