In August, the Head of the Office and the Minster of the Interior held a joint press conference at the Ministry of Interior, inviting media, civil society advocates and members of the diplomatic community to discuss the prevention and response to domestic violence. The OSCE-Ministry cooperation was the subject of extensive coverage in print and broadcast media, including on the nationwide state Channel 1 and the BBC, and prompted several feature stories focusing on government and civil society efforts to contend with the problem of domestic violence. Drug Prevention and Community Policing 35 Afghan police officers participated in the counter-narcotic training in Dushanbe from 17 February to 18 March in courses organized by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan in co-operation with Tajikistan’s Interior Ministry and the National Drug Control Agency (DCA). The two trainthe-trainer courses, which were developed and organized by the SPMU and the OSCE Office in Tajikistan, were specifically designed for the Afghan police officers. The one-month courses focused on practical exercises on the planning and organizing of drugs search operations and employed modern training methods. The participants examined the entire process of prosecuting drugs-related criminal cases, starting with police investigations and ending in the courts. Ahead of the training courses, the OSCE refurbished two classrooms at the Interior Ministry and the National Drug Control Agency and provided training-related equipment to both agencies (see also II.1.1). The DCA printed and published its 2009 Annual Report, financed and supported by the OSCE, within the Office’s programme to combat illicit drug trafficking. In 2010, the report was disseminated not only in the Tajik and Russian languages, but also in English, which provided a wider outreach to the international community. The Annual Report described the efforts of law enforcement agencies in 2009; reports on the drug situation in the country; the situation in Afghanistan; analyzed drug abuse issues and drug prevention efforts; as well as international co-operation of the DCA. On 26 May, the 2010 Drug Prevention Campaign commenced in GBAO and was further implemented until September in the Dushanbe, Soghd and Khatlon regions. The main beneficiary within this project was the DCA utilizing the project funds in the ‘Drug Prevention Campaign’ earmarked for enhancing drug awareness and implementing the national drug strategy endorsed by the President of the Republic of Tajikistan. The Drug Prevention Campaign became an important element of the implementation of the national drug strategy, supported successfully by the OSCE since 2007. The immediate proximity to Afghanistan has made some of the above mentioned regions a prime target for drug traffickers, transporting drugs to and through Tajikistan. Very often, drugs are used for bribes, which increases the drug abuse within society. The main focus of these events was the dissemination of information about drug trafficking and drug abuse reaching out to the communities, with a specific focus on the youth. A “Rap against Drugs” concert was organized on 20 June in Dushanbe. Over 45,000, mostly young community members took part in these community policing events. ****** 107