TheInternational Volunteer Day is celebrated annually on December 5, and this is especially significant in light of the events taking place within the framework of the USAID project "Safe Migration in Central Asia", implemented by Winrock International. Within the framework of this project, an important event took place – a Youth Forum for graduates of the “Smart Navigator” youth preventive program.

On November 30, 2023, withinthe framework of the Republican campaign “16 days without violence” dedicated to the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the PA LCWI “Sana Sezim”, together with a representative of the Unit for the Protection of Women from Violence of the Abai DPO DP of Shymkent, held a meeting with students of the State Committee for the Elimination of Violence "Polytechnic College".

Issuesrelated to violence prevention and victim support were raised during the meeting. Students absorbed information about methods of violence prevention and victim support with great interest, striving to create a safe society for all.

On November28, 2023, publichearings "Kazakhstan without violence" organized by the Public Council under the Ministry of Internal Affairs were held in Astana. The national report "On countering domestic violence in the Republic of Kazakhstan", which has been worked on since 2021, was presented at the event.

Duringthe discussion, the lack of effective protection of human rights in the context of domestic violence in Kazakhstan was noted. The question was raised about the need to criminalize bodily injury, since at present it is not a criminal offense, while arrest is imposed for 10 days for causing bodily harm. However, in the case of the first incident, only a warning is provided.

We are pleased to announce that the international campaign "16 days of active action against gender-based violence" has started. Every year, from November 25 to December 10, anti-violence events are held around the world. This year's campaign with the slogan "Unite! Invest in preventing violence against women and girls" calls on countries to invest more in financial and human resources to prevent gender-based violence.

Inorder to prevent and combat domestic violence, on the instructions of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a large-scale campaign "16 days of activity against violence" was launched on the territory of the Republic.

We are pleased to share with you information on the progress of the IOM project "Protection of vulnerable migrants with a special focus on the empowerment of women in the context of migration in Central Asia", funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Turkestan region and in the city of Shymkent.

Forthe successful implementation of the project, the goal was set to contribute to the protection of migrants and increase the resilience of vulnerable migrants, especially women, in Central Asia in the context of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The staff started a series of trainings for representatives of the Department of Health and Education.

On November8, 2023, anevent dedicated to the development of legal culture and improvement of legal literacy of students was held at the Turkestan Industrial and Construction College. Representatives of the Shymkent city Department of Justice, judges of the specialized inter-district juvenile court, chief specialist of the Department of the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Combating Corruption, a local police officer of the Al-Farabi district police department, lawyers from the Shymkent City Bar Association, specialists of “ZangerlerPalatasy” and PA LCWI “Sana Sezim” took part. Issues related to safe migration, changing values and the formation of an anti-corruption culture in society were discussed.

Atthe initiative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, mobile groups have been created in the regions of Kazakhstan to conduct educational and informational events, explanatory work among the population on the prevention of human trafficking and identification of victims of labor exploitation. The participants of the mobile groups have drawn up and agreed on a schedule of visits to the districts of the Turkestan region and the city of Shymkent to carry out active identification (identification) of victims of human trafficking, including potential ones. Mobile groups organize meetings with the public:

Ourincredible beneficiaries deserve to be admired! They have become real heroes of their professional stories, thanks to the IOM IGA project "Protection of vulnerable Migrants and Empowerment of women in the context of migration in Central Asia", supported by IOM Kazakhstan and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The participants of the project overcame all the difficulties of migration and opened new horizons! Our efforts have also benefited two migrant women who already have their own business. We provided one of them, an experienced hair stylist, with professional equipment and equipment to improve her services and attract more customers. Another participant, engaged in landscape design, was provided with a new technique to increase productivity.

On October27, 2023 ,around table "Topical issues of combating human trafficking" was held. This event was organized by the Amanat Party and the Institute of Parliamentarism and brought together leading experts, specialists and leaders from different countries.

The event covered various aspects related to international and constitutional principles, legislative changes, promising reforms and the practice of combating human trafficking in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Azerbaijan. The director of the PA LCWI “Sana Sezim”, Shakhnoza Khassanova, spoke on the topic "The role of civil society in countering human trafficking".

We are in a hurry to share great news! PA LCWI “Sana Sezim” has completed a series of trainings within the framework of the project "Actions of Kazakhstan in the fight against child trafficking", which is supported by the US Department of State and Winrock International.

Over the course of three weeks, our trainers conducted three three-day trainings for service providers on identifying trafficked children, managing their cases and providing them with assistance, focusing on approaches that take into account the interests of children and their psychological trauma.