Back The HELP course Combating Trafficking in Human Beings launched online for legal professionals in Romania, Slovakia and Spain

© Council of Europe

© Council of Europe

The Council of Europe HELP course Combating Trafficking in Human Beings is launched in three online sessions bringing together over 130 judges, prosecutors, and lawyers from Romania, Slovakia and Spain respectively. These online sessions were held on 15 and 16 June 2020, focusing on the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. These sessions have been organised by the European Union and the Council of Europe funded "HELP in the EU Phase II" project.

The participants got familiarised with the Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) Programme of the Council of Europe and its online platform containing 35 online courses.

The online launches were organised following a fruitful cooperation with HELP’s national partners, namely the Romanian National Bar Association, the Slovak Judicial Academy, Prosecutor’s Office and the Slovak Bar Association, as well as the Spanish Judicial School, the General Prosecutor’s Office and the Spanish Bar Association.

Ana-Maria Telbis, coordinator of the European Union-Council of Europe “HELP in the EU II” project presented the HELP Programme and the EU funded Project. The sessions continued with a presentation by Petya Nestorova, Head of Division and Executive Secretary of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, who explained to the participants the work carried out by the Council of Europe in this field, as well as the key findings and recommendations of the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA). She also introduced the participants to the HELP course on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings.

Participants met the tutors who will accompany them in the implementation of the course for the following three months, namely Raluca Bercea (Romanian group of lawyers), Barbora Hubertova and Michaela Chladekova (Slovak group of judges, prosecutors and lawyers) and Diego Fernandez (Spanish group of judges, prosecutors and lawyers). They explained to the participants how the course will be implemented and also pinpointed some practical challenges in the national context concerning trafficking in human beings, for participants to reflect upon and follow up in their exchanges during the course. The participants also had the possibility to share their expectations from the course and exchange with their colleagues.

Following the online launch events, all participants will be enrolled on the course page and will go through the online course. Those among them who successfully complete the course will receive HELP certificates issued by the Council of Europe.

The Council of Europe HELP online course on Combating Trafficking in Human Beings is also available to any legal professional interested in the topic, in the self-learning part of the HELP online platform, in English, Czech, Russian and Serbian and will soon be made available in Romanian, Slovak and Spanish.

Beside the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, the course explores the case law of the European Court of Human Rights as well as other international legal instruments and national good practices, focusing on the protection of the victims of human trafficking. The course was developed in 2017 and explores the topics in a practical way, by using presentations, interactive screens, knowledge tests and reflective exercises. It is structured in the following modules: Introduction and legal framework; Definitions and legal concepts; Identification of victims of human trafficking; Assistance for victims of human trafficking; The non-punishment principle; Investigation, Prosecution and Victims’ rights; Sentencing; Compensation for victims of human trafficking; Return and Repatriation.


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headline Strasbourg 15-16 June 2020
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