Men and women from Turkmenistan were subjected to conditions of forced labor in Turkey, including domestic servitude and also in textile sweatshops.
[2] In 2010, the Government of Turkmenistan did not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it made significant efforts to do so.
During the next reporting period, the government has agreed to provide facility space for a foreign-funded shelter for trafficking victims to be operated by IOM, and has also formally agreed to work with IOM to conduct a human trafficking awareness program for students in all five provinces of the country.
The government prohibits all forms of trafficking in persons through Article 129 of its criminal code - adopted in May 2010 - which prescribes penalties ranging from four to 25 years’ imprisonment.
However, in April 2010, the government pledged to donate facility space for a trafficking shelter that will be foreign-funded and operated by IOM.
However, in April 2010, the Ministries of Education and Health, in cooperation with IOM, formally agreed to conduct an information campaign in public schools for young adolescents.
The campaign will be carried out in all five provinces of Turkmenistan by representatives of non-governmental organizations using Turkmen language publications and stories that warn of the hazards of human trafficking.