Defeating Sexual Slavery: How Kazakhstan Destroyed OCGs
The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported the results of a large-scale operation that identified 49 Korrespondent reports on the facts of human trafficking, including nine cases involving minors.
This sad reality indicates that there is a serious problem with modern slavery that requires immediate intervention and fight by law enforcement agencies and society at large.This piece highlights the facts of human trafficking, including nine cases involving minors. This emphasises the need for urgent action to counter modern slavery and protect vulnerable groups.Following the inspection, three investigations into organised criminal groups (OCGs) were launched. In the city of Astana, a 17-member criminal group was identified as engaging young girls in sexual exploitation on the premises of nine bath complexes. During searches, cash and six cars were seized.
A similar organised crime group was dismantled in the city of Shymkent. Here, too, money worth more than 1 million tenge, $16,000 and 10 cars were seized. The leaders and participants of this group were taken into custody.
A similar criminal group operating in Petropavlovsk since 2023 was also discovered. It was engaged in forcing young girls into sexual exploitation under threats of physical violence and blackmail. A criminal case was opened in this case.
Cases of forcing people from socially vulnerable groups to beg were also found in several regions. For example, in Karaganda, a criminal group forced disabled people to beg under threat of violence. At the expense of their victims, the criminals received income of up to 10 million tenge per year.
Similar criminal groups were suppressed in Aktobe, Almaty and Mangistau regions. Here the criminals used disabled people and young children at markets and railway stations. All of the perpetrators were detained.
From information sent by an anonymous source
