Description
Trafficking in human beings is the slavery of our times; victims are often recruited, transported or harbored by force or fraud, for exploitation. The project purpose is to improve the co-operation between the authorities and relevant stakeholders including non-governmental organizations, in assisting victims of trafficking for accessing financial compensation and legal aid by: 1.Identifying possible gaps and problems of the national system for granting victims of human trafficking access to financial compensation 2.Increasing the capacity of key stakeholders, governmental and non-governmental 3.Increasing the number of victims of the THB who received financial compensation The expected outputs of the project are: • Development of a national research in order to identify possible gaps with regard to effective exercise of victims’ right to claim compensation. This will be achieved by carrying out a research and conducting a fact finding mission. •Organizing a national workshop and 7 training sessions with 105 relevant key-stakeholders from both government and non-governmental institutions, working in the field of victims' rights. •Organizing an international conference with an estimate of 70 participants, to facilitate exchange of experience and enhance the cooperation between EU member states, third countries, and representatives of the private sector in assisting victims of trafficking of accessing financial compensation. •Elaboration distribution of 20000 brochures with information about victims' rights to compensation and the ways to access it Target group: victims of human trafficking, judges, prosecutors, police officers, social assistants. The DPP had not a direct involvement in this project.
Summary of project results
THB is a very serious crime, which is quite present in the criminal environment of the modern days. In this respect, the justice chain and the law enforcement agencies have to be prepared to ensure proactive and appropriate reactions. The expected outcome: To improve capacity to prevent and combat cross-border and organized crime, including trafficking in human beings and itinerant criminal groups. The project contributed to the achievement of this specific outcome by improving the cooperation between the authorities and relevant stakeholders, including NGOs, in assisting victims of trafficking for accessing financial compensation and legal aid. In this respect, one national research was carried out in order to identify possible gaps with regard to effective exercise of victim’s right to claim compensation, comprising recommendations and conclusions with the aim of increasing the number of victims who receive financial compensation. Relevant authorities have been trained as well (police, prosecutors, judges, NGOs), concerning the procedures of VoTs access financial compensation. Based on the results of the national study, brochures comprising main aspects concerning the right to compensation, legal aid and procedures for accessing it were elaborated and disseminated. All the output indicators have been accomplished: A national research on the compensation of VoTs was carried out and a project report was elaborated containing the conclusions of the fact finding missions. Based on the results of the national study, two types of brochures dedicated to VoTs, respectively to the specialists that are supporting VoTs have been elaborated and 20000 copies have been distributed. One national workshop, an international conference and 7 seminars were organized in 7 major cities in Romania, on the topics of international standards, legal rights and financial investigations in THB cases. The project was carried out with support from the Council of Europe, which acted as Project Partner.
Summary of bilateral results
No particular bilateral ambitions were addressed by this project, regarding to improve the cooperation between Norway and Romania. However, the project benefited from the support of CoE, that acted as IPO, and a very good co-operation was established, that will be continued in the future (including in the next Home Affairs Programme), but in a slightly different area.