UN experts say that human traffic is the third most lucrative criminal undertaking after deals with drugs and merchandise. This problem was first formulated in the early 20th century when most European countries signed an international treaty in Paris (1904) against this evil. That was how the term White Slavery was coined, at first mostly applied to women from Great Britain coerced to become prostitutes in continental Europe but eventually applied to the notion of human traffic in general.

Samarkand population first encountered this term - and what it stands for - when the Soviet Union disintegrated. The ensuing chaos provided a nearly perfect opportunity for luring girls into sexual slavery. Trials of recruiters have been quite frequent in Samarkand ever since. The period when the matter mostly concerned sex-industry is over. More and more trials these days concern plain labor slavery.

The Samarkand Regional Directorate of Internal Affairs investigated several episodes not long ago and forwarded the materials to courts.

"Investigation of the episode when four people were sold and made slaves is over," Lieutenant Colonel of the Police Komil Inoyatov said. "Residents of one of the districts not far from Samarkand, they were recruited by a married couple. The couple promised them work at a green house farm near Moscow, Russia, and $250-300 for pay. The victims were even promised that all formalities would be observed, in connection with the provisional registration, work permit, and so on. Every man paid about $200 for the transport fare and expenses. These four people were then taken to Orenburg in Russia and sold to Azerbaijanis. Their passports immediately confiscated from them, the men found themselves in Samara, working at a construction site under heavy guard and only for chow. They spent nearly two years there, 2005-2007, but eventually escaped and returned to Uzbekistan. Three of them made it, that is. The fourth is listed as a missing person."

A pimp stands trial in another district of Samarkand nowadays. A girl he sold to a brothel in Kazakhstan is the plaintiff. Lured by promises of a high-paying job in Astana, the girl was made a prostitute living in a specially rented flat under guard and without any contact with the world beyond. A client once demanded that the girl be brought to his own apartment, and that gave the girl a chance to escape. As a matter of fact, she owes her good luck to the very man she was expected to satiate who proved decent enough to let her go. The girl somehow made it back to Uzbekistan...

Ferghana.Ru: How often do the people who escape slavery go to the police?

Komil Inoyatov: Not often at all. Only 5-6 victims out of every 100 do.

Ferghana.Ru: What is the penalty for recruiters under the Criminal Code?

Komil Inoyatov: It is quite stiff, five to eight years behind the bars. Unfortunately, these people rarely get what they deserve. Very many recruiters are women, and Uzbek justice is quite lenient towards them. Either these women draw a conditional sentence, or end up behind the bars only to be set free again in the next amnesty. As a matter of fact, some women do no abandon their activity even with a conditional sentence. A woman drew a sentence like that last October (3.6 years, in fact) for recruitment of girls into brothels. Well, similar charges were pressed against her again, not long ago. She was caught trying to dispatch two girls, one of them under age, to Kazakhstan. The woman promised them the job of waitresses and the girls swallowed the tale. Once they all left Samarkand, she took their passports... Fortunately, law enforcement agencies knew all about her present activities and detained the woman. The girls returned home. As for the woman, she will stand trial again.

Ferghana.Ru: It apparently means that the profits are high enough to justify the risk...

Komil Inoyatov: According to what information is available, recruiter of the first level is paid for $50 a man and $100 for a girl. There are gangs that sell people abroad in groups 30 to 40 persons each. Their profits are substantial indeed.

Ferghana.Ru: But dealers in human traffic do not restrict themselves to sex and labor slaves, do they? There is also well-established traffic in children delivered to homosexuals or clinics for illegal transplantation operations...

Komil Inoyatov: Fortunately, we haven't encountered any such episodes yet. On the other hand, I do hear that some men do apply for this sort of work too. Abroad, of course. That's infrequent, however, because homosexuality has never been that widespread a phenomenon in the East. It's an exception rather than the rule.

Slavery in Samarkand is not a problem of law enforcement agencies alone. Gravity of the situation compelled the regional administration to establish an interdepartmental working group that includes representatives of local power structures, prosecutor's office, system of education, and public organizations. Keeping an eye on the current situation, the group regularly meets to discuss the latest developments. Its activists arrange special meetings with the population to warn them against reckless decisions and wild promises.