Leaders of this conference are non-governmental organizations from Chelyabinsk , as well as experts from Sweden , Tadzhikistan , Russian Federation

“A World against Trafficking,” an international conference, took place on November 7-9, 2006 in Chelyabinsk , Russia , as a final touch to Year 1 of the Safe Return and Recovery project. Conference program and contents of the trainings were elaborated in cooperation between “Angel Coalition”, “Kvinnoforum” ( Stockholm , Sweden ), “Women's Commonwealth” ( Chelyabinsk ) and “MiraMed Institute” ( Moscow ).

Next year, Kvinnoforum and the Angel Coalition will be moving beyond the Russian Federation , expanding activities to Central Asia . This recent event confirmed once again a gratifying trend that has taken shape over the course of our cooperation: the Russian authorities and the general public have learned much about the phenomenon of trafficking, and have an even greater desire to discuss, ponder, develop and act to address this issue and stop it from gnawing at the very heart of our future – the youth.

Oleg Kouzbit (“Angel Coalition”) is answering “thorny“ questions of the participants of the Round Table in Chelyabinsk

 

The main focus of this high-level government training in Chelyabinsk was prevention of trafficking. The issue of what the government can do to protect and educate still-impressionable young people was raised at each conference session. Organized by Women's Commonwealth, an Angel Coalition partner NGO in Chelyabinsk , the conference brought together teachers, city and oblast officials, and regular citizens to discuss the problem of human trafficking with specialists from Sweden , Russia , and Tajikistan , representing both the governmental and non-governmental sector. Different Chelyabinsk city and oblast organizations, dealing with social problems, have sent their representatives to this conference. Among them there were local Department for Interior Affairs, Chelyabinsk City Duma and local institutes of higher education. Conference in fact has become a place where experience was shared. Aside from the sharing of ideas, all parties had the opportunity to engage in sometimes active debate, which was both interesting and productive.

Project “Protect Me!”

Agreement with General Department of Interior Affairs of Moscow city has been reached regarding long-term cooperation. Project “Protect Me!” (work with children of risk group) is directed to protection and rehabilitation of the most vulnerable groups of children – children whose parents are socially dysfunctional, children who are not cared for, homeless, those who are suffering from home violence and those who have become victims of sexual violence. These children first of all need help and protection. If their family cannot provide this, it is up to the state to compensate and take this role. The first representatives of the state, with whom vulnerable children are faced, are often policemen from the following departments: District Police Officers, Policemen from Department of Juvenile Delinquents, Regular Patrol Police Department. This first experience of communication between a child and the state must be positive and encouraging, and professional on the part of policemen communicating with child. It is pleasant that law enforcement bodies were the first who really responded to our initiative. This is a proof of adoption of the new non-habitual approach to resolution of juvenile delinquency problems and its prevention, issues of protection of childhood, and of the wish to improve work in this area. This joint initiative will become effective basis for developing juvenile justice in our country. Within cooperative framework of this project we plan to fulfill extensive educational and training programs, and elaborate methodology for work with children of risk group. These methods will be developed on the basis of international experience and already accumulated positive experience of Russian law enforcement bodies. There will be designed special rehabilitative programs for children and police personnel, who work with these children.

Trainings for police personnel: first positive responses and results

Participants of training with psychologist of “Angel Coalition” Konstantin Komarov

Within the framework of Angel Coalition's project for children “Protect Me!” there was developed curriculum of the trainings for police personnel, who work with child victims of violence, including those who have been sexually exploited for commercial purposes. Participants in the trainings were police department employees who interact directly with children who have been victims of violence. These are such police departments as:

•  Juvenile Delinquency Department;

•  Regular Patrol Police Department (workers in this department identify and search for victims, as well as homeless and neglected children, and send them to hospitals, shelters, and engage in preventive measures for children who have been sexually exploited for commercial purposes);

•  District Police Officers, whose competences include prevention of delinquency and identification of children of the risk group;

•  Department for Criminal Investigations and investigative agencies of the Main Department of Interior Affairs of the Moscow City (persons in this department conduct investigations on crimes committed in regard to children, meaning they also conduct interrogations and interviews with children);

•  Psychologists from law-enforcement bodies (they treat and rehabilitate both police officers and juvenile victims) of Moscow City .

For the period from June till December 2006 there were already held 18 professional trainings for the police staff working in mentioned departments within the frameworks of the project

“Psychological aspects of police department employees' work with children, who have been victims of violence, including children who have been sexually exploited for commercial purposes”.

The aim of the training is to provide policemen with new psychological knowledge and give them chance to apply this knowledge in practice: how child gets psychological trauma, how this trauma is being manifested, how to establish the contact with children who behave in deviant way, how to construct dialogue with these children, and, the most important, to see them not as potential lawbreaker, but a child who suffered from harsh life circumstances. During the process of training, working methodology is being elaborated of how to teach the course “Psychological aspects of police department employees' work with children, who have been victims of violence, including children who have been sexually exploited for commercial purposes”. It is planned that this program will be applied not only in Moscow and Moscow region, but also in other regions of Russia .

As an answer to the trainings which were carried out in several districts of Moscow the letter of gratitude addressed to Juliette Engel, Director of MiraMed Institute, was issued by leadership of the Main Department of Interior Affairs of Moscow . Letter contains expressions of appreciation and gratitude for the cooperation and work which already has been done in this respect.

One of the trainings for personnel of law enforcement bodies

The cooperation with law enforcement bodies in Moscow oblast (region) is strengthening. In the beginning of 2007 agreement was reached with leadership of the Main Department of Interior Affairs of Moscow oblast (region) regarding trainings for the police staff working in Department for Juvenile Delinquency, Regular Patrol Police Department, Department for Criminal Investigations and others, who directly work with child victims of violence. Trainings will be carried within the framework of the program “Psychological aspects of police department employees' work with child victims of violence, including victims who have been sexually exploited for commercial purposes”. Currently schedule for the training is being elaborated.

 

Informational seminars of Angel Coalition for teenagers and youth “You are not for sale! Don't get hooked by promises!”

Angel Coalition carried an informational seminar for teenagers of the Western administrative district of Moscow. This event was organized within frameworks of cooperation with municipal center “Street Children” and took place in cinema theatre “Kuntsevo” on the 29 th of November, 2006 . Event was held especially for higher school pupils and was carried out under the slogan “You are not for sale!”, where during training the following topics were covered “Don't get hooked by promises! Work and study abroad . Myths and reality ”. The hall of cinema theatre, where event was held, was decorated by posters and slogans informing children about real dangers of employment by criminal business dealers, warning and instructing them not to take hasty decisions. During trainings concrete examples were drawn to instruct children about rules for safe job search, the notion of “human trafficking” was presented to children, children themselves distinguished manifestations of this phenomenon in practice. New information booklets were distributed among youth. 200 participants took part in this event.

Future high school graduates actively participated in discussion with specialists of Angel Coalition on topics “Don't get hooked by promises!”, “You are not for sale!”

On December, 18, 2006 , together with psychologists from Southern administrative district of Moscow there was held a meeting for professional orientation of the graduates of higher school № 335. The pupils of 9-11 grades were informed about existing risks while traveling abroad and looking for employment. Information booklets were distributed among children. 80 children took part in the meeting. Agreement with school leadership to hold more trainings was reached. These trainings will be held within regular curriculum and will be titled “Don't get hooked by promises!”. Pedagogical collective of the school has noted that above-mentioned trainings are highly demanded.