Overview

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine (PCU) works closely with Ukrainian authorities to implement projects that address the prevention of trafficking in human beings, strengthening prosecution and criminalization, and the facilitation of assistance to victims. The projects are based on key OSCE and Ukrainian anti-trafficking documents, most importantly the OSCE Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings, adopted in 2003 and revised in 2005, OSCE Ministerial Council Decision on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women (MC.DEC/15/05) and the Ukrainian State Programme to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings.

The PCU assists with combating domestic violence as identified in the OSCE 2004 Action Plan to Promote Gender Equality and in the Ukrainian Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence, adopted in 2002 and amended in October 2008.

Combating trafficking in human beings

Following amendments to Ukrainian legislation to criminalize all forms and manifestations of trafficking in human beings, and registration in the parliament of the comprehensive anti-trafficking draft law, the PCU provides expertise and technical support in the development of supplementary legislative acts in this sphere. 

To empower Ukrainian authorities to address the problem of trafficking in persons more efficiently, the PCU carries out capacity-building activities for judges, law enforcement officers, medical practitioners, social authorities, lawyers, consular officials, the media and NGO representatives. It provides training courses and produces publications that aim at eliminating the re-victimization and stigmatization of trafficked victims, strengthening the prevention and prosecution of human trafficking cases and identifying gaps and further needs related to the criminalization of trafficking in human beings.

A special focus is placed on preventing trafficking in minors by raising awareness of the problem among children and professionals dealing with children, as well as providing economic opportunities and information for vulnerable and disadvantaged young people at risk of becoming trafficking victims.

To enhance the efforts of the Ukrainian authorities and civil society to provide needs-based support to trafficking survivors, the PCU is helping with the development of a National Referral Mechanism (NRM), which will facilitate the identification of trafficking victims and improve their access to assistance. Bringing institutional regulations at regional and national levels in line with the NRM framework and developing and introducing sustainable training programmes for key NRM stakeholders are the main components of this work. The NRM framework will be developed and tested in two pilot regions of Ukraine, followed by handover of the pilot results for rollout at the national level.

The PCU strives to strengthen the prosecution of trafficking. In particular, the Euro 2012 football tournament, which Ukraine will co-host with Poland, requires capacity-building efforts for Ukrainian law enforcement authorities to prepare them to prevent and combat trafficking attempts, including trafficking in women and children for sexual exploitation, and other issues, such as forced begging.

Combating domestic violence

Following the 2008 amendments to the Ukrainian Law on the Prevention of Domestic Violence, Ukrainian authorities requested assistance from the PCU in implementing the new legal provisions.

The PCU supports activities aimed at enhancing the capacity of Ukrainian social services, the Ministry for Family, Youth and Sports, a national anti-domestic violence co-ordination body, and Ukrainian police to perform their functions in line with the amended law. This includes assistance in the development of a national mechanism to support victims of domestic violence in Ukraine via review of the relevant legislation, and methodological and training support to the national social authorities.

2009-2010 efforts to draft the methodology related to corrective work with perpetrators will be supported by the development of a training module and manual to be used to enhance professional skills of social service providers. Following the development and piloting of a specialized anti-domestic violence course for precinct police in 2009-2010, the PCU, in co-operation with the Ukrainian Ministry of Interior and its educational institutions, will finalize the course and facilitate the establishment of two more interactive training rooms on combating domestic violence for precinct police inspectors.