Angel Coalition - Combatting and Prevention of Human Trafficking

New training for the Moscow Police Directorate on “Posttraumatic rehabilitation methods for dealing with children who have suffered from commercial sexual exploitation.”

Collaborative work with the Moscow Police Directorate continues. After a positive response from the training in April, we began a new program entitled “Methods for post-traumatic rehabilitation and psychological correction of deviant behavior in minors.” Seven trainings have been held thus far for psychologists from the Moscow Police Directorate and staff of the Center for the Temporary Care of Juvenile Delinquents, and also for specialists from rehabilitation centers and social services centers.

This program is intended for specialists who would be able to work on rehabilitating minors who have experienced abuse upon mastery of the techniques. Specifically: to diagnose the level of “accumulated stress” in the body and the psyche, to normalize their maladaptive psycho-emotional state, to correct individual types of deviant behavior—aggression and auto-aggression, fear, etc.; to improve the psychological stability of children, and also to teach youth basic relaxation skills and basic control of their psycho-emotional state. First, training participants, hearing the theory, test the technique on one another. Then, under the supervision of the trainer, they apply the technique to working with children. Because this is a universal technique, psychologists from the Main Department of Internal Affairs can use it in their work with adults—mainly, police officers whose work results in the need for relaxation skills and conscious control and regulation of their psycho-emotional state.

The trainings were held by Konstantin Komarov. All trainings were recorded on videotape for compilation into an instructional film.


«Psychologist Konstantin Komarov conducts practical training on applying the methodology of post-traumatic rehabilitation».

Mentioned equipment of the playing and sensory rooms will be used not only as a base for special psychological rehabilitation of children, but also as a base for providing educational trainings for militia personnel, who work directly with these children. For example, in one of the rooms Gesell mirror will be installed, which is to be used during trainings for militia personnel (on topics such as “Interviewing children, who have been victims of commercial sexual exploitation”). Trainings will be conducted on the basis of the methods, developed by specialists of Angel Coalition and OZON Center.

Sharing the Experience of the Angel Coalition Hotline: Participation in a Training for Operators from a Network of Hotlines in Ukraine (19-20 June 2007, Kiev , Ukraine )

The Angel Coalition was invited to participate as experts at the training for La Strada-Ukraine's hotline operators. The training was designed to instruct operators of a network of hotlines throughout Ukraine and was entitled “Fundamental Principles of Running a Counter-Trafficking Hotline. Meeting the Needs of Target Groups.”

Natalya Khodyreva, a Doctor of Psychological Sciences, and the Director of the Institute for Equal Gender Relations, Co-Director of a Crisis Center for Women, and President of the Angel Coalition acted as a trainer at the training. Elisa Bedin, from the Italian National Hotline presented during the second half of the training on the topic: “Telephone Consultations on Issues Related to Preventing Human Trafficking: Frequently Encountered Problems and Possible Solutions”. During the training, trainers role-played various scenarios with consultants.

In addition, the following international experts presented at the training: Nevidita Prasad, Coordinator, Ban Ying Center , Germany ; Alena Arlashkina, Hotline Coordinator, Angel Coalition; Adi Wilinger, Hotline Coordinator, Hotline for Migrants, Israel , and Aida Karabeg, La Strada , Bosnia . Each international expert told about the work of their hotline. Participants discussed their experiences, identified fundamental problems encountered when working with a hotline, and also talked about the individual characteristics of each hotline.

Development of new training program to develop expertise in working with children who have suffered from violence and commercial sexual exploitation: how to correctly carry out interrogation of the child.

A supplementary program has been developed for employees of law enforcement structures entitled: “Identification of children who have experienced abuse or violence, including commercial sexual exploitation. Techniques for interrogating minors who have been sexually abused.” A child rehabilitation specialist, Anna Solovyova from the OZON Center led three sessions at the Center for the Temporary Care of Juvenile Delinquents for psychologists and caregivers. At the sessions Ms. Solovyova taught police officers how to recognize and identify sexual abuse, how best to talk to child victims in order that they feel positively towards them, and to elucidate as many facts as possible which would confirm sexual abuse. In addition, they were taught which specialists to involve in order to provide care not only during the child's stay at the Center for the Temporary Care of Juvenile Delinquents, but also on an on-going basis thereafter.

