Rule of Law Initiative Trafficking Project in Ukraine Holds Roundtable on Asset Confiscation

07.09.2007

On June 4, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative’s Ukraine Project on Confiscation Fund for Human Trafficking, a project funded by International Organization for Migration in Ukraine, organized a working roundtable on the “Application of Asset Confiscation as a Punishment in Human Trafficking Cases” in Kyiv.  The Roundtable brought together academics and members of the Ukrainian criminal justice system who work on asset confiscation including representatives of the General Prosecutor’s Office, General Prosecutor’s Academy, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Internal Affairs, State Department for the Execution of Punishments, Academy of Judges, Center for Legal Reform of the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry for Family, Youth and Sports.

Ludmyla Ilkovetz from the Academy of Prosecutors of the General Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine moderated the productive expert discussion on the current legal framework of confiscation procedures.  Participants identified problems with the application of confiscation for human trafficking crimes and offered potential solutions for those challenges. The roundtable was the first event to specifically address the need for a separate fund to assist victims of human trafficking crimes in Ukraine, and it was very well received by those who participated.