Turkmenistan opened a two-day conference Friday to address women and children's rights, including the prevention of human trafficking, Integrated Regional Information Networks reported. The conference, sponsored by the International Organization for Migration and UNICEF, was designed as a forum in which to discuss experiences and best practices in order to shape initiatives promoting women's and children's rights at the national and international level.
Representatives from nearby countries such as Pakistan, India, China, Afghanistan, Turkey and Russia, as well as the United Arab Emirates, which shares migration movements with Turkmenistan, participated in the meeting, along with individuals from international organizations.
Human trafficking is less of a problem in Turkmenistan than in many countries in the region, but the fast pace of economic development and the recent elimination of exit visas for citizens seeking to travel abroad could result in a growing trade in humans, IRIN said.
"It is very important for every government to learn how other governments deal with certain issues," said Zoran Milovic, head of IOM's mission in the Turkmen capital of Ashgabat. "But in order to avoid problems in the future, we have to work today" (IRIN, April 23).
Published in UN Wire, April 27, 2004. Copyright National Journal Group, Inc., 2003.