current activities

„We came here not only to confirm that you are beautiful, patient and caring, but also to remind you about your RIGHTS. We are here because we represent organizations that care about women’s rights, and even more, we are the ones who protect and promote women’s rights.”

This was the opening message made by Viorelia Rusu, representative of the International Center „La Strada” at the meeting from the Ursoaia village, which took place on September 17. The main goal of this event was to inform the women living in this community about their rights and how they may actually materialize.

In fact, the event has been preceded by a a study – „Feminist participatoriy action research” - regarding three tangential aspects - gender, migration and human trafficking, a study released by the International Center „La Strada” in cooperation with the Global Alliance Against Traffic in Women (GAATW, Thailand), conducted in the same locality. In several interviews, a mobile work group became familiar with the personal experience of migration and overseas employment of women in Ursoaia, as well as with their hardships. This particular study has exposed the need to go further into detail about aspects of migration, gender, labor and human trafficking, their rights in this context, especially about possible opportunities to address these needs.

In this public information campaign, women had the possibility to refer directly and confidentially to several specialists (psychologists, social workers, lawyers) to receive the necessary consultations. The youth had the opportunity to discuss with their peers in the team of volunteers, educators under the "Peer to Peer" Program.

At this initiative, in addition to specialists from the International Center "La Strada", participated Nerea Bilbatua, program coordinator at GAATW Europe, Liubovi Popov, chief specialist at the department of social assistance and family protection in Causeni district, Elena Oboroceanu, a lawyer at the Center for Law in Causeni, and representatives of local government.

The national workshop “Sharing experiences on concerns regarding the work with trafficked persons and potential victims” was held on January 14-16, 2009 in Molovata Noua, with the main goal of strengthening the professional capacities of the multidisciplinary team leaders in the framework of the National Referral System (NRS) for protection and assistance of victims and potential victims. The workshop was organized by the International Center for Women Rights Protection and Promotion "La Strada," in cooperation with Ministry of Social Protection, Family and Child, International Organization for Migration, Mission Moldova. The workshop put forward the aim of facilitating the exchange of experience between the leaders of multidisciplinary teams, regarding such issues as identification and referral of victims and potential victims of trafficking, design and implementation of the reintegration plan for the victims of trafficking, coordination of actions within the multidisciplinary team, and analysis of the practices and materials presented during the three days of the workshop.

Presentations of experts and specialists were mainly focused on creating a platform for discussing experiences of implementing the NRS in nineteen districts and municipalities. They focused also on the analysis of some specific moments, such as the practical implementation of the most frequently used signals for identifying the victims of human trafficking, the referral route of trafficked persons, the vulnerability criteria in identifying the potential victims of human trafficking, on the case management and collection of appropriate recommendations for the development of monitoring system and evaluation process of assisting victims and potential victims.

Working both in groups and in plenary sessions, the coordinators of multidisciplinary teams in districts Cimislia, Floresti, Hincesti and Balti municipality shared their experience with colleagues from districts where NRS has just started to be implemented. The main point in their discussions was the efficient functioning of the multidisciplinary team through activities centered on the rights and needs of the trafficked person, the assessment and monitoring of interventions, the mechanism of communication between different specialists and the transmission case, the importance of monitoring and evaluation process as a component of the case management, the criteria / principles for monitoring and / or evaluation, etc.

The working sessions of the workshop were completed with the preparation and completion of the definitions of monitoring and evaluation of the assistance process. This helped the actors understand the concepts, work out the development monitoring and evaluation criteria, which will later serve as a foundation for implementing section 17 of the NRS strategy (development of the system of monitoring and evaluation of victims and potential victims).

The national workshop “Sharing experiences on concerns regarding the work with trafficked persons and potential victims” was organized in thanks to the financial support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom of Denmark.

– The volunteer team of the International Center „La Strada” celebrated the International Volunteer Day with an informative mini-campaign for Chisinau citizens and its visitors, telling them about about the services provided by the Hot Line of this anti-human trafficking NGO, said Adriana Velcinschi, volunteer of the 2007 generation.

