Back Police officers, prosecutors and judges from the Republic of Moldova will improve their professional skills to combat hate crime

Police officers, prosecutors and judges from the Republic of Moldova will improve their professional skills to combat hate crime

Combating hate crimes is a key issue for law enforcement and the judicial system and a key step in this process is the development of capacities of those involved, according to international standards and a coordinated approach.

On 1 March 2021, our project launched a training of trainers for 28 participants from the General Police Inspectorate, Office of the Prosecutor General, and National Institute of Justice, on the topic of hate crimes.

The need for inter-professional training in the field of combating hate crimes derives from the analysis that the above-mentioned project carried out, which involved also an inter-institutional strategic group, organised from October to December 2020.

The analysis Unitary training of relevant actors in combating crimes motivated by prejudice, available in Romanian, highlights the competences needed by law enforcement and legal professionals on the topic of combating hate crimes and indicates that practice-based learning is key to developing the skills of police, prosecutors and judges in combating hate crimes.

The programme of the training will be carried out in three phases, using the newly published HELP course “Hate crimes”, workshops with exercises, simulations, case studies, cascade training, and workshops for the development of trainer abilities of participants. By the end of the course, the group of participants will be equipped with tools to carry out trainings for their peers at local level.

The training of trainers is part of a number of capacity building activities in the Republic of Moldova, based, among others, on the needs identified in the latest country monitoring report of the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance.

This training course is organised by the Council of Europe in partnership with the General Police Inspectorate, the General Prosecutor’s Office and the National Institute of Justice, all of them beneficiary institutions of the project in the Republic of Moldova.

The programme of the training includes the HELP newly revised course on hate crimes. HELP stands for the Council of Europe’s programme on Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals, that develops and implements online courses on human rights for legal and other (justice) professionals.

This activity is implemented in the framework of the regional project "Strengthening the access to justice through non-judiciary redress mechanisms for victims of discrimination, hate crime and hate speech", financed by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe in their Partnership for Good Governance phase II.

Republic of Moldova 1 March 2021
  • Diminuer la taille du texte
  • Augmenter la taille du texte
  • Imprimer la page
Strasbourg, France Strasbourg, 1-2 July 2024
  • Diminuer la taille du texte
  • Augmenter la taille du texte
  • Imprimer la page
  • Imprimer en PDF
Addressing hate speech and hate crime: regional gathering of the network of Equality Bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership Region

A two-day workshop on addressing hate speech and hate crime took place at the premises of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, involving Equality bodies from the Western Balkans and the Eastern Partnership regions.  The event supported by the EU and Council of Europe, gathered 50 representatives from both regions who discussed and exchanged on the best practices, measures and common challenges when addressing hate speech and hate crime. Through monitoring and reporting, policy advocacy, raising awareness and supporting victims equality bodies play a fundamental role in protecting human rights and ensuring that all individuals are treated equally.

In her opening remarks, Angela Longo, Head of Anti-discrimination Co-operation Unit, Council of Europe, underlined the significant progress in engaging with Equality Bodies through this network, regularly exchanging best practices and addressing the challenges of hatred and intolerance in societies. She highlighted that this new chapter of discussion delves into the grey area between hate speech and hate crime, addressing issues of incitement and biases,

Representatives from Equality Bodies had the opportunity to discuss and enhance their knowledge on the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers Recommendation to member States on combating hate crime, adopted on 7th May 2024, as well as gain a clearer understanding of EU standards in the field of hate crime. Moreover, participants engaged in exchanges with peers from the Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia (OBERAXE), who shared insights on addressing hate speech in the public discourse. The National Office Against Racial Discrimination (UNAR) in Italy provided practical examples for developing counter-narratives and raising awareness initiatives.

They also explored opportunities to advocate for legislative reform, foster multisectoral co-operation, enhance data collection, and overall improve national mechanisms to counter hate crimes.

This seminar was organised within the action “Promoting equality and combating racism and intolerance in the Western Balkans” and the project “Promoting equality and non-discrimination: towards more resilient and inclusive societies” – co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe  under the joint Programmes “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” and “Partnership for Good Governance”.

Follow us on social media