OSCE holds multi-stakeholder event in Moldova on youth crime prevention
On 25 May 2023, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department and the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, in co-operation with implementing partner Terre des Hommes Moldova, held a multi-stakeholder event in Chisinau, Moldova to present and discuss the findings of the OSCE needs assessment on youth crime prevention in the country.
The assessment found that fostering multi-stakeholder co-operation between police, social services, schools, and health practitioners as a means to identify and jointly address risk factors for juvenile delinquency at an early stage is key for youth crime prevention. It also highlighted the importance of strengthening the inclusion of youth as agents for positive change and as advocates to raise awareness among their peers about the dangers of involvement in criminality and the harms caused by organized crime and corruption.
Participants also discussed current challenges concerning youth criminality, exchanged information about their capacity-building needs, and learned about good practices from the German youth crime prevention initiative Kurve Kriegen.
The event paved the way for several initiatives. It set the stage for targeted multi-stakeholder capacity-building on youth crime prevention for Moldovan state authorities, as well as for the development of a platform for dialogue and experience-sharing for youth. The latter seeks to give Moldovan youth a voice in the design and development of youth crime prevention policies and initiatives.
The event gathered representatives of the Moldovan Ministry of Internal Affairs, Prosecutor General’s Office, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Labor and Social Protection, Ombudsman Office, Ministry of Education and Research, National Anti-Corruption Agency, and Ministry of Health, alongside academia, local administrations, civil society, and young people.
The workshop was held in the framework of the OSCE-wide project “Enhancing youth crime and drug use prevention through education on legality and awareness campaigns addressing threats of organized crime and corruption” and was funded by Germany. Other donors supporting the project are Andorra, Italy, and Poland.