Tajikistan Advances in U.S. Human Trafficking Report

Tajikistan has improved its standing in the U.S. State Department’s 2025 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, moving up from the Tier 2 Watch List to Tier 2.

The new designation indicates that while the country still does not fully meet the minimum standards for eliminating human trafficking under U.S. law, it is making significant efforts toward compliance, The Caspian Post reports, citing The Times of Central Asia.

According to the report, released on the State Department’s official website, Tajikistan’s progress reflects expanded anti-trafficking efforts in 2024. Authorities initiated 57 criminal cases related to human trafficking, down slightly from 60 in 2023 but the number of identified victims surged from 47 to 272. Of these, 238 were victims of forced labor, and 34 were victims of sexual exploitation.

In the first half of 2025 alone, Tajik law enforcement registered 39 new cases, including five involving the sale of children.

Tajikistan’s shift to Tier 2 signals a positive trajectory. However, the report notes persistent shortcomings. Authorities, for instance, often fail to clearly distinguish between labor exploitation and sexual violence, frequently conflating these with irregular migration or illegal adoption cases.

Despite an official ban, the report highlights that schoolchildren and university students in Tajikistan continue to be mobilized for cotton harvesting under the guise of “hashar” or community work days.

The TIP Report also raises concerns about coercive recruitment tactics used in military conscription, though it does not elaborate on specific methods.

Refugees and stateless individuals are another focus of concern. According to the report, some citizens of Afghanistan and Bangladesh have been subjected to forced labor at construction sites in Tajikistan. U.S. estimates indicate that more than 12,000 refugees and asylum seekers live in the country, the majority of whom are Afghan nationals.

Tajikistan’s Criminal Code criminalizes human trafficking-related offenses such as kidnapping, trafficking in persons, the sale of minors, and the use of children in the production of pornography. It also covers crimes such as organizing illegal migration, forging documents, and misusing official seals and stamps.

While the U.S. report acknowledges improvements in victim identification and data collection, it emphasizes that Tajikistan must strengthen victim protection measures, improve transparency in investigations and expand its prevention strategies to continue advancing in the global anti-trafficking effort.