At OSCE-organized workshops, local actors from both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River learn how to strengthen their capacity to coordinate anti-trafficking activities
More than 100 public servants and civil society representatives engaged in anti-trafficking activities on both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River, strengthened their capacities to protect and assist human trafficking victims at workshops conducted by the OSCE Mission to Moldova between 11 and 27 April 2018. The workshops, held in Chisinau, were organized in close co-operation with the Permanent Secretariat of the National Committee to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings.
During the workshops’ practical and theoretical sessions, members of the territorial anti-trafficking commissions from 35 districts across Moldova learned about national best practices on documentation, rehabilitation and compensation of human trafficking victims. Workshop facilitators emphasized approaches that ensure the respect and protection of victim’s rights during the social reintegration process.
For the first time, civil society representatives from Transdniestria and civil servants from the Autonomous Territorial Unit (ATU) of Gagauzia joined the workshops for the local territorial commissions on the right bank. Their participation added valuable perspectives to discussions about effective planning and co-ordination of anti-trafficking activities with representatives of civil society, an important partnership in preventing and combating trafficking in human beings. Improved co-ordination at the local and national levels will also pave the way for a deeper engagement of the ATU Gagauzia in the implementation of the National Anti-Trafficking Strategy for 2018-2023. Speaking at the workshop, Ecaterina Berejan, head of the Permanent Secretariat of the National Committee to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings, underlined the relevance of the skills gained by participants.
“The workshop organizers focused in particular on strengthening the capacities of the secretaries of territorial anti-trafficking commissions, who play an important role in helping victims of trafficking to resume their lives. Equipped with new skills, the secretaries will contribute to a more efficient implementation of the Strategy at the local level,” Berejan said.