The Role of the NGOs in the Public Policy Process of Uzbekistan; The Role of the NGO “Istiqbolli Avlod” in Shaping State’s Response to Human Trafficking

Abstract

Public policy and public administration have become one of the most studied fields of political science worldwide lately. There are two reasons for its popularity; first, challenging obstacles and policy making process for problem resolving has become practically important for ordinary people to tackle with; second public policy hasn’t yet developed full-fledged theory to encompass and explain all the elements of this topic—hence leaving a wider room to fill in. The main goal of my MA thesis is to analyze the evolution of the public policy developments based on problem resolving and the studies of public policy itself. More specifically, I will focus on the public policy making process in Uzbekistan during the period of independence and the role of the non-governmental structures in the public policy making process. As a case study, the paper will explore specifically the experience of the anti-Human Trafficking NGO network “Istiqbolli Avlod” in Uzbekistan. It is considered to be the most prominent one for its great success in raising awareness and influencing government to fight against modern slavery—actual problem. NGO committed itself to mobilize the recourses and community via nationwide advocacy campaigns to influence the policy makers and local authorities to face the issue of Human Trafficking in Uzbekistan as it affected the ordinary people’s lives, especially women and children. NGOs biggest achievement was possible thanks to its right strategy to sensitize both the ordinary people and policy makers living in one community not to be indifferent or ignore the issue but advocate to stop modern slavery. Human trafficking will be reviewed as one of the mostly threatening types of organized crime in recent history of Uzbekistan and how government got engaged in finding solution to this problem with the knowledge and expertise of the NGO “Istiqbolli Avlod”. The policy nowadays has both positive and negative reactions by the public though; even though the policy has advantages and considered to be a good policy in general, it has yet some drawbacks—violation of basic Human Rights—making it bad Politics.