DUSHANBE, July 18, Asia-Plus -- Despite measures taken by the country’s law enforcement agencies, trafficking in persons continues to be serious problem in Tajikistan, Abduqodir Muhammadiyev, an official with the Prosecutor-General’s Office, told news conference in Dushanbe on July 17.  

According to him, 15 local women are servicing their sentences for human trafficking in jails in Tajikistan.  He noted that 301 criminal proceedings have been instituted on human trafficking charges so far this year.  “It is much higher compared to the same period of 2005, when 71 such criminal proceedings had been instituted,” Muhammadiyev said.

“Since 2005, 30 cases instituted against 40 traffickers have moved to courts,” said the prosecutor, “But the majority of them have been suspended because those guilty are still wanted by police.” 

Muhammadiyev also stressed that the majority of cases related to trafficking in persons have been registered in northern Tajikistan.  “Since the beginning of this year, only three cases of human trafficking have been registered in southern regions of Tajikistan,” he added.  

So far this year, Tajik law enforcement agencies have instituted nine criminal proceedings on charge of buying and selling of minors, according to him.