A training for Romanian and Bulgarian lawyers, prosecutors and judges was organized in Bucharest Romania (10 May 2017 – 12 May 2017) as part of the transnational project Strengthening lawyers’ legal knowledge and cooperation with prosecutors and judges, to protect victims of human trafficking rights in the judicial proceedings, implemented with the financial support of the European Commission, the Justice Program JUST/2015/JTRA/AG/EJTR/8686. The organizer of the event was the Romanian non-governmental organization Association Pro Refugiu, coordinator of the project.
The main training objective consisted in deepening the legal knowledge of the Romanian and Bulgarian lawyers, prosecutors and judges to ensure a better rights protection for victims of human trafficking. The event helped Romanian and Bulgarian legal professionals also to understand the similarities and differences that exist between their two legal systems and learn about the German and Swedish experience on combating human trafficking and protecting victims’ rights. A total number of 47 legal professionals (lawyers, prosecutors, judges and trainers) attended the event.
The training benefited from the presence of experienced Romanian, Bulgarian, German and Swedish trainers (Alina Mosneagu Judge at Bucharest Appeal Court; Laura Ecedi Stoisavlevici Prosecutor DIICOT Romania; Silvia Berbec Lawyer Bucharest Bar and President of Association Pro Refugiu; Vladimir Nikolov Prosecutor at Regional Prosecutor Office Pleven Bulgaria; Daniela Gorbounova Lawyer Sofia Bar; Gabriel Diaconu Romanian Psychiatrist; Gabriela Ionescu Romanian Psychologist and Vice-President of Association Pro Refugiu; Henriette Lyndian Lawyer Germany; Dirk Hinne Lawyer Germany; Ruth Nordström Senior Legal Counsellor and President of Scandinavian Human Rights Lawyers Sweden; Rebecca Ahlstrand Legal Counsellor and Vice-President of Scandinavian Human Rights Lawyers Sweden.
The training subjects consisted in: EU and international normative acts in the field of combating human trafficking and protecting victims’ rights; analyze relevant ECHR decisions; the rights of victims of human trafficking in the judicial proceedings (prosecution and court phases) in Romania and Bulgaria; financial compensation; trauma and its impact on victims capacity to be involved in the criminal trial; the German and Swedish anti-trafficking strategies and victims’ rights protection in the judicial proceedings. With the support of the Romanian National Agency against Trafficking in Persons, participants were able to learn more about the program on victims’ coordination in the criminal trial in Romania.
During the training various techniques were applied, to ensure an interactive approach: plenary sessions; working groups; analyze case studies; presentations; questions and answers sessions.
Participants positively evaluated the training, its topics and how there were approached, the final conclusion being that such events need to be periodically implemented in order to develop a sustainable legal professionals’ network that can ensure a proper protection for victims’ rights at national and transnational level.
Legal Practitioners Manual -EN Version
PRESS RELEASE TRANING BUCHAREST 10-12 MAY 2017
