Counter Trafficking

What can you do to help stop trafficking?

What can you do to help stop trafficking?

Millions of people are being exploited through trafficking right now. You can do something to help them, and to stop the criminals who profit from their suffering.

• Protect yourself
Most importantly, make sure that you and your loved ones are aware of the risks of trafficking. Click here for information about how to protect yourself.

• Report a crime
If you see evidence of trafficking or labor exploitation, you may be the victims’ only hope of escape. Avoid putting yourself and others in danger, but call law enforcement and trafficking authorities immediately. The police can be reached in Tajikistan by dialing 01 from a landline or 101 from a mobile phone. If you are in Tajikistan, call the central IOM hotline at 918-85-34-34, or click here for the full list of IOM affiliated hotlines in Tajikistan. Lists of trafficking hotlines around the world can be found from the US Department of State and the MTV EXIT Campaign.

• Decrease demand for trafficked labor
Modern-day slavery will continue to exist as long as there is demand for exploitable labor.

Be mindful about your consumer decisions, and don’t support companies who use slave labor. A number of organizations have emerged which seek to help consumers make informed choices about the products and services they buy.

RugMark is working to end illegal child labor in the carpet industry and to offer educational opportunities to children in South Asia
The FLA is a brand accountability system that places the onus on companies to voluntarily achieve the FLA’s labor standards in the factories manufacturing their products.
Chain Store Reaction and (see also SlaveFree) Send an email to your favorite brands demanding a guarantee that their products are slave free.

While not all who work in the sex industry are trafficked, many are. If you choose to purchase sex, it is your responsibility to find out whether the person is a victim of trafficking or not. Ask and then take action!

• Join the Fight
Help IOM in its counter trafficking efforts by volunteering your time or donating money to the IOM Counter Trafficking Unit. Please contact Zohir Navjavonov at znavjavonov@iom.int for more information.

You can also use your skills and imagination to fight against trafficking in your own way. Hold a fundraiser and donate the money to a local counter-trafficking organization, start an anti-trafficking group of your own, or organize an event in your own community to raise awareness about the issue. Anti-trafficking materials from the IOM are available free of charge by emailing Zarina Amirbekova at zamirbekova@iom.int