With the aim of expanding the pool of Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) certified trainers in Turkey, a training-of-trainers (ToT) session was organised in Ankara on 30 October 2019 in cooperation with the Department of Training of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).

The HELP pool of trainers will be available for the future implementation of HELP courses; supporting the training needs for judges and prosecutors, trainee judges and prosecutors and assistant judicial staff at the national level and in cooperation with the respective national institutions. Certified trainers will be able to implement courses developed by the HELP programme of the Council of Europe. These courses are also available online in the HELP e-learning platform as self-learning resources, free for all legal professionals.

Participants at this session included senior rapporteur judges, including Mr Yusuf Önçırak, HELP Focal point in Turkey; social workers, psychologists, pedagogues and chief clerks from courthouses and the Department of Training.

Mr Osman Hazır, Deputy Head of the Department of Training of MoJ, welcomed the participants speeches, and they subsequently received a detailed introduction to the HELP Programme, its methodology, the HELP e-learning online platform and courses by Mr Muhammed Taha Büyüktavşan, rapporteur Judge at the Department of Human Rights within the MoJ; currently Secondee and Senior Project Coordinator within HELP.

Mr Berat Duman, HELP national tutor and Rapporteur judge at the Department of Training, MoJ; Mr Musa Toprak, HELP Info Point in Turkey and lawyer, and Ms Gamze Gül Çakır Kılıç, HELP national tutor and lawyer at the Ministry of Interior Directorate General of Migration Management, presented the expertise of HELP Programme and its large selection of online course dealing with Human Rights issues, and engaged with the participants on the role and function of HELP tutors.

After the completion of their specific assignments, the participants will be certified by the HELP Programme and ready to act as national tutors of HELP courses; furthermore, all certified tutors will be included in the roster of HELP trainers which is available on the HELP website.