OSCE holds training course on combating sexual violence in Armenia

YEREVAN, 4 May 2006 - Preventing and prosecuting sexual crimes was the focus of a training course for Armenian prosecutors and investigators that ended today in Yerevan.

The two-day event was organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan, the Warsaw-based OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), and the Training Centre of the General Prosecutor's Office. ODIHR has been helping Armenian prosecutors since November 2004, with funding from the United States.

"Emphasis should be placed on appropriate treatment of victims of all types of crimes, including sexual violence," said Cynthia Alkon, Head of ODIHR's Rule of Law programme.

Tatul Badasyan, Deputy Director of the Prosecutors' Training Centre, praised the close co-operation with the OSCE, adding that it was important to share the best practices in the field, including investigative techniques and prosecution of cases of sexual violence.

Around 25 participants and two experts from Austria and the United States discussed various case studies, international legal provisions, and the psychology of investigations, as well as issues connected with domestic violence, child abuse and human trafficking.