HELP course on combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims

This HELP course on combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims is part of a series of courses created by the European Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) of the Council of Europe (CoE) aiming to support legal professionals and to enhance their capacities to effectively and coherently apply European fundamental rights standards at the national level. The Council of Europe has undertaken a series of initiatives in the fight against trafficking in human beings. These efforts culminated in the adoption, in May 2005, of the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, which entered into force on 1 February 2008. Beyond the criminalisation of trafficking and the prosecution of traffickers, the Convention places positive obligations on states to put in place effective measures to prevent human trafficking, to protect the rights of victims of human trafficking, and to engage in international co-operation and co-operation with civil society to these ends. This course is primarily addressed to legal professionals (criminal judges, prosecutors, lawyers or senior court staff) and law enforcement and other state authorities as well as NGOs dealing with individuals affected by trafficking in human beings. It is designed to equip practitioners to effectively apply the standards developed under the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (the CoE Convention) in their daily work. Besides the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, the course explores the case law of the European Court of Human Rights as well as other international legal instruments and national good practices, always focusing on the protection of the victims of human trafficking. It consists of the following 9 substantive modules: Introduction and legal framework Definitions and legal concepts Identification of victims of human trafficking Assistance for victims of human trafficking The non-punishment principle Investigation, prosecution and victims’ rights Sentencing Compensation for victims of human trafficking Return and repatriation. If you are interested in this course or another, you simply need to register in order to access the website resources. An explanatory document is available to make it easier for new persons to find their way around the site. To access the course, firstly you need to open yourself an account at HELP website. Once logged in to the HELP platform you can click here to access the course directly.