It became already a tradition for us to celebrate the December, 5 with special activities for the population. This year, the volunteers distributed calendars and informative materials with the Hot Line number 080077777 for several hours in the Stefan cel Mare Park, in front of the „UNIC” mall, at the Agricultural Market and the neighbouring auto station. The Hot Line number can be accessed by every citizen, from any part of the country, free of charge and is a way of getting the necessary information related to going abroad or risks of human trafficking.

The International Volunteer Day was designed by the UNO in 1985, being dedicated to the efforts of those who contributed to the society offering their time, and to volunteering projects as well. All the governments and international organizations were invited each year, on the December, 5 to promote and perform activities aiming to emphasize the importance of volunteers and to stimulate a broader recognition of volunteering. This day is celebrated nowadays in most of the world’s countries.

The 6th edition of the „Jos palaria in fata voluntarilor” volunteer festival was organized also with the occasion of the International Volunteer Day. It was held on December, 7 by the Coalition for law promotion and volunteer activities, including the „Youth for Life” Association, Resource Center „Young and Free,” CREDO, CNTM, Peace Corp, Peace Service, Ministry of Youth and Education, etc. The celebration took place, similarly to past years, in the Opera and Ballet Theatre Hall. Almost 700 participants were present at the event.

As a tradition already, this year were awarded the winners of various nominations (the most active NGO, journalist that promotes volunteering in Moldova, the most active volunteer, volunteer coordinator, the best essay on „The necessity of adopting a bill on volunteering”, the most appealing logo of the Festival, the best promotional video/ short movie, the youngest (Cristian Cristea, 8 years old) and the eldest (Otilia Arpinten, 78 years old) volunteer).

– Our volunteer team presented an exposition of informative materials especially for this edition of the festival, which gathered together aproximately 35 organizations, added Adriana Velcinschi. Applauses could be heard not only during the performance of our famous national artists and bands (Adrian Ursu, Aura, Ion Paladi, Sergiu Cuzencov, Laurentiu Popescu, formatiile „Zbânt”, „London” etc.), but also in the moment when our colleague, Veronica Josan, was awarded the title of „The most active volunteer Coordinator”.

Congratulations on behalf of the entire „La Strada” staff and our deep consideration for the „La Strada” volunteers!

Twenty-two new volunteers were introduced to La Strada’s programs during a training that took place on October 17-19, 2008 at the La Popas pension in Cocieri. The program subjects were “The ABC’s of the potential migrant,” “Human Trafficking in the context of human rights,” “Teaching methods and techniques concerning human trafficking material”, and “Myth and reality related to going abroad.”

This year marks the fifth generation of volunteer program which has increased by 60%. The new volunteers are representatives of not only universities, but also of several high schools and colleges. Experienced professors applied and volunteered. They felt they could contribute to the development of the volunteer movement and the younger generation’s involvement in human trafficking prevention because of their education, life and professional experience. Their dedication impressed everyone present at the interviews.

Veteran volunteers taught the trainees of this year’s workshop. They shared their experiences in conducting seminars using to the Peer-to-Peer principle. The films Sex Traffic and Natasha is Not for Sale brought the cruel reality of the human trafficking phenomena to life, which increased the volunteers’ understanding of what they will be dealing with.

At the end of the workshop, Veronica Josan, La Strada’s Volunteer Coordinator, described the plan of action for 2008-2009. The International Center La Strada has now prepared 22 new volunteers to conduct informative seminars on human trafficking prevention to their fellow students and to take part in several activities organized by volunteers.

*Edited by Nola Theiss, Human Trafficking Awareness Partnerships and
Ashley Wilson: Esperanza Project of Florida Gulf Coast University

In the last five years, „La Strada” volunteers and trainers carried out approximately 2.000 informative seminars for the at-risk groups that gathered over 51 thousand listeners, and over 160 trainings and informative activities, having in overall 4500 participants. While the volunteers were solicited more often during this year in districts Ungheni, Leova, Briceni and Chisinau (to conduct informative seminars for students from undergraduate educational institutions and technical vocational schools, who might be at risk of human trafficking), then the trainers “had to work” most of all in August and September with specialists of the District Councils, Education Departments, as well as with representatives of other professional groups. In this matter, the most visited districts were Rezina, Donduseni, Calarasi, Stefan Voda, Soldanesti, Nisporeni, Criuleni and Telenesti. As a rule, at this activities take part 30-35 persons, and the subjects refer to the human trafficking mechanism (causes, factors, actors, statistics), consequences and prevention of this scourge, and are followed by some debates on the topic of the „Natasha is not for sale ” documentary, based on true stories.

