Human Trafficking in Kyrgyzstan: Using Mixed-Methods to Understand a Ubiquitous Issue Cloistered in Secrecy
Sarbinaz Bekmuratova, PhD, MS; Rochelle L. Dalla, PhD; Baktygul N. Imankulova, MD & Marina Duishenkulova, MD | September 21 | 3:15-4:15 pm
Topic: Research, International | Knowledge Level: Advanced
Kyrgyzstan is a source, transit, and destination country for severe forms of human trafficking (HT) (Ryazantsev et al., 2015; Akee et al., 2010). Migration (Critelli et al., 2020), poverty, unemployment, ethnic tensions, mass migration, and an unstable political situation have created extreme vulnerability—and thus, favorable conditions for HT. Further, extensive corruption exacerbates the spread of HT in Kyrgyzstan with law enforcement believed to be complicit in the trafficking industry (Madi, 2010). Much of what is known about HT in Kyrgyzstan comes from media reports (Begalieva, 2020; Akylbekova, 2017; Akylbekova, 2014; UN Women, 2019). This study aimed to examine processes of recruitment, conditions of exploitation, and facilitators leading to exit among those exploited in the commercial sex and labor markets in a member country of the former Soviet Union--an area of the globe where empirical data have, to date, not been collected. This investigation collected survey data (N=487) and currently collecting qualitative data (conducted 11 interviews with target N= 30) from survivors of labor and sex trafficking through semi-structured interviews. The survey captured the Kyrgyz population awareness and knowledge of HT and their exposure to HT online or in person. Interview data from survivors will yield information on recruitment strategies, domestic and international trafficking routes, and service needs to mitigate revictimization. The findings of the research will have a noteworthy impact on scholarly work in identifying trafficking mechanisms of recruitment as well as facilitate the development of preventive interventions among vulnerable populations of Kyrgyzstan.
Presentation Objectives:
· Provide an overview of the initial goals and methods of the research
· Describe how and why the study aims and methods changed through time
· Describe initial results of survey data collected from Kyrgyzstan and interview data from victim/survivors