A three-day training of 30 Afghan law enforcement officers
organized by IOM and led by Tajik counterparts ended in Kabul
yesterday. At the event, the Afghan and Tajik officials also
jointly reviewed Afghanistan's Counter-Trafficking Bill.

IOM facilitated the visit of the Tajik delegation, which
included the Deputy Head of Tajik Police Academy and
representatives from the Ministry of Justice and an NGO, Imran.

Afghan participants in the training included Ministry of
Interior officials based in Kabul and eight border provinces.
Topics discussed included the investigation and prosecution of
trafficking cases and the protection of victims.

The Italian-funded initiative follows a successful study tour
that IOM organized for 21 Afghan officials to Dushanbe in April,
when both sides agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation to
combat human trafficking through more effective law
enforcement.  

The study tour showcased Tajikistan's hands-on experience in
combating human trafficking to the Afghan delegation, which
included officials from the ministries of Foreign Affairs,
Interior, Justice, Labour and Social Affairs, and the Office of the
Attorney General and the Supreme Court.

 

Afghanistan is not yet a party to the Protocols to the UN
International Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and
the Kabul training included a review of international
counter-trafficking instruments.

Participants also took part in a roundtable held with the Legal
Department of the Ministry of Justice to improve Afghanistan's
Counter-Trafficking Bill.

"Because of the absence of a counter-trafficking law, up to now
very little legal redress has been available to victims in
Afghanistan. I hope the Bill will be enacted very soon so that the
people can start seeking justice," said IOM project manager Nigina
Mamadjonova.

Afghanistan is a country of origin, but also a country of
destination for women and children trafficked for various types of
exploitation.

For further information, please contact:

Nigina Mamadjonova

IOM Kabul

Tel + 93 (0) 700 066 041

E-mail: "mailto:nmamadjonova@iom.int">nmamadjonova@iom.int

or

Katsui Kaya

Tel +93 (0) 700 185 961

E-mail: "mailto:kkaya@iom.int">kkaya@iom.int