At one of the sessions, an example interview and diagnosis of a 12-year old boy staying at the Center who had allegedly sexually abused other children was done. After the diagnostic interview, it emerged that this boy himself had been abused and had been forced into criminal activities by people older than himself. The boy has psychological trauma, is very maladapted, and is in need of serious psychological, medical, and social assistance. Emergency psychological assistance was provided to him by our psychologist. The meeting with the child was held in the fully-equipped playroom, and through the Gazelle one-way mirror, staff were able to observe the entire diagnostic process. Thereafter, a general discussion and conclusion was held, and joint recommendations were made for providing assistance to this boy. This example showed staff from the Center for the Temporary Care of Juvenile Delinquents that every example of deviant behavior in a child has as its cause in deep, fundamental psychological trauma and that one needs to use a delicate and professional approach with them. It emerged during the meeting that staff of the Center are in great need of such sessions and skills, as around 90% of girls in the Center have been forced into prostitution, and sexually abused. In addition, they reported that they see many cases of boys who have been forced into commercial sexual exploitation.

Altai region of Siberia is developing international cooperation on combating human trafficking

On June, 27-28, 2007 in Altai region, city of Barnaul , Angel Coalition and NGO “Women's Alliance ”( Barnaul ) together with Swedish NGO “Kvinnoforum” hosted the conference «Combating human trafficking: cooperation promoting the change». The conference became the first large-scale event in the region, and has marked the development in Siberia of joint Russian – Swedish project “Safe Return and Recovery”.

The conference has become the event which for the first time gathered in one forum representatives of the regional legislative and executive bodies, law enforcement bodies, NGOs, concerned public and mass media. The experts from Swedish police and General Prosecutor's Office of Russian Federation have come to participate.

Participation of the Swedish experts: Ms. Ewa Carlenfors, detective inspector of Stockholm , and Patrick Cederlof, representative of the social services department of Stockholm , Claes Lundquist, anti-trafficking coordinator, became important contribution in the conference. The guests have conducted the training, telling about the experience of interagency cooperation in combating human trafficking in Sweden . Participants of the conference learnt that Swedish model of interagency cooperation between law enforcement, NGOs and social services has been developing as a result of 10 years of experience. According to experts' opinion, the effective fight against human trafficking is not possible without close and well-coordinated cooperation between all agencies and civil society, which may play key role as in preventive activities, so in rendering help to the victims of trafficking. Protection and help which is rendered by NGOs to victims is a huge assistance to police and a basis of efficient investigation of the crimes and prosecution of criminals.

Conference became a place of heated discussions between the audience concerned and experts. The active participation in discussion on the part of youth, mass media and NGOs has shown that human trafficking is a very acute problem and contemporary challenge to well-being and health of the society, and that development of interagency cooperation is the most efficient strategy of combating human trafficking, as in preventive measures, so in rendering direct help and protection to victims of human trafficking. Based on the results of the discussions the participants of the conference approved program of measures in combating human trafficking in Altai region, including the series of informational and educational trainings, roundtables in bodies of power, and events directed to work with groups at risk. Putting just a beginning to a big mutual work, this conference has outlined the ways of cooperation as between different agencies and NGOs in Altai krai and Siberia , so on international level – with NGOs and law enforcement of other countries.

May, 31, - June, 1, 2007 the staff of Angel Coalition took part in scientific-research seminar –training “Countering human trafficking on federal and regional level”, which was held by Center for Studies on criminality, corruption and terrorism opened with American University of Washington (TraCCC), together with International Organization on Migration.

Participants of this event were such governmental structures and non-governmental organizations as TraCCC (Washington), IOM Bureau in Moscow, NGO “Women's Commonwealth” (Chelyabinsk), General Prosecutor's Office of Russian Federation, Department on fight with organized crime and terrorism of the Ministry of Interior Affairs, Investigative Committee under the Ministry of Interior Affairs, Investigative Department of the Moscow city department of interior affairs, Department for external labor migration of the Federal Migration Service of Russian Federation. Angel Coalition told about own experience of fighting against human trafficking, presented the experience of work on the project of prevention of the commercial sexual exploitation of children, and, in particular, talked about the methodology of rehabilitation for children – victims of commercial sexual exploitation, about conducting interrogation of minors who suffered from sexual assaults; also told about cooperation with law enforcement and other governmental structures in the issues connected with C.S.E.C. Besides, on our part the report was made “The rights of the victims of human trafficking and their treatment in the process of legal proceedings”.

НОВОСТИ - June 2007 (#7)