Risks and realities of child trafficking and exploitation in Central Asia

The report is based on a comparative analysis of country reports presented in the framework of the Child Trafficking in Central Asia Project supported by the Government of Japan and managed by UNICEF country offices in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The scope of the research was to cover both internal and cross-border trafficking, looking at children who have been trafficked as well as children in exploitative situations who are either at high risk of being trafficked or may have been trafficked but have not been identified as such. Some quantitative elements were required, but the research was essentially qualitative and exploratory in nature. In total, more than 300 interviews of adult and child informants were carried out and hundreds of documents reviewed. Country reports were produced and, for the purpose of the present regional report, data and findings from the four countries were analysed and cross-referenced.