Kazakhstan has thwarted 85 cases of human trafficking and eliminated nine illegal migration channels since the start of 2026. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

This was reported by the Interior Ministry following a meeting of interior ministers of the countries of the Organization of Turkic States in Astana.

A separate focus of the meeting

One of the separate areas of the meeting was countering human trafficking and illegal migration. The Interior Ministry noted that work is being carried out not only to solve such crimes, but also on prevention and protection of victims.

International cooperation

Together with the UN International Organization for Migration, Kazakhstan developed and approved an algorithm of actions for identifying victims of human trafficking.

Statement by the minister

Interior Minister Yerzhan Sadenov stated that criminal groups use various schemes to legalize illegal migrants.

"Criminal groups use various schemes to legalize migrants — fictitious employment, registration at the place of stay, forged invitations. Such schemes often go beyond the borders of one country, which is why they must be countered jointly," Sadenov noted.

Proposals

Kazakhstan proposed to the OTS countries to establish a regular exchange of operational information about illegal migration channels, their organizers and transporters, as well as about victims of human trafficking.

A separate proposal concerns labor migration. The head of the Interior Ministry called for paying more attention to identifying signs of exploitation among labor migrants and for holding joint events in this area.

"Our common task is not simply to suppress individual cases, but to identify the entire chain: from organizers and intermediaries to those directly engaged in the exploitation of people. And most importantly — to identify and protect the victims themselves in time," the minister emphasized.

Earlier

Earlier, Kursiv wrote that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, at a meeting with interior ministers of the OTS countries, announced further reform of the law enforcement sphere and strengthened cooperation of Turkic states in the field of security. He also announced the creation of the Security Council Staff and the upcoming formation of the Halyk Kenesi.