U.S. Department of State 2001 Trafficking in Persons Report - Kazakhstan
| Publisher | United States Department of State |
| Author | Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons |
| Publication Date | 12 July 2001 |
| Cite as | United States Department of State, U.S. Department of State 2001 Trafficking in Persons Report - Kazakhstan, 12 July 2001, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4680d78223.html [accessed 28 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
Kazakhstan (Tier 3)
Kazakhstan is a country of origin and transit for trafficked persons, primarily young women for prostitution. Women are trafficked to a number of countries including the United Arab Emirates, Greece, Turkey, Israel, and South Korea. Forced laborers from neighboring Kyrgyzstan also are trafficked to Kazakhstan.
The Government of Kazakhstan does not meet the minimum standards to combat trafficking in persons and is limited by lack of resources and difficulty monitoring its borders. The Government recognizes trafficking as a problem. The issue has been left primarily to NGO's and international organizations. Corruption at the lower levels of law enforcement may contribute to the problem, and the Government is investigating border officials suspected of complicity with traffickers. There is no specific law on trafficking. Investigations are conducted under a criminal code article prohibiting recruitment for sexual or other exploitation through deception, which is difficult to prosecute since deception must be proved. Penalties are commensurate with the penalties for rape or sexual assault. There is no assistance to victims or mechanism for civil court action. Four trafficking-related investigations were ongoing at the time of this report. In addition, the authorities indicted members of a trafficking ring in June 2000, but the case has not yet come to trial. In 1999 the Government's National Commission on Women's and Family Issues declined to include trafficking in its list of priorities. However, together with the International Organization for Migration, it held a conference on trafficking in November 2000 and then convinced the Prime Minister to establish an inter-agency commission on trafficking, which has not yet been assigned a chairperson.
