Joint Programme

Horizontal Facility

After the success of the first online HELP (Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals) course on combating trafficking in human beings, provided in Serbian language in April 2020, an updated course has been kicked off for a new group of 30 students from the University of Belgrade on 12 April 2021.

The online course is built upon the standards developed in the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings and adapted to the Serbian legal and strategic framework. It contains presentations, interactive sessions guided by tutor Professor Ivana Krstic, knowledge tests and exercises.

The Head of the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade, Tobias Flessenkemper, welcomed the students and explained the role of the Council of Europe and local partners engaged in promoting the protection of human rights in Serbia for the last 20 years.

The online course is part of the comprehensive efforts made by the action “Preventing and combating trafficking in human beings in Serbia” and its partners at the national level to counter this serious crime trough sensitisation and capacity-building of relevant stakeholders and actors, including legal practitioners.

The law students will explore different topics from a human rights perspective, such as what is human trafficking as defined in international standards, how to identify and assist victims of human trafficking, the victims’ rights during the investigation and prosecution phases including the non-punishment principle for committed offenses, the victims’ right to access to justice and remedies including compensation.

The online HELP course is organised within the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022” and its action "Preventing and combating trafficking in human beings in Serbia", implemented by the Council of Europe.