prostitution; women from Bangladesh,
Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Philippines migrate willingly to work
as domestic servants, but some are subjected to conditions of forced
labor, including unlawful withholding of passports, restrictions on
movement, non-payment of wages, threats, and physical or sexual abuse
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Jordan is on the Tier 2 Watch List
for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat
trafficking in persons in 2007, particularly in the area of law
enforcement against trafficking for forced labor; the government
made minimal efforts to investigate or prosecute numerous
allegations related to exploitation of foreign domestic workers;
Jordan failed for a second year to criminally prosecute and punish
those who committed acts of forced labor; Jordan also continues to
lack victim protection services; Jordan has not ratified the 2000 UN
TIP Protocol (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Kazakhstan

Introduction
Kazakhstan

Background:

Native Kazakhs, a mix of Turkic and Mongol nomadic tribes who
migrated into the region in the 13th century, were rarely united as
a single nation. The area was conquered by Russia in the 18th
century, and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1936. During the
1950s and 1960s agricultural "Virgin Lands" program, Soviet citizens
were encouraged to help cultivate Kazakhstan's northern pastures.
This influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but also some other
deported nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled
non-Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Independence in 1991 caused many
of these newcomers to emigrate. Kazakhstan's economy is larger than
those of all the other Central Asian states combined, largely due to
the country's vast natural resources and a recent history of
political stability. Current issues include: developing a cohesive
national identity; expanding the development of the country's vast
energy resources and exporting them to world markets; achieving a
sustainable economic growth; diversifying the economy outside the
oil, gas, and mining sectors; enhancing Kazakhstan's
competitiveness; and strengthening relations with neighboring states
and other foreign powers.

Geography
Kazakhstan

Location:

Central Asia, northwest of China; a small portion west of the Ural
River in eastern-mos