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Sessions on trafficking helped refugees to realize possible threats

In the beginning of November, UNHCR Tajikistan organized in Dushanbe and Vakhdat two awareness sessions on trafficking. More than 100 Afghan Refugees were in attendance. The sessions aimed at raising awareness among refugees about the threats of trafficking and trends of increasing number of victims among refugee communities.

Ms. Munira Ahmedova, from NGO Femida, conducted the sessions and informed refugees on the basics of human trafficking and incidents that have happened or currently happening in Tajikistan.

According to the participants, human trafficking is a major problem in Afghanistan as well. "My 12 years old son was kidnapped in Afghanistan. I do not know where he was taken. He might have been sold to someone somewhere," a female Afghan refugee said. A male Afghan refugee underlined, "It is a common practice to sell young teenage girls to fifty or sixty years old men. Girls are used to earn money."

Although, many of the participants were aware of human trafficking incidents in their own country, they did not know the extent of the threat. Thus, the sessions provided them with a great opportunity to realize that they can become victims of human trafficking in Tajikistan; they were also sensitised regarding tools on how to avoid and prevent it.

At the end of the sessions, women participants received orange scarves which were hand made by an Afghan refugee disabled man for the visibility of the 16 days of Campaign for Violence against Women. The production of scarves is supported by UNHCR to improve the refugees' self-reliance. The orange colour is the symbol of the campaign, conducted by UNHCR and other UN agencies.