OSCE Project Co-ordinator helps train Ukrainian prosecutors to combat human trafficking

KYIV, 19 September 2006 - Twenty Ukrainian prosecutors are taking part in a training course this week in Kyiv on combating trafficking in human beings. The course was organized by the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine and the country's Academy of Prosecutors.

Experts from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the Public Prosecution Service in Poland, as well as from Ukraine's Supreme Court, Interior Ministry and NGOs, will help discuss the current anti-trafficking legislation, ways of helping victims of trafficking, local and international co-operation in the field, co-operation between law enforcement bodies and civil society, and the role organized crime plays in trafficking.

Discussions will also focus on witness protection measures, the use of closed-door hearings in trafficking cases, and the creation of an informal network of specialized prosecutors on human trafficking in Ukraine.

After completing the five-day course, participants will be able to use their new skills and the methodology learned to train their colleagues.

The course was financed by contributions from the Governments of Austria and France.