Angel Coalition - Combatting and Prevention of Human Trafficking

On April, 18, 2007 within the framework of the project “Protect Me!” the autonomous non-commercial organization Angel Coalition with support from charity foundation MiraMed Institute and with participation of the charity foundation “Women and children first of all”, the roundtable was held titled “A Multi-Faceted Approach to Preventing the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children. Issues of Cooperation between Government and Civil Society ”.

Tatiana Uzakova (“Angel Coalition”) told about project “Protect Me!”, directed to counteraction of the commercial sexual exploitation of children

The aims of this roundtable were the following: to indicate how crucial is the problem of commercial sexual exploitation of children in Russia and CIS countries; to discuss possible ways to resolve this problem through joint actions and cooperation of all agencies concerned: law enforcement, governmental structures, non-governmental and international organizations. One of the main tasks was discussing the state of art of Russian legislation on fighting commercial sexual exploitation of children (its positive and negative aspects, in particular) and state of contemporary judicial practice.

Representatives of governmental bodies, forming the system of prevention of minor delinquents' deviant behavior, have taken part in this roundtable. The main speaker was Pristanskaya O., Head of the department for prevention of minor delinquents' deviant behavior of the prosecutor's surveillance unit at Scientific-research Institute for the problems of strengthening law and order under the General Prosecutor's Office of Russian Federation. She spoke about actual criminological and judicial problems of preventing the commercial sexual exploitation of children. The psychological impact which sexual harassment has on children was considered in the report by E. Tsymbal, independent expert, candidate of medical sciences, legal adviser, laureate of Russian Government on education. N. Khomiakov, employee of the office on disclosure of the severe crimes against person of the Department of criminal prosecution with Ministry of Interior Affairs, has spoke about specificity of identifying and disclosing crimes concerned with sexual exploitation of minors. Representatives of non-governmental organizations from city of Saint-Petersburg, from Lithuania , Ukraine , Moldova and Tajikistan have shared their experience of cooperation between governmental structures and non-profit organizations in the prevention activities and protection of children – victims of trafficking and abuse.

On plenary session the most acute issues were discussed concerning creation of the single rehabilitation space for children, who suffered from violence including commercial sexual exploitation, and the model of interagency cooperation was formulated, which would contribute into fighting commercial sexual exploitation of children. At the roundtable the resolution was adopted, addressed to State Duma of the Federal Council of Russian Federation, Government of Russian Federation, Ministry of Interior Affairs and General Prosecutor's Office of Russian Federation.

Director of the Angel Coalition Trafficking Victim Assistance Center , Oleg Kouzbit, was invited to participate in an international roundtable held by the NGO members of one of Europe 's most respected networks of non-governmental organizations working against trafficking in human beings, ARIADNE.

The network has been active since 2005 and is now esteemed by relevant EU bodies in Brussels and Strasbourg . By the time of the roundtable ARIADNE united 14 NGOs from the countries of origin, transit and destination in South-Eastern, Central and Eastern Europe –from Greece and the Balkan states to Ukraine . Russia was not part of the network – until this visit.

The Angel Coalition joined ARIADNE to represent the Russian Federation , which has opened new windows of opportunities as regards exchange of information, interaction in rescues and repatriations, and joint project activities involving its members.

Audience of the trainings by Angel Coalition for law enforcement is constantly growing

Cooperation of Angel Coalition with law enforcement bodies is actively developing: new trainings are being conducted for militia staff working with children – victims of violence and commercial sexual exploitation. Moreover, the audience is constantly growing and embracing new groups of specialists – militia workers who directly communicate with target group – children who have become victims of violence and commercial sexual exploitation (CSEC).

On April, 6, 2007 Angel Coalition has carried out the training titled “Specific features of age development and formation of deviant behavior. The methods of carrying out the interview with under-aged” for 80 secretaries of the commission on care for minor delinquents and protection of their rights. This training has become an event included into the framework of municipal seminar for secretaries of commission on care for minor delinquents, hosted by City Administration of Moscow.

Also our trainings have overstepped the borders of Moscow city and extended into Moscow oblast (region): within the framework of the project “Protect Me!” Angel Coalition and Main department for Interior Affairs of Moscow oblast have concluded agreement about long-term cooperation on program “Psychological aspects of militia personnel's work with child victims of violence and CSEC”. On the basis of this agreement in town of Klin , Moscow region, the trainings have started for militia personnel who work directly with children suffering from violence and CSEC. Militia personnel being trained comes from the following departments: department on care for minor delinquents (they identify victims, and children left without care and abandoned children, send them into shelters and hospitals, also are involved into prevention activities to protect children from getting into CSEC), staff of department on criminal investigation and investigative agencies (they are investigating crimes committed against children, e.g. they also communicate with these children and interview them), psychologists from law enforcement bodies (who carry out rehabilitative activities with children and with militia personnel working with the former). Trainings are being carried out twice a month with each session lasting 4 hours.

