Who gets enslaved in Kazakhstan and why

Members of vulnerable communities are the most likely to find themselves in modern slavery. Every year, Kazakhstani authorities open roughly 100 criminal cases to investigate cases of human trafficking.

Why do people fall into slavery in Kazakhstan? According to Samat Kusetov, head of the department on human trafficking and protection of participants in criminal proceedings, many found themselves in labor or sexual slavery with no clue about such risks.

«Among key reasons why people get enslaved are lack of awareness, legal illiteracy, cheap labor, breaching immigration laws, influence of internet and pursuit of easy money,» the official stated during a round table in the Central Communications Service.

Who are at risk of slavery in Kazakhstan?

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, boys and men bear the highest risk of labor slavery in Kazakhstan. Over the past five years, the country’s law enforcement officials identified 25 foreigners who were enslaved in Kazakhstan. Authorities opened criminal probes to investigate those cases. Apart from poor Kazakhstanis, people from neighboring countries — Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan — are those who most often get enslaved.

How many Kazakhstanis are enslaved abroad?

Nurbol Ashakulov from the Department for Combating Organized Crime under the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan said that at least 58 Kazakh women found themselves in sexual slavery abroad over the past five years. All of them went abroad in pursuit of «a beautiful life,» the official noted.

What kind of assistance can victims of modern slavery hope for?

There are 14 crisis centers in Kazakhstan with 123 patients in them. Over the past six months of this year, these centers helped 15 foreigners and 38 children.

The government of Kazakhstan supports those who have suffered from modern slavery by providing free social welfare, medical, psychological, pedagogical, labor, cultural, economic and legal services, regardless of whether an individual is a citizen of Kazakhstan or a foreigner or a stateless person. It also doesn’t matter if a criminal case was opened or not.

In January 2023, the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that Kazakhstanis are more often getting into trouble in Southeast Asia.