The OSCE is strengthening inter-agency cooperation in the field of youth crime prevention in Kyrgyzstan

From October 1 to 3, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department and the Office of the Coordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities organized a multi-stakeholder workshop in Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan, aimed at improving inter-agency cooperation in the field of prevention of juvenile crime.

The workshop brought together 30 representatives of law enforcement and social services, including participants from the Ministry of the Interior and the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection. The emphasis was on promoting effective interagency cooperation to prevent at-risk youth, both women and men, from becoming involved in crime. Through interactive sessions, participants were able to identify, assess and prioritize real-life juvenile crime cases while discussing strategies to address the root causes of criminal behavior.

“Preventing juvenile crime is a priority for Kyrgyzstan,” said Nurzhan Adylova, head of the Public Security Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. “This workshop provided an effective platform for us to explore ways to improve collaboration between law enforcement, schools and social workers in working with and for young people to promote a culture of lawful behavior from an early age.”

The workshop was part of the OSCE-wide multi-year extra-budgetary project entitled “Improving the prevention of youth crime and drug use through legality education and awareness campaigns that address the threats of organized crime and corruption”. The project was mainly funded by Germany, with additional support from Andorra, Finland, Italy, Norway and Poland.