Annotation:
This paper discusses trafficking in Central Asia. It begins by describing the social, political and economic conditions that fuel trafficking in the region. An overview of trafficking for sexual and labour exploitation and the differences between trafficking and smuggling are then discussed. The paper also discusses definitional debates and the blurry line between trafficking and other forms of irregular migration that involve exploitation and human rights violations. The author questions "whether the UN intended the [trafficking] definition to be read in a narrow way [&] or whether it was intended as an inclusive definition capable of capturing a diversity of contexts". Advocating an approach that combines prosecution, protection and prevention, the author concludes that separate elements of trafficking should be criminalized in order to ensure that rights violations related to irregular migrations other than trafficking are recognized. [Descriptors: Migration - Trafficking, International]