Ukraine Training Highlights International Best Practices in Combating Child Trafficking

July 2011

From June 16–17, the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) trained 11 investigators from the Ministry of the Interior’s offices in Sumy, Poltava, Kharkiv, Kirovograd, Kyiv and Chernivtsi on the framework of its one-year program to combat child trafficking in Ukraine. The three regional trainings were held in Kharkiv, Donetsk and Lviv. Ukrainian investigators, who had previously attended two ABA ROLI-organized training-of-trainers seminars in Kyiv, led the training.

 “During the 10 years of my work in human trafficking cases, remarkable progress has been made,” said Militia Lieutenant Colonel Serhiy Rossokha, who heads the Investigation Department of the Ministry of Interior in the Zakarpattya Region. “Non-governmental organizations, including ABA ROLI, have played an important and sometimes decisive role in the development of the skills and knowledge of Ukrainian investigators.”

The trainees said that the trainings allowed them to gain new information, to network with colleagues from different regions, to learn about international best practices, to develop cooperation with non-governmental organizations that work in this area and to get first-hand experience of working with victims of human trafficking. Due to the cross-regional nature of human trafficking, the networks the trainees have developed will help them better assist victims, hold offenders accountable and prevent similar crimes in the future.

Militia Lieutenant Colonel Oksana Pustova, head of the Department of Supervision of Investigation of Crimes Connected with Trafficking in Human Beings at the Ministry of the Interior, said that the trainings were “very timely, useful and interesting.” Pustova added that similar opportunities for other investigators would help strengthen the fight against human trafficking.

To learn more about our work in Ukraine, contact the ABA Rule of Law Initiative at rol@americanbar.org.