Varna: Campaign on 18 October - European Day against Trafficking in Human Beings
For another year the Local Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and the Prevention Directorate - Varna Municipality, together with the National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, held an information campaign on the occasion of "18 October - European Day for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings", with a focus on sexual exploitation, under the title "Don't play with their fate". Involvement in this type of exploitation is one of the most widespread forms of trafficking, according to official data from the Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Bulgaria and the European Commission. The demand for sexual services is one of the main factors that motivate criminals to exploit their victims. Not every girl who prostitutes herself does so voluntarily, and when the client knows this, he is an accomplice to crime and his actions are also subject to punishment and sanctions. People who pay for sexual services from trafficked persons are criminally liable.
The following initiatives took place during the campaign 15-31 October:
On 15 October, the campaign started with a discussion forum, with the participation of prosecutors, investigators, operatives from the Ministry of Interior and members of the LCCTHB Varna on the topic “Increasing the capacity of investigation of the crime of trafficking in human beings. Online Crimes. Methods of evidence collection. Identification and Guidance of Victims of Human Trafficking" – The lecturers were prosecutor Gergana Kurkchiyska, Anna Nikolova (SOS - Families at Risk) and Thomas Doherty, Regional Counsel for Central and Eastern Europe for Computer Crimes and Intellectual Property at the US Department of Justice.
On 19 October, a training for professionals (members of the Local commission for combatting antisocial behaviour, children’s pedagogical room inspectors, public educators) was held on the topic “Predispositions for involving adolescents in the crime of human trafficking. Identification and support in the school environment”. The lecturer was Antoaneta Vassileva, member of the expert group for monitoring the implementation of the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings at the Council of Europe and representative of the National Center for Safe Internet.
On 20 and 21 October a two-day academy for volunteers from the Prevention Directorate of the Municipality of Varna was held on the topic “Human Trafficking. The risks in the internet” Lecturer Antoaneta Vassileva, member of the expert group for monitoring the implementation of the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings at the Council of Europe and representative of the National Center for Safe Internet. Participants were 23 students from 7 high schools in Varna, volunteers of the Prevention Directorate, Varna Municipality. The main focuses of the training were the risks in the Internet space when looking for a job and methods to recognize risky situations that could lead to involvement in human trafficking. "Involvement in sexual exploitation via the Internet"; "Trafficking in human beings for the purpose of selling organs (via the Internet)"; "Child trafficking via the Internet"; "Involvement in labour exploitation via the Internet".
In 10 schools in Varna, which have a PPC under the Prevention Directorate, Varna Municipality, volunteers working in a peer-to-peer approach conducted information sessions among students in class and campaigns aimed at informing the school community.