On February 28, 2024, the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan discussed issues of improving the protection of the rights of migrants and victims of human trafficking.

Deputiesof the Senate Committee on Constitutional Legislation, the Judiciary and Law Enforcement Agencies held a meeting on the topic "Current problems of protecting the rights of migrant workers and victims of human trafficking in the Republic of Kazakhstan". This event brought together key representatives of the Government and international organizations, as well as civil society activists.

FirstVice Minister of Labor and Social Protection Akmadi Sarbasov, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Rysbayev Aidos, Head of the Department for Supervision of Legality in the Social Sphere of the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Kazakhstan Toktamysov Talgat, Head of the National Center for Human Rights of the Republic of Kazakhstan Tursynbekova Saltanat, and Head of the OSCE Program Office in Astana Frobart Volker and Program Coordinator of the International Organization for Migration Belonosova Aliya presented their reports and talked about the measures taken to protect migrants and combat human trafficking.

ShakhnozaKhassanova, Director of the PA LCWI “Sana Sezim”, spoke on behalf of the non-governmental organizations. She shared the challenges faced by migrants, including the difficulty of identifying forced labor. She also presented the results of the 5-year project "Together against Human Trafficking through Capacity Building, WOW!", which is being implemented with the support of the US Department of State.

Thismeeting in the Senate was an important step towards improving legislation and practical measures to protect the rights of migrants and prevent human trafficking in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Discussing such problems and finding solutions together with government agencies, international partners and civil society are necessary to create a more just and secure society for all its members.