OSCE/ODIHR plans network of lawyers to improve access to justice for trafficking victims

Establishing an OSCE-wide network of legal practitioners to improve access to justice and effective remedies, including compensation, for trafficked persons was the focus of a meeting organized by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) in Warsaw on 3 and 4 April 2012.

The meeting was the first step in creating the network and brought together 45 lawyers from legal clinics, pro bono clearinghouses, civil society and intergovernmental organizations involved in providing free legal advice and representation to trafficked persons and vulnerable individuals in more than 20 OSCE participating States.

“By bringing together legal professionals who will work together across national borders to provide free legal assistance to trafficked persons, lawyers will be better placed to reach out to victims and help them reclaim their human rights,” said Mariana Katzarova, ODIHR’s Senior Adviser on Anti-Trafficking Issues. “The network will help make access to justice a reality for victims of trafficking.”

During the meeting, which also included representatives from the office of the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and from OSCE field operations, participants suggested new strategies for co-operation to address current challenges in providing legal assistance to trafficked persons.

Adam Weiss, the Legal Director of the London-based NGO AIRE Centre, welcomed the ODIHR initiative.

“The network will allow legal practitioners to share experiences and pool resources to enable victims of trafficking to seek the justice and remedies they deserve,” Weiss said.

The establishment of the network follows recommendations made at a meeting organized by ODIHR in Istanbul in March 2011, at which participants highlighted the need to enhance legal assistance to trafficked persons, including through increased cross-border co-operation in addressing trafficking cases.