OSCE strengthens cooperation with the Albanian State Prosecutor's Office and Police in the fight against human trafficking

2024-11-01 14:42:00, Aktualitet CNA

OSCE strengthens cooperation with the Albanian State Prosecutor's Office

The presence of the OSCE in Albania has strengthened efforts in the fight against human trafficking by organizing a series of six meetings at the local level with prosecutors and police officers during the months of September and October of this year. The meetings aimed to address challenges related to the investigation and prosecution of human trafficking cases and were led by a specialized Task Force, set up under an OSCE project. This Task Force includes representatives from the Supreme Court, the High Prosecution Council, the General Prosecution, the Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organized Crime, the Ministry of the Interior and the General Directorate of the State Police.

During the meetings, the Task Force presented key recommendations to improve human trafficking investigations, focusing on an interagency, victim-centered approach. 29 police officers and 20 prosecutors participated in these activities, many of them with high roles as regional heads of prosecution and police directors. They held comprehensive discussions, sharing knowledge about complex cases and identifying areas where structural improvements are needed in the fight against trafficking.

During the discussions, the importance of creating dedicated anti-trafficking units and encouraging stronger cooperation between different agencies for a more efficient investigation of cases, strengthened evidence collection and higher results in their criminal prosecution was emphasized. Special attention was paid to the 2022 Unifying Decision of the Supreme Court of Albania on Human Trafficking and the Instruction issued by the General Prosecutor's Office, which includes a monitoring mechanism for criminal prosecutions of trafficking cases, according to OSCE recommendations.

This initiative emphasized the need for a deeper understanding of the complex nature of human trafficking for a more powerful protection of victims and for increasing the capacities of law enforcement agencies for the prevention and efficient prosecution of crimes related to this phenomenon.

These meetings are part of the second phase of the OSCE Presence project entitled, "Strengthening the capacities of law enforcement agencies and inter-institutional cooperation for the fight against human trafficking". This project, funded by the United Kingdom, Norway, Italy and Ireland, follows a successful first phase that produced a Detailed Report on human trafficking investigations and prosecutions. The findings from this study have been approved by the institutions within the Task Force and in regional meetings./ CNA