Participants of the online HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) course on trafficking in human beings in Bosnia and Herzegovina had an opportunity to discuss all relevant topics in this area with Liliana Sorrentino, specialist on human trafficking and co-author of the HELP online course on 6 May 2020.

The web conference was organised by the joint EU and Council of Europe action on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This action also initiatied the online HELP course, that aims to improve response to trafficking in human beings by increasing capacity of legal professionals to detect, identify, investigate, prosecute and sentence human trafficking cases and protect victims' rights in accordance with the standards of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. The course was launched on 31 March and made available to professionals engaged in fighting trafficking in human beings in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

12 participants took part in the online event, among which were judges, prosecutors, legal professionals from cantonal and municipal courts from all over the Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as international community representatives. The HELP trafficking in human beings online course tutor, judge and educator at Centre for judicial and prosecutorial training of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CEST FbiH), Adisa Zahiragic, moderated conference. Liliana Sorrentino presented and discussed highlights from the report from the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and, through the short presentation, introduced participants to the course module on Non- punishment.

Participants shared their honest interest in offered trainings that are adjusted to the legal order of Bosnia and Herzegovina and current situation, but also promote EU perspective through the use of international examples and practices. They also emphasised importance of the knowledge they are gaining through the course for their future work.

The action on „Preventing and combating trafficking in human beings in Bosnia and Herzegovina“ is implemented under the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme „Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey II“, aiming to improve anti-trafficking responses and victim protection measures, mainly through capacity building and awareness raising of key anti-trafficking actors in Bosnia and Herzegovina.