Tajikistan Upgrades to Tier 2 in U.S. Human Trafficking Report Amid Rising Anti-Trafficking Efforts

DUSHANBE — Tajikistan has moved up from the Tier 2 Watch List to Tier 2 in the U.S. State Department’s 2025 Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report, reflecting progress in combating human trafficking and expanding victim support initiatives.

The Tier 2 status means that while Tajikistan still falls short of full compliance with U.S. standards for eliminating trafficking, it is making significant efforts to meet those standards.

According to the report, Tajik authorities launched 57 criminal cases related to human trafficking in 2024, slightly fewer than the 60 cases reported in 2023. However, the number of identified victims surged from 47 to 272, including 238 forced labor victims and 34 victims of sexual exploitation.

In just the first half of 2025, law enforcement registered 39 additional cases, including five involving the sale of children, signaling growing vigilance in detection and prosecution.

The report credits Tajikistan’s progress to expanded anti-trafficking programs and improved data collection but also points to lingering deficiencies. Authorities often blur distinctions between trafficking, labor exploitation, and irregular migration, and the mobilization of students for cotton harvesting—banned under national law—reportedly continues under the guise of “hashar,” or community work.

Concerns also remain about coercive military recruitment practices and the vulnerability of refugees and stateless persons, particularly Afghan and Bangladeshi nationals allegedly subjected to forced labor in construction. The U.S. estimates that over 12,000 refugees and asylum seekers currently reside in Tajikistan.

Tajikistan’s Criminal Code criminalizes a wide range of trafficking-related offenses, including kidnapping, child trafficking, and the sale of minors, as well as crimes tied to illegal migration and document forgery.

While acknowledging tangible progress, the U.S. report urges Tajikistan to bolster victim protection, enhance investigative transparency, and expand prevention programs to sustain its upward trajectory in the global campaign against human trafficking.