OSCE Project Co-ordinator trains Ukrainian regional authorities to address trafficking in human beings

LUHANSK, Ukraine, 22 July 2008 - The OSCE Project Co-ordinator launched today a series of ten regional training sessions, to take place across Ukraine, on how to address the problem of trafficking in human beings.

Some 250 Ukrainian regional governmental officials will take part in the sessions over the next two months.

"Building the awareness of governmental officials about the problem of trafficking in human beings and their role in addressing it is an important element in building up the state's response to this modern-day form of slavery," said Ambassador Lubomir Kopaj, OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine.

"The training programme we offer aims not only to educate regional authorities about the problem, but also to foster closer co-operation between different stakeholders at an operational level in order to ensure the effectiveness of anti-trafficking measures," he added.

Representatives of different regional governmental agencies, including education, labour, health care and law enforcement, will discuss a number of subjects, from the definition and components of trafficking in human beings to regional co-operative action plans to address the problem.

"We are determined to increase the effectiveness of our state's efforts to combat trafficking in human beings," said Illya Shvelyak, First Deputy Minister for Family, Youth and Sports. "Regional and local authorities are at the forefront of anti-trafficking work and it is imperative that they have adequate knowledge of this problem and are equipped to deal with it both within their own mandate, and in co-operation with other public authorities and the NGO sector."

This series of ten two-day training seminars completes a country-wide programme of anti-trafficking training sessions for regional authorities conducted by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator since July 2007 upon the request of the Family, Youth and Sports Ministry, which co-ordinates Ukraine's anti-trafficking efforts.

The training sessions are funded by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs as part of the Danish Programme Against Human Trafficking in Eastern and South Eastern Europe.