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What happened
Kazakh law enforcement investigated allegations of forced labor involving 64 Uzbekistani workers at a brick factory in Shymkent after authorities received a distress call. Forty undocumented workers were placed in a detention center, while an NGO assisted 24 workers. Authorities ultimately officially recognized only three of the workers as trafficking victims, amid concerns that officials failed to adequately identify coercion and trafficking indicators. Accused: brick-factory operators/employers.
Response and intervention
Kazakhstan anti-trafficking police. Employers fined; bilateral labor agreements discussed. Sana Sezim crisis center.