Lately, the general topic of the informative meetings with the professional groups is centered on the new tendencies in human trafficking, on the role of specialists from these specific domains that are close to the groups the victims come from (educators, mayors, social assistants, local public authorities) in the prevention of human trafficking, and on how to facilitate the access of the victims to assistance; and for those who are more interested – on the specific character of the „La Strada” activity.

Summing up, in these two months, during the trainings conducted by the trainers of the International Center „La Strada,” participated and enriched their knowledge more than 350 specialists from the domains and districts mentioned above. This type of activity turned out to be very efficient for the following collaborations of the Center with education institutions and those providing social services, including those from the rural area, as well as for promotion of the Hot Line phone number 0 800 77777, in this way, facilitating the access to the Center’s services for the at-risk group. This fact is confirmed by the growing number of requests of conducting new activities for consolidation of the professional capacities of teachers, seminars for students, and the great amount of diverse suggestions/proposals coming from the participants. In this way, a saying belonging to the consultants of the Hot Line – “A well-informed person is harder to get trafficked” – has been contemporary since many years already.

On September 22¬-28, 2008, delegations consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, IOM, Belarus Mission, Young Women Christian Association (La Strada-Belarus) and 2 anti-trafficking NGO’s from Brest, made a study visit to Moldova. The main objective was to learn more about practices and experiences of those involved in prevention and counter-trafficking of human beings in Moldova. On September 23, the delegation visited the International Center for Women Rights Protection and Promotion La Strada, which is one of the leading organizations in Moldova that works to prevent this social scourge. During the visit, the guests were interested in the diverse aspects of Hot Line management. The Hot Line is one of the basic tools in the prevention of human trafficking and in informing the population on the risks of illegal migration.

The specialists of the International Center La Strada spoke on the importance of the Hot Line and the work of the consultants and coordinator, the importance of its working principles and schedules. They explained the psychological aspects of phone counseling and the characteristics of the most frequently asked questions and data collection which is important for evaluation and counseling. The guests were interested in the process of transferring calls to other agencies when appropriate; victims’self-identification and those of suspected cases of trafficking. There were also interested in database management, such as data collection, recording and security; in promotion campaigns for Hot Line services; cooperation with other organizations and with governmental agencies in Moldova, as well as with other similar services offered by organizations from abroad.

Although these are just some of the highlights of the work of the International Center La Strada, the guests were strongly impressed by the Hot Line, the experience of their colleagues from Moldova, the structuring of the activity and the information used by the consultants. Before their departure, they said that in one day they had familiarized themselves with a very rich and valuable operation that they will implement in their home country of Belarus in the future.

*Edited by Nola Theiss, Human Trafficking Awareness Partnerships and
Ashley Wilson: Esperanza Project of Florida Gulf Coast University

A workshop titled "Transnational Referral Mechanisms for Victims of Trafficking: International Standards" was held from April 15–16, 2008, in Chisinau. The workshop was organized by La Strada – Moldova and the International Center for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD, Vienna), with the financial support of USAID. This seminar was part of a large-scale program to support the development of the Transnational Referral Mechanism (TRM) for victims of trafficking in Eastern Europe and was conducted in a number of local countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, and Serbia).

