First OSCE Russian-language live exercise to fight human trafficking for responders from Europe and Asia kicks off in Astana

ASTANA, 24 September 2018 – An OSCE-organized week-long simulation exercise on how to identify and rescue victims of human trafficking kicks off today at the Regional Hub for Countering Global Threats in Astana. More than 50 professionals from law enforcement, labour inspectorates, financial investigative units, prosecutorial offices, NGOs and social services from 14 OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation are participating in the live-action training.

Delivered for the first time in the Russian language, this pioneering training exercise offers front-line responders the opportunity to simulate real-life anti-trafficking responses, using live actors to create trafficking scenarios. Fictitious brothels, a construction site and an agricultural field have been re-created to simulate cases of labour and sexual exploitation, including of child victims.

“By gathering experts from different fields, including financial investigation units, social and migration services, lawyers and NGOs, we are working toward bringing together a multi-agency and multi-disciplinary network of professionals across the OSCE region,” said Valiant Richey, OSCE Acting Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings. “Our simulation exercises are realistic, practical and cross-dimensional to effectively enhance participating States’ ability to identify victims, investigate suspected trafficking cases and prosecute exploiters and perpetrators.”

Previous training courses have left participants, including Italy’s Public Prosecutor David Mancini, praising the approach as “truly unique” and the results as “genuinely extraordinary” with enhanced learning outcomes as “the border between reality and simulation becomes increasingly blurred for all participants”.

Andrey Lukin, Deputy Prosecutor General of Kazakhstan, said: “International co-operation is extremely important. The efficiency of the anti-trafficking response depends on the co-ordinated and coherent work of practitioners from different countries. The goal of this simulation training, involving participants from 14 countries, is to rally all of us and to unite our efforts to combat this crime.”

This project is part of ongoing efforts by the Office of the OSCE Special Representative for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings to facilitate better identification and assistance of trafficking victims through a new, multi-national and cross-sectoral approach.

The simulation exercise in Astana, supported by the OSCE field operations, including the Programme Office in Astana, follows four similar exercises in Vicenza, Italy. A further exercise will be conducted in Vicenza in December 2018.