Observation (CEACR) - adopted 2025, published 114th ILC session (2026)

Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) - Kazakhstan (Ratification: 2001)

Articles 1(1), 2(1) and 25 of the Convention. 1. Forced labour of migrant workers. The Committee previously noted the information regarding abusive practices and working conditions faced by migrant workers, which may amount to forced labour. In its response, the Government indicates that implementing unified digital procedures for work permit applications promotes transparency, prevents informal hiring practices, and enables migrant workers to access information about their rights. The Government further indicates that the process for hiring migrants is governed by the Migration Act and the Regulations on Issuing and Renewing Permits. The Government points out that particular attention is given to the protection of migrant workers’ labour rights in domestic work. In particular, employers are permitted to hire no more than five migrant workers for domestic work, which prevents abuses and conditions similar to those of forced labour. Additionally, migrant workers are allowed to extend their permits, which promotes stable and secure employment. The Committee takes note of the statistical data provided by the Government on labour inspections and violations detected in 2024 and 2025. In this respect, the Committee observes that the data refers to the overall number of inspections without disaggregation by economic sectors, particularly those where migrant workers are predominantly employed, including tobacco, cotton, construction industries and domestic work.

The Committee further notes that, in its 2025 concluding observations, the United Nations Human Rights Committee remained concerned by reports regarding barriers to the effective prevention of forced labour, including due to the underfunding of labour inspectors, and that migrants may be deported without an opportunity to undergo adequate screening for trafficking (CCPR/C/KAZ/CO/3).

The Committee strongly requests the Government to take the necessary measures to prevent migrant workers from being caught in abusive practices and conditions of work that could amount to forced labour and to ensure the effective and adequate protection of migrant workers who are victims of forced labour, including trafficking. The Committee also requests the Government to provide data, disaggregated by gender and age, on the number of identified victims of abusive practices among migrant workers, and on the number of investigations, prosecutions and penalties imposed on the perpetrators.

2. Trafficking in persons. The Committee notes with interest the adoption of the Act “On Combating Trafficking in Persons” of 5 July 2024, No. 110-VIII. The Government indicates that this Act establishes the organizational and legal framework for combating trafficking, outlines the roles of authorized agencies and entities, and provides measures to prevent and protect victims of trafficking. The Committee also notes the adoption of the Action Plan to Prevent and Combat Crimes Related to Trafficking in Persons (Action Plan) for 2024–26 by the Government’s Decree of 29 November 2023, No. 1048. The Government also indicates that, in 2024, 17 cases under section 128 of the Criminal Code (trafficking in persons) were registered. Furthermore, assistance was provided to 247 victims of trafficking.

The Committee requests the Government to take the necessary measures to ensure the effective implementation of the Act “On Combating Trafficking in Persons” of 5 July 2024, and the Action Plan for 2024–26, and to provide any assessment of its implementation. It further requests the Government to continue to provide information on the number of victims of trafficking who have been identified and provided with assistance, and the number of investigations, prosecutions, convictions, as well as the penalties applied under section 128 of the Criminal Code.

The Committee is raising other matters in a request addressed directly to the Government.