OSCE seminar in Turkmenistan addresses identification of victims of human trafficking

“Identifying victims of human trafficking: strengthening national security through a multidisciplinary approach” was the topic of an OSCE-organized seminar that took place on 28 and 29 April 2026 in Ashgabat.

The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat initiated the seminar to present best practices of the OSCE participating States in the area of the identification and recognition of victims of human trafficking and provision of necessary assistance to them. 

Experts from the Office of the Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings familiarized participants with key indicators of human trafficking and profiling of victims and perpetrators in the context of human trafficking. They also provided an overview of the OSCE commitments and positive practices from the region with a focus on the identification of victims and facilitated the discussion on the national legislation on combating human trafficking to enable social path to identification and long-term assistance to victims in order to strengthen national security.

“Human trafficking is one of the most acute and pressing global issues and Turkmenistan is committed to contributing to international efforts to combat human trafficking,” said William Leaf, Head of the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat.

“We strongly believe that the seminar will enhance participants' understanding of the rationale behind the “social path” approach to the identification of and assistance to victims of trafficking in human beings, as well as the benefits this approach brings to victims and society as a whole.”

During the seminar, participants discussed the importance of taking into account the post-traumatic condition of victims for their effective identification and highlighted the role of an inter-agency and multidisciplinary approach to the detection and identification of victims.

The seminar brought together representatives of the Prosecutor General's Office, the Ministry of Adalat (Justice), and other law-enforcement bodies and relevant ministries, as well as the Office of the Ombudsman, the Bar Association and civil society organizations.