Fighting Human Trafficking Through Art

Trafficking is a modern-day form of slavery and a grave violation of human rights. Young people, especially girls, are most susceptible to human trafficking. In its commitment to helping students become better informed citizens, School Connectivity for Uzbekistan joined forces with a local nongovernmental organization (NGO), Istikbol Avlod (Gifted Generation), and sponsored an art competition to raise awareness about the dangers of trafficking.

On January 15, a competition entitled “We Are Against Slavery” was held among Termez schools No. 1, 9, 11 and the children’s art school. The contest was meant to inform children about the issue and reduce tolerance towards violence and enslavement. To prepare for the competition, students conducted a full month of Internet research, learning about the false promises traffickers make of international employment, reading the stories of people who managed to escape from their experiences, and researching statistics about the numbers of people who are trafficked from Uzbekistan every year. Participating students then created more than 40 drawings to express their views on the topic.

The art contest was judged by representatives of the oblast and city hakimiyats (local government councils), as well as media, local NGOs, police, education officials and teachers of other schools. First prize was awarded to sixth grade student Lovar Samadova of School No. 9. Zarina Shamanova and Timur Eshmatov, both of the children’s art school, collected 2nd and 3rd places, respectively.

The contest concluded with a live forum moderated by Istikbol Avlod coordinator Luftiya Safarova. During the forum, students proposed preventative steps against trafficking, including knowledge of the laws of Uzbekistan and of destination countries, traveling legally, learning foreign languages, and obtaining a solid education. Murod Chorshanbiev noted, “These students worked hard for a month looking for information on the topic. It’s great to see children of this age that know about the existence of this problem. This contest helped children understand the importance of this problem, and this knowledge will help them take at least one step forward in solving it.”

About the Program
School Connectivity for Uzbekistan is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the US Department of State and is administered by IREX. For more information, visit the program website at www.connect.uz, which features content in English and Uzbek.