AKIPRESS.COM - The Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry in cooperation with the OSCE Center in Bishkek, and its Osh field office held today a roundtable discussion on importance of cooperation and partnerships in prevention of human trafficking in the country.

The event brought together 30 Kyrgyz public officials as well as diplomats, representatives of international organizations and non-governmental organizations. The participants discussed importance of cooperation with countries of the victims origin as Kyrgyzstan, in order to properly assess the situation, property identify victims and propose reintegration plan.

“Being an intrinsically hidden crime, human trafficking is an underestimated threat whose dynamics deceive even alternative observers,” said Ambassador Sergey Kapinos, the Head of the OSCE Center in Bishkek. “Foreign consulates have critical role to play in preventing and detecting cases both at origin as well as at destination.”

The participating diplomats shared information on actions undertaken by their embassies and organizations towards prevention and counteraction to trafficking in human beings, while public officials of Kyrgyzstan got the opportunity to learn about prevention programs, protection of victims and prosecution of criminals engaged in this illegal business in other countries.

The current event is organized as part of the OSCE Center in Bishkek Human Dimension Project on comprehensive model of prevention, which envisages addressing human trafficking in Kyrgyzstan through multi-agency cooperation.