Since 2001, a number of projects funded by donors including the US Department of State have been implemented to enable the Afghan government to address various aspects of human trafficking crises in Afghanistan.
Initially, the focal area of these initiatives was the global “3P” paradigm:
1) Prevention of human trafficking
2) Protection of the victims
3) Prosecution of the convicted offenders
Therefore, the projects have provided its support to develop the anti-trafficking laws and create the ‘High Commission for Combating Crimes of Abduction and Trafficking in Persons.’ In addition, they provided services to victims, supported victims and offered trainings to Afghan law enforcement and judicial officials. Besides a considerable level of success achieved over the past decade, many challenges remain unaddressed.
The latest report ‘Trafficking in Persons’ published by the US Department of State classifies Afghanistan as a source, transit and destination country for men, women and children subjected to forced labor and trafficking for sexual exploitation.2 It also found that the Afghan government does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking; however, it acknowledges that significant effort is being made to reach that point. This policy note summarizes the findings of the Mapping Study conducted by the Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit (AREU) and the Security Governance Group (SGG) in 2015 and 2016. It presents recommendations for the Afghan government as well as for the international community to take the necessary measures to build the capacity of the Afghan government and equip it with the required tools to make the response robust and comprehensive.
Original source and full report: Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit
Published on 5 March 2018
