Representative of the HHS Office on Trafficking in Persons and Turkmen officials at the Cultural Vistas office in Washington, D.C.
The HHS Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) met with government officials from Turkmenistan to discuss strategies to address human trafficking, including the formulation, administration, and enforcement of U.S. policy; the roles that government and local organizations play; initiatives to identify and assist survivors; and mechanisms for coordinating the federal response to trafficking. OTIP outlined HHS efforts to implement the public health approach through direct assistance for survivors, training and technical assistance for health and human service systems, and prevention education within school districts. The discussion also included key legislation, administrative priorities, and the intersection of trafficking and online harassment and abuse. Officials from Turkmenistan were participating in the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program and included representatives from the Prosecutor General’s Office, Ministry of Internal Affairs, State Migration Service, Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Each year, the Department of State publishes the Trafficking in Persons Report, the U.S. Government’s principal diplomatic tool to engage foreign governments on human trafficking (see the 2023 Report’s narrative describing governmental anti-trafficking efforts in Turkmenistan).