After the opening addresses given by Ana Revenco, President of La Strada, Mariyana Radeva, Coordinator-Assistant of the TRM Program, and Lilia Pascal, Head of the Ministry of Social Protection, Family and Child (MPSEC), workshop participants (who included representatives of state institutions such as the Ministry of International Affairs; the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration; the Ministry of Social Protection, Family and Child; the Ministry of Healthcare; the General Prosecutor's Office, the National Department for Social Assistance; and OSCE, IOM, and UNODC missions to Moldova, which are actively engaged in prevention and counteraction of human trafficking) became familiarized with TRM guidelines and the National Referral System (NRS) concept for assistance and protection of victims and potential victims of trafficking. During the seminar, participants discussed the role of bilateral agreements with regards to assistance and protection of trafficking victims and issues related to the investigation of trafficking cases at a transnational level, problems related to the standardization of procedure for victims' return, the investigation of trafficking cases and criminal proceedings against traffickers, and protection and assistance to victims and witnesses in Moldova.

The seminar held in Chisinau is part of the third stage of the Regional Program and will not be the only one to be carried out in our republic. An additional four workshops will be conducted in various districts for multidisciplinary groups at local levels and will also be organized by La Strada in collaboration with the IOM mission to Moldova. The first seminar was already held in Ungheni from March 11-13, 2008; the other three are scheduled to be carried out in Cantemir, Falesti, and Nisporeni.

Note: TRM is related to a number of international standards on the cross-border transfer and care of trafficking victims. These standards can be applied to:

• Formal international cooperative agreements on strategies for the safe and supportive international movement of victims
• Standard operative procedures for the efficient and safe transnational referral of trafficking victims to necessary services
• Mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating the TRM

In all measures provided in a TRM, state security needs must be balanced against the health and safety needs and the rights of trafficked persons. To be effective, TRM should be coordinated with National Referral Mechanisms (NRM) individual to each respective country.

* This article was edited by Nola Theiss, director of Human Trafficking Awareness Partnerships Inc, and Katie Marsico

This was one of the relevant conclusions determined by La Strada at the end of the campaign to raise public awareness with regards to new tendencies in human trafficking in Moldova. The campaign was carried out in June 2007 and then from September to November, 2007; the results of the campaign were announced at the press conference on December 17, 2007. In fact, the first calls to La Strada’s hotline that referenced other forms of exploitation other than sexual slavery, extension of the groups at risk, new methods of recruitment, and, in particular, diversification of methods of manipulation, served as grounds to initiate the campaign.
To achieve the objectives of the campaign (raising public awareness in regards to the evolution of human trafficking, informing the public about new methods of recruitment and other forms of exploitation, and ultimately encouraging self-identification of victims who suffered forms of exploitation other than sexual slavery), La Strada’s staff had to use different tools and methods such as: TV and radio spots about male exploitation in construction work, the exploitation of women and children for begging, and the exploitation of individuals used for domestic servitude, as well as an ad with a preventive message. All of these efforts encouraged the public to call the hotline (0 800 77777) in order to learn about the risks of illegal migration and to inform hotline operators about presumed instances of human trafficking. At the same time, various seminars were carried out for students from professional schools, as well as the unemployed, and debriefings were held for representatives of the local public administration, professors, and doctors.
According to Daniela Misail-Nichitin, La Strada’s vice-president, the main conclusion (but not the only one) is that the phenomenon of human trafficking has expanded in the last several years and now encompasses new groups at risk (men, children, and mothers with small children) and has come to incorporate new forms of exploitation; this fact is confirmed in part by an increased number of calls to the hotline by men. Thus, if in 2005 exploitation of women was the most common scenario in presumed trafficking cases, then in 2007 men were ranked almost equal to women as victims in these presumed scenarios. In the case of male victims, exploitation for labor is the most common form of slavery. Men are more often exploited for construction but are also the subject of abuse when it comes to agricultural work, and the most common method of controlling them is financial manipulation.
“We learned about this new tendency in human trafficking — trafficking in men — from the telephone calls to the center. Men are [more often] exploited in construction and are manipulated in different ways: by [employers] promising to pay them when the construction . . . is finished or by proposing [to] them [that they] return back home under the pretext that the money will be transferred to a bank account or through other people going to Moldova. As the result, they never receive payment for their work. When they try to confront [employers], they are threatened with being turned over to the police or even . . . with death or the death of their relatives. When comparing the number of presumed cases of trafficking by gender correlation, we have to admit that, if in January – May 2007 the percentage of the presumed cases of trafficking in men constituted 13 percent, then, at the end of the campaign, this figure increased . . . to 48 percent. Men are usually recruited by [other] men, mostly in groups, while women are recruited by women who work — as a rule — individually. The recruiter usually originates from the same community as the victims, and, in most cases, he/she does not accompany the group/person to their country of destination. The recruiter is used by the trafficker in order to manipulate the victim, even if the person has already returned to their home country after his/her trafficking experience,” noted Misail-Nichitin.
Another important conclusion is that, as a result of the campaign, public perception of human trafficking has changed. The number of people who view begging as one of the forms of exploitation related to trafficking has increased to about 24 percent; the number of individuals who associate forced labor with human trafficking has also increased, and the number of people who associate human trafficking exclusively with sexual exploitation or prostitution has decreased to 10 percent. In this context, campaign organizers believe that they have succeeded in raising public awareness in regards to the diversification of forms of exploitation, and that such efforts to raise awareness should be continued via new educational campaigns.
Journalists have also expressed a deep interest in the study “Migration of Labor Forces from Moldova, Ukraine, and Belarus to Russia: Tendencies and Involvement in Human Trafficking”, initiated by La Strada-Ukraine, in cooperation with similar organizations from the Republic of Moldova and Belarus and presented at the December conference by Viorelia Rusu, analyst at La Strada’s Department of Analysis and Lobbying. About twenty journalists; representatives from four TV channels, six radio stations, four press agencies, and four newspapers; and representatives from various foreign embassies from the Republic of Moldova (Bulgaria and Turkey) participated in the conference.

* This article was edited by Nola Theiss, director of Human Trafficking Awareness Partnerships Inc, and Katie Marsico

It has become a tradition to organize trainings for volunteers from the International Center "La Strada" in autumn when university and high school students are back from their summer vacation and also when the traditional tender for selecting new volunteers has taken place. This year the training "Prevention of trafficking in persons: capacity building and consolidation" was carried out during the period of October 5-7 at the Labour Institute, Chisinau.
The objectives of this training were the same as those from previous years: instructing new volunteers and developing abilities to work with youth, exchange of experience between newly recruited and volunteers with previous experience in this field. Over the seminar volunteers got trained by instructors from the Center and other institutions in the following subjects: Migration: causes and consequences, Migrant's ABC, Human trafficking in the context of human rights, Mechanism of trafficking in persons (victim's control and exploitation), Techniques and methods applied when teaching about trafficking in persons phenomenon, Traveling abroad – between myth and reality, etc. Also the participants viewed the film "Sex trafficking", got familiarized with the best practices on disseminating anti-trafficking message and participated in debates related to lessons learned and material viewed. At the end of the seminar the entire team, being guided by Veronica Josan, Volunteers’ Coordinator of the International Center “La Strada”, elaborated action plans for the working period 2007-2008.
All 18 newly recruited and 15 volunteers with previous experience within the field engaged in the voluntariate activity right after the seminar. Thus, till next summer vacation, using the method of “Peer to peer”, they will have to meet with students from high schools, general education schools, lyceums, colleges, professional schools and carry out activities on focused on information dissemination and trafficking prevention, also, will participate together with the International “La Strada” Center instructors in various actions within the framework of the social Campaign aimed to familiarize the public with new tendencies in human trafficking etc.

The Fourth Annual National Workshop on the Exchange of Best Practices in Assisting Victims of Human Trafficking with Reintegration was held on October 1–2, 2007, in Moldova (Dubasari). Titled “The Plan for Reintegration of the Victims of Human Trafficking – Best Practices and Recommendations,” the workshop was organized by La Strada within the framework of the program’s efforts to consolidate national anti-trafficking capacities. This annual workshop was dedicated to social assistants, program coordinators, and case managers who routinely provide assistance to victims of human trafficking, as well as groups within the National Referral System program. It was supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.
In 2006, the workshop emphasized the different ways in which the above groups have combated human trafficking and provided assistance to victims, both within the context of how strategies are applied, as well as stages and types of assistance. Alina Budeci, La Strada’s Drop-in Contact Manager, discussed the necessity for more uniform approaches