OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine to train lawyers on protecting victims of trafficking

KYIV, 19 April 2007 - A two-day training session for lawyers in protecting human trafficking victims starts in Kyiv today.

The session is organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine in co-operation with the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, and will be attended by twenty-five lawyers.

The participants will discuss complex legal and procedural aspects of trafficking based upon particular cases, as well as standards reflected in both Ukraine's national legislation and international law. The seminar will also examine the protection of rights and interests of victims of trafficking and improve the participants' abilities to provide better representation for their clients.

Participants will have the opportunity to discuss specific cases with a French lawyer, who has extensive experience in representing victims of trafficking.

This seminar is a first step in setting up a nationwide network of lawyers specialized in protecting the rights of victims of trafficking. The training sessions should reinforce adherence to international human rights standards during criminal proceedings in trafficking cases in Ukraine, and therefore ensure adequate redress for victims of trafficking.

The Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine has recently launched another joint initiative with the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union to train NGO representatives on providing support for victims of trafficking within established legal procedures.

The training session is funded by the French Ministry for Foreign Affairs through the Anti-Trafficking Programme of the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of the Danish Programme Against Human Trafficking in Eastern Europe.