“Panorama Shymkenta”, 19/09/2003
G. Khan

   Human trafficking of women is a phenomenon that is like a poltergeist. Many have heard about it all, but few have seen it face to face. Nevertheless, the problem is not far-fetched. Illegal export of people from South Kazakhstan has recently gained momentum and now is the largest illegal business there. People of working age (18-45 years) today increasingly are making active attempts to make money abroad. At the same time, girls and women face a real risk of becoming victims of sexual slavery.
   September 2-13, 2003, the Legal Center for Women’s Initiatives “Sana Sezim”, with the financial support of the development of democracy at the U.S. Embassy, held a training seminar on the topic “Preventing trafficking of SKO women in Kazakhstan and abroad”.
   The main objective of the workshop was to draw public attention to the progression of this phenomenon and its transformation as a sustainable trend. The participants were representatives of non-governmental organizations and area associations.
   The design of the training sessions allowed the participants to have a lively and uninhibited discussion and learn about the very serious issue of XXI century slavery – human trafficking. It turns out that about 30 million people in the world today are slaves and their numbers are constantly growing. According to the UN, each year 700 thousand people get into slavery. Slaves are now part of various criminal and paramilitary structures. Up to 600 thousand citizens of the former Soviet Union are now living in slave conditions. They are mostly women, who are under the full control of illegal brothels around the world.
   What are the defining characteristics of modern-day slavery? First, human activity is controlled through violence or the threat of its use. Secondly, a person is engaged in this kind of work against their will. Thirdly, minimum payment, if any, is made for the work. Modern slaves are employed in agriculture, construction, and mining. Some employers also force women and children to sell their bodies or to work for companies in sweatshops.
   What methods help slave traders manipulate their victims?
   By holding documents (passports, birth certificates). Debt slavery (after the person signing the contract is delivered to their destination, the employer or other person takes their salary to cover travel expenses or fees for the issuance of a passport, etc.) Finally, the use of physical, emotional, and psychological force.
   Women victims of future trafficking are selected in such organizations as modeling agencies, marriage agencies (where “brides” are exported to grooms in other countries, or forced into prostitution under threat of violence or arrests for illegal activities), employment agencies, self-employed dancers, singers, actresses going to work abroad, entertainment agencies, and aid agencies going abroad for permanent residence, etc. Of course, not all of these types of agencies are criminal, considering women only as material for the trade, but people need to maintain vigilance in the interaction of each.
   Participants of the training determined motivation to encourage our countrymen that working abroad does not always end in a “happy ending”. The main outcome of the two-day workshop and discussion was the decision that the knowledge of how to work abroad is urgently needed. Moreover, those who participated will be able to share the knowledge they acquired with their friends and acquaintances, eliminating the general ignorance of this issue and illegal work abroad.