OSCE Mission to Moldova supports workshop on protecting human trafficking victims for NGO representatives from Transdniestria

Seventeen civil society professionals from the left bank of the Dniester/Nistru River successfully completed a two-day capacity-building training course on best practices in identifying and assisting victims of trafficking in human beings. The event was organized by the OSCE Mission to Moldova in partnership with the Transdniestrian NGO Women’s Initiatives from 10 to 11 July 2018 in Tiraspol.

The training workshop aimed to improve the participants’ understanding of the fundamental aspects of combating trafficking in human beings, including the difference between trafficking and migration and the legal framework defining the status of victims of trafficking. The event also served as a platform to familiarize the participants with the role of the information communication technologies in the recruiting and exploiting human beings, and ways to fight online exploitation and abuse. The inter-agency mechanism for the protection of trafficking victims, which exists in Moldova, was also among the topics discussed.

“Participation in such events encourages our local professionals to improve their services to victims of human trafficking. It also helps to bridge the gap between theory and practice in victim identification and assistance,” commented Natalia Savcina, Director of the NGO Women’s Initiatives.

This two-day training course marked the beginning of a series of capacity-building events on combating trafficking in human beings which will be conducted by the Mission on both banks of the Dniester/Nistru River in 2018. The Mission’s work in the field of human rights is in line with the priorities of the Human Rights sub-Working Group, reconvened by Moldova and Transdniestria this year. By supporting these activities, the Mission brings together professional communities from both banks to address issues of common concern.