Title: Persistent Financial Crimes and Corruption Plague Tajikistan: Human Trafficking, Illicit Trades, and Cyber Threats

Tajikistan’s Beautiful Facade Dushanbe, the capital city of Tajikistan, is known for its vibrant markets and bustling streets. However, a deeper look uncovers a persistent problem-financial crimes and corruption.

Challenges with Human Trafficking

• Primary Source and Transit Country: Tajikistan is a significant hotspot for human trafficking, with labor exploitation being a major concern. People smuggling and forced labor, especially neighboring Russia and Kazakhstan, pose risks for Tajik men, women, children, LGBTQ+ individuals, and even foreigners.
• Sex Trafficking: Tajik women and children are increasingly reported to be victims of sex trafficking.
• Forced Labor in Agriculture: Inside Tajikistan, forced labor is rampant in the agricultural sector.
• Military Conscription: The military drafts children into service through annual recruitment sweeps.
• Labor Migration to Russia: Despite relatively easy legal migration options to Russia, human smuggling out of Tajikistan persists.
• Afghan Refugees: With uncertainties surrounding Russia’s labor migration policies and escalating international sanctions linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine, Afghans increasingly seek alternative destinations, leading to an increase in the number of Afghan refugees being detained and deported by Tajik authorities.

Illicit Trades: Arms, Counterfeit Goods, and Excise Products

• Arms Trafficking: Tajikistan’s contribution to the arms trafficking market is small but contributes to localized violence.
• Counterfeit Goods: Tajikistan is a major transit country for counterfeit goods. Corruption and weak intellectual property rights make it common to find counterfeit consumer goods in domestic markets.
• Excise Products: Excise goods are subjected to relatively lower taxation compared to other countries in the region, making Tajikistan a source country for illicit excise product trade.

Fauna Crimes: Transit and Source Country

• Illegal Wildlife Products: Tajikistan is a transit and, to a lesser extent, a source country for illegal wildlife products.
• Targeted Species: Endangered snow leopards, bears, and birds are the primary targets of these fauna crimes.

Drug Trafficking: Heroin as a Significant Concern

• Major Concern: Tajikistan is a transit and destination country for illicit drug trafficking, with heroin being a significant concern. Approximately 25% of Afghan heroin passes through Central Asia.
• Involved Actors: The criminal actors involved include state actors, foreign criminal groups, and local actors in Tajikistan.

**Cyber Threats **

• Attractive Location: Extremely low electricity prices make the region an attractive location for cryptocurrency mining, making it vulnerable to cryptocurrency fraud and related malware.
• Identity and Mass Marketing Fraud: Financial crimes committed online through identity fraud and mass marketing fraud are relatively widespread.
• State-Related and White-Collar Criminals: State-related actors, white-collar criminals, and at times foreign entities are implicated in these activities.

Corruption: Government Officials and Businesses

• Corruption Pervades: Corruption pervades Tajikistan’s government.
• Facilitation by State-Embedded Actors: Political elites have facilitated criminal markets such as drug trafficking and forged alliances with organized criminal groups and high-ranking government officials.
• Businesses and Political Privileges: Businesses with close ties to the political leadership receive privileged access to key sectors, the police, the judiciary, and security services.