KULOB, October 13, 2011, Asia-Plus -- Over the past three years, the Kulob-based non-governmental organization, Mayram, has delivered 120 Tajik labor migrants from bondage in Russia.

The Mayram chairperson, Ms. Mahbouba Sharipova, remarked this at the seminar “The Strategy of Fight against Human Trafficking and Forced Labor” in Kulob today.

According to her, 65 of them have received the status of trafficking victim from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

“Identified as trafficking victim, person receives certain assistance from the IOM for launching his own business,” said Sharipova, “Thus, of those 65 persons granted the status of trafficking victim, 55 men have received welding set each and ten women have received the Yamata sewing machine each.”

The NGO Mayram has reportedly also helped them restore their documents and pensions and has also provided an extraordinary grant to each of those trafficking victims.

The NGO Mayram has implemented the USAID-funded Preventing Human Trafficking Project in Tajikistan under support of the IOM Mission in Tajikistan since 2008.

“The project targets the city of Kulob as well as Shouroobod, Muminobod, Vose and Kulob districts and major part of the program is informational and educational as well as consultative actions – meetings with potential labor migrants, distribution of bulletins containing information related to labor migration and the legal and social realities of destination areas and the risk of irregular migration,” Ms. Sharipova said.