Sex trafficking in Kazakhstan is

human trafficking Human trafficking is the trade of humans for the purpose of forced labour, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others. This may encompass providing a spouse in the context of forced marriage, or the extrac ...

for the purpose of sexual exploitation and slavery that occurs in the

Republic of Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbekis ...

. Kazakhstan citizens, primarily women and girls, have been sex trafficked within the country and to other countries in Asia and different continents. Foreign victims are sex trafficked into the country. Children, persons in

poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse social, economic, and political causes and effects. When evaluating poverty in ...

, and migrants are particularly vulnerable to sex trafficking. Victims are deceived, threatened, or forced into

prostitution Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in Sex work, sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, n ...

forced marriages Forced marriage is a marriage in which one or more of the parties is married without their consent or against their will. A marriage can also become a forced marriage even if both parties enter with full consent if one or both are later force ...

. Their passports and other documents are often taken. They suffer from physical and psychological abuse and trauma and are typically guarded and or locked up in poor conditions. A number contract sexually transmitted diseases from rapes. Many victims are afraid to report their experiences to the police because of fears of being stigmatized and rejected by their communities. The

government of Kazakhstan The Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan ( kk, Қазақстан Республикасының Үкіметі, tr, ''Qazaqstan Respublikasynyñ Ükımetı'') oversees a presidential republic. The President of Kazakhstan, currently Kassym- ...

has been criticized for its inadequate anti-sex trafficking efforts and corruption. Police and officials have been accused of being complicit in sex trafficking crimes in the country.

Bride kidnappings

Non-consensual bride abductions, in which women and girls are forced into marriages and pregnancies through force, intimidation, or societal pressure, is a form of sex trafficking in Kazakhstan. At the Fourth World Conference on Women, bride abductions were recognized as a type of "culture-based violence against women" in Kazakhstan. Despite the fact that they have many characteristics with human trafficking as defined by the United Nations, they have not been regarded as a form of it. And despite efforts to stop it, Kazakhstan has made bride abduction more straightforward.

Non-governmental organizations

The International Organisation for Migration supports projects against sex trafficking in the country. The Sana Sezim Legal Centre for Women's Initiatives conducts anti-sex trafficking efforts in Kazakhstan.

References

Child sexual abuse Crime in Kazakhstan by type Forced prostitution Forced marriage Organized crime activity Law enforcement in Kazakhstan Sex industry Kazakhstan Crimes against women Women's rights in Kazakhstan {{Kazakhstan-stub