Twenty - five lawyers from North Macedonia engaged in two-day training focused on delivering free legal aid and providing victim-centred, high-quality legal support to victims of human trafficking. The EU and Council of Europe joint actions "Towards a consolidated and more efficient free legal aid (FLA) system in North Macedonia” and “Strengthening anti-trafficking action in North Macedonia” in partnership with the Bar Association and its recently established Training Centre, delivered this training, focusing of various aspects of free legal aid and legal protection of trafficking victims in line with European standards. The activity aimed to extend the knowledge of lawyers about the “Law on Access to Compensation for Victims of Violent Crimes”, which entered into force in May 2023 and the “Law on Free Legal Aid”, adopted in 2019.

During the training, the participants gained valuable insights on free legal aid through practical exercises and case studies, applying theoretical concepts to real-life scenarios effectively. This training was based on the curricula developed by the Council of Europe consultants in 2023 and were led by three experienced trainers, all of whom had completed an intensive Training of Trainers programme in January and February 2024, supported by the Horizontal Facility programme.

“The access to justice is a fundamental human right for every person and a basic principle of the rule of law in a society. In the absence of access to justice, people are unable to exercise their rights, fight against discrimination, or seek accountability from decision-makers.” said Jovana Malezanska, lawyer and one of the trained trainers.

During the training the participants enhanced their skills regarding the European anti-trafficking standards contained in the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings  and the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights. “The Council of Europe Convention is key multilateral document, which stipulates anti-trafficking standards in the European region. Its victim- centred approach is especially important for protection of the human rights of victims of human trafficking by lawyers and provision of timely and quality free legal aid” said Irena Zdravkova, Programme Manager in the civil society organisation “Macedonian Association of Young Lawyers” (MYLA) and a member of the Tetovo anti-trafficking mobile team.

The participants showed great interest in learning more about the crime of human trafficking, its key elements, and how to apply the trauma-sensitive approach when representing and interviewing victims of trafficking. A dedicated session outlined the steps of filling-in the claims for state compensation in the name of victims of violent crimes. Skilled trainers from the Bar Association and from the civil society organisations MYLA and “For Happy Childhood” applied interactive adult learning methodologies, and integrated a role play and group work based on human trafficking cases.

This capacity-building activity was organised in co-operation with the Bar Association of North Macedonia, by the actions “Towards a Consolidated and More Efficient Free Legal Aid (FLA) System in North Macedonia” and “Strengthening anti-trafficking action in North MacedoniaStrengthening anti - trafficking action in North Macedonia”, part of the of the European Union and Council of Europe joint initiative “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.