A Trafficked Person Rebuilds His Life in Turkmenistan
Vepa is married and has four children. He hails from Lebap, situated in the northeast region of Turkmenistan. His family struggled to make ends meet. Vepa would take any job he could find to put food on the table. So when an acquaintance offered him a job in Turkey that would enable him to support his family, he didn’t hesitate to accept it. He was excited to leave home for the first time in the hopes of building a better future for his family.
When Vepa arrived in Turkey, his employer confiscated his passport on the pretext of needing it for local registrations. Vepa wouldn't see his passport until four months later when he boarded a plane back to Turkmenistan.
Vepa worked at a construction site in Turkey. He recalls the working conditions were inhumane. “It could hardly be called a life. We were outcasts. We lived in a house that was under construction, slept on cardboard boxes, worked 17 hours a day and only got bread and water for sustenance.” He didn’t receive any financial compensation for his work. Like many trafficked people, he found himself helpless, with no one to turn to, he couldn’t speak the language and didn’t know what to do.
About four months into his time as a slave laborer, his body couldn’t cope anymore. He collapsed from exhaustion. His employer realized he could no longer use him for slave labor and dumped an unconscious Vepa with his passport--but no money--at the airport. Luckily, some Turkmen waiting for a flight found Vepa and bought him a ticket home. Strangers to him, these kind Turkmen people shared their food with Vepa and helped him escape.
A dejected Vepa didn’t know where to turn. “My dreams were shattered. I felt like a stranger in my own family and society. I felt incapable and that it was all my fault.” Through an information campaign by USAID’s Dignity and Rights project, Vepa learned there were resources for people like him to reintegrate into society. He was offered psychological consultations. Slowly, Vepa started to rebuild his self-confidence. With USAID’s assistance, he successfully completed a professional welding course and was given a welding machine to help him start an income generating business.
Vepa started to believe he could have a bright future again. With his new business, he has a sustainable job that empowers him to support his family. Not long after starting his business, Vepa hired four other laborers and together they won a welding contract for a large company. After receiving the contract for the large company, Vepa’s income has increased eightfold. He proudly offers welding services not only in his village but across his entire municipality.
Thanks to USAID’s Dignity and Rights project, survivors of human trafficking like Vepa can restart their lives and become productive members of their communities. “The greatest happiness is when you are at home. Thanks to USAID’s program, I’ve found the meaning of my life and started to believe in myself. Thank you so much for your work.”
Over the past five years, USAID’s Dignity and Rights project implemented by the International Organization for Migration has identified and assisted 144 (66 male and 78 female) victims of trafficking and vulnerable migrants in Turkmenistan helping them rebuild their lives.