Besides that, within framework of cooperation with Center for Temporary Stay of Minor Delinquents now regular training sessions by Angel Coalition are held for specialists – psychologists working on the basis of the rooms for psychological rehabilitation of CTSMD. “Sensor rooms” or rooms of psychological rehabilitation which were totally repaired and equipped by Angel Coalition with support from the Childhood Foundation, started their work in the beginning of 2007, and, according to CTSMD staff, they are “working at full workload”. Leadership of the Center for Temporary Stay of Minor Delinquents and Commission on care for minor delinquents and protection of their rights already expressed to us their gratitude for this contribution.

Trainings for militia and development of methodological basis on working with children, who became victims of violence and commercial sexual exploitation

Along with provision of trainings for militiamen, directly working with children – victims of violence, including commercial sexual exploitation of children, Angel Coalition's project “Protect Me!” is constantly developing appropriate scientific-methodological basis for work with children - victims. Knowledge about establishing dialogue with children and practical provision of help to children – victims is extremely required these days. That is why in collaborative work with experts and on the basis of the newest psychological findings special methods are being elaborated on how to work with such children. Valuable methodological material is used as basis for trainings with militiamen, who are in direct contact with children – victims of violence and commercial sexual exploitation.

On April, 2, 2007 seminar took place, where there was vivid exchange of experiences between “OZON” center, Moscow Center for Temporary Care of Minor Delinquents and representatives of Angel Coalition. The seminar was devoted to the topic “Identification of children – victims of abuse and violence”. In seminar such aspects were considered as situation on the absence of care over homeless and abandoned under-aged in Moscow ; general notion of the abuse of children; psychological and behavioral consequences of sexual violence on children. Special attention was given to the methods of interrogation of the victims of sexual violence. Seminar was given by specialists of OZON center, who have accumulated significant experience of work on this problem - these are methodologist, candidate of medical sciences Е . Tsymbal, and pedagogue-psychologist A. Solovieva.

On April, 24, 2007 on the premises of Moscow Center for Temporary Care of Minor Delinquents first training took place in series of new author's trainings designed for militiamen, psychologists and educators of the named center and for specialists of rehabilitation centers who are directly working with children – victims of violence, e.g. for all specialists who can apply this rehabilitative methodology in their direct work. The author of this methodology of posttraumatic rehabilitation and psychological correction of the deviant behavior of under-aged is K. Komarov (“Angel Coalition”).

This methodology is tailored for the work with under-aged from 10 up to 18 years old, but being slightly modified it can be applied in work with young preschool children (from 3 years old). It is planned that these trainings will be given once a month. After 10-12 trainings this work will be summed up in methodological manual.

The work started on new methodological program “How to carry out interrogation of under-aged, who have become victims of sexual violence”, which is designed for use by law enforcement. The author of this methodology is Anna Solovieva. Among the range of issues considered are the following: which are behavioral manifestations indicating that sexual violence was committed over child ; the specificity of child's perception of sexual violence and his reproduction of this experience ; how to formulate questions in correct manner and to interpret information received; characteristic behavior of adults, committing sexual violence over children, their characteristic behavior during interrogation. What is more, methodology covers such issues as psychological and social consequences of sexual violence for a child and which official structures may professionally help children – victims of violence.

Campaign to advertise Angel Coalition Hotline in popular regional newspapers

Within the framework of the advertisement for public purposes in April 2007 Angel Coalition started to publish in Russian regional press the advertisement of the anti-trafficking hotline telephone numbers. Publication of this advertisement is aimed at informing and warning inhabitants of the most distant corners of Russian provinces that searching for work through go-between companies may be risky and eventually lead them into trafficking situation. The advertisement is suggesting to call free-of-charge hotline for consultation on concrete issues. Pursuing the goal to reach as wide public audience as only possible we had to distinguish particularly popular newspapers in different regions of Russia . Our regional partners have helped to define such newspapers. As a result, we already published advertisement with Angel Coalition hotline phone numbers in following popular regional newspapers: “Medved'” (Karelia), “Shans” (S-Petersburg), “Komsomol'skaya Pravda” (Chelyabinsk), “Poliarnaya Pravda” (Murmansk), “Chitay-gorod” (Barnaul), “Angara” (Irkutsk), “Komsomol'skaya Pravda” (Yaroslavl'), “Iz ruk v ruki” (Moscow).

NEWS - April 2007 (#7)