On July 1–2, 2025, a workshop was held in Dushanbe, organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) under the PROTECT project: Improving Migration Management and Migrant Protection in Selected Silk Routes Countries, with the support of the European Union and the GLO.ACT initiative.
The workshop focused on one of the most hidden and least studied forms of exploitation — trafficking in persons for the purpose of organ removal. This phenomenon is addressed in the Criminal Code of Tajikistan and in the framework of National Action Plans; however, law enforcement practice still faces a number of challenges.
The program covered the following topics:
— international and national legal frameworks on TPOR;
— complexity of identifying and investigating such crimes;
— the “Medicus” and “R v. Ekweremadu” cases as precedents;
— analysis of hospital conditions, TPOR typologies, victim identification, and donor protection;
— UNODC toolkit on TPOR and case-based exercises;
— coordination between lawyers, doctors, NGOs, and law enforcement bodies.
The workshop brought together representatives of criminal justice, the medical community, and civil society, including the “Zerkalo” team, to jointly develop mechanisms for:
— raising awareness of TPOR;
— improving intersectoral coordination;
— supporting victims;
— early identification and response to such crimes.
Two intensive days, practical case studies, expert modules from UNODC, and engaging discussions reaffirmed that protecting human life and dignity requires united efforts.
