Two separate training events were held in Antalya on 24-27 May and 30 May - 3 June 2022 on strengthening the identification and referral of the victims of labour exploitation, respectively, with the participation of 72 labour inspectors from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and 6 migration specialists from the Presidency of Migration Management, within the framework of the action on “Strengthening the human rights protection of migrants and victims of human trafficking in Turkey” under the European Union/Council of Europe joint programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019 – 2022”.

Rıfat Sagut, Public Prosecutor at the Court of Cassasion of Türkiye and academicians Dr. Ezgi Yaman Kennedy and Dr. Burçak Özoğlu delivered fruitful and stimulating training sessions and case studies on the characteristics of trafficking in human beings, the legal and institutional framework, identification of victims of labour exploitation in Türkiye, as well as the national referral and assistance pathways for the victims concerned.

During the training, stakeholders also provided significant contributions. Deputy Head of Presidency of Guidance and Inspection Onur Batuman and Chief Labour Inspector Gülcan Eriş delivered sessions on the phenomenon of labour exploitation in Türkiye and relevant good practices.

Migration specialists Ekin Sevil Gürünlü and Ali Hazar from the Presidency of Migration Management delivered sessions on the relevant national legal framework, the role of Presidency of Migration Management, and challenges encountered in the field, and touched upon a range of possible solutions.

The interactive sessions of the training facilitated receiving valuable inputs from the participants and participants reported that their knowledge on the identification and referral of victims of labour exploitation significantly increased as a result of the training.

The training was organised within the framework of the action “Strengthening the human rights protection of migrants and victims of human trafficking in Turkey”, which is a part of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”.