Kosovo

Human trafficking is an increasingly complex and insidious problem in post-conflict Kosovo and throughout the war-torn Balkan region.  The ABA Section of Litigation Human Trafficking and Organized Crime Task Force, through training and technical assistance, equips Balkan law enforcement, prosecutors, members of the judiciary, and victim advocates with the technical skills and motivation necessary to tackle this growing threat to their democracies.

The Task Force will continue to contribute to the promotion of justice internationally in 2009.

Objectives:

• Increase the number and types of opportunities for international exchange.
• Identify and play an appropriate role in efforts to enhance the effectiveness of litigations worldwide.
• Support and encourage Rule of Law efforts in foreign countries.
• Provide advanced skills training focus on the lessons learned from cases brought as a result of the 2008 training.

The June 5 & 6, 2008, training in Pristina, Kosovo, was co-sponsored by the ABA Section of Litigation, ABA Rule of Law Initiative (“ABA-ROLI”), and the U.S. Department of Justice Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training (“USDOJ-OPDAT”).

The training included some 50 Kosovar and international (U.N. and European Union) prosecutors, investigators, victim advocates, district judges, academics, students, Kosovo Supreme Court Justices, and high-ranking U.N Mission in Kosovo legal advisors.  The training must be considered a great success; it was enthusiastically attended by Kosovo’s major rule-of-law players, it directly addressed a clear need for training by litigators with practical experience in the field, it prompted lively discussion among the participants, and it resulted in broad coverage by every major television, press, and radio outlet, including Radio Free Europe, Voice of America, and Radio Liberty.

In light of the Section’s positive feedback from the 2008 training session, the training has been funded for 2009.