Women’s Committee of Uzbekistan and UNDP Country Office in Uzbekistan organized two-day seminar entitled "Social protection of women, participating in migration processes in Uzbekistan" in Nukus, Karakalpakstan, on 16-17 August. About 30 representatives of state bodies, mahalla committees and NGOs from Karakalpakstan Republic and Khorezm region participated at the work of seminar.

The event was organized within UNDP’s project "Promotion of the rights of women migrant workers", implemented in cooperation with Women’s Committee of Uzbekistan. The project directed to improve the protection of human rights of the women involved in labour migration in Uzbekistan and to increase the quality of services provided by relevant government and nongovernmental bodies to women migrant workers and the victims of human trafficking.

The seminar was directed to raise awareness of staff of state bodies, law enforcement bodies and NGOs on social-legal protection of women-migrants. It addressed such issues as women migration, interaction of various organizations in solving illegal women migration, legislation of Uzbekistan on labour migration, raising awareness of women migrants’ rights, protection mechanisms of migrants’ rights and others.

Representatives of Women’s Committee, departments of justice, internal affairs, labour and social welfare, Mahalla (Neighborhood) foundation and other organizations, located in Karakalpakstan and Khorezm region, participated at the event. This is the third such seminar, organized by Women’s Committee and UNDP Country Office in Uzbekistan. The first two events were organized in Tashkent and Ferghana regions. It is planned that five more such seminars will be held in various parts of Uzbekistan.

Orynbay Turdakov, Deputy Interior Minister of Karakalpakstan Republic, said at the opening speech that the seminar is import, in particular in context of combating human trade. Mr Turdakov and Mr Ulugbek Ataniyazov, head of Criminal Investigation Department of Interior Ministry of Karakalpakstan Republic, acquainted participants with work on prevention of human trafficking.

Zulayha Jumaniyazova, representative of Women’s Committee of Karakalpakstan, briefed on work of Women’s Committee and state bodies in the sphere and underlined importance of cooperation of state bodies and self-government, public organizations and NGOs in improvement of social protection of women, participating in labour migration.