From 22 to 24 May, the EU-funded Border Management Programme in Central Asia (BOMCA 10), in partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, organised a national workshop in Ashgabat for investigators and crime intelligence officers specialised in investigation of trafficking in human beings and migrant smuggling. This is the fifth and final workshop of its kind conducted by the BOMCA Programme in the Central Asian region - following similar activities in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Thus, this activity closes a series of workshops on this topic in the region.

The participants familiarised themselves with EU approach and novel methods of investigation of organised cross-border crime such as trafficking in human beings and smuggling of migrants.

This workshop strengthened the investigation capacities of criminal intelligence officers and investigators of the national security, internal affairs, Prosecutor’s offices, migration and border guard agencies in the field of cross-border crimes. The workshop looked into the United Nations and European legal instruments for countering trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants, as well as novel methods of investigating organised cross-border crimes, profiling and identification techniques of victims of trafficking. Special attention was paid to case studies and practical exercises.

Experts from Prosecutor General's Office of Lithuania, Ministry of the Interior of Lithuania and UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia presented case studies and initiated discussions related to various aspects of investigation aimed at increasing their capacities in tackling migrant smuggling and trafficking of human being.

As a result of discussions, a standard operating procedure on investigation of trafficking in human beings and smuggling of migrants will be developed and a Training of Trainers Handbook will be developed addressing migrant smuggling and trafficking in human beings.