Victims of discrimination and hate crimes often times need supportive professionals in order to take their cases forward and obtain justice. The role of the free legal aid system in assisting victims in obtaining redress is a crucial step in strengthening access to justice.

From January to May 2021, 19 participants, future trainers of the Free Legal Aid Ukraine will be trained by the Council of Europe on topics such as discrimination and hate crimes. The training course will include the online HELP course module on antidiscrimination combined with interactive online sessions lead by tutors, group workshops and individual practical assignments. Moreover, participants will develop their competences as trainers and education, for example their trainer ethics and work with sensitive discrimination related issues, adults learning methodology, design of training programmes, identifying trainees’ needs and group work.

The launch event of this training of trainers course for lawyers supporting the Free Legal Aid system of Ukraine (FLA) on Antidiscrimination and Combating Hate Crimes has taken place online on 25 January 2021. 19 participants of the series of training activities representing lawyers engaged by FLA, advocates and legal professionals that previously cooperated with FLA in the capacity of trainers as well as representatives of Coordination Center for Legal Aid Provision and Pravokator Legal Clubs were welcomed by Olena Lytvynenko, Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Kyiv, Oksana Vasyliaka, Deputy Director of Coordination Center for Legal Aid Provision and Volodymyr Kulyk, the member European Commission against Racism and Intolerance during the opening event.

The activity is organised within the framework of the CoE/EU Project “Strengthening access to justice through non-judicial redress mechanisms for victims of discrimination, hate crime and hate speech in Eastern Partnership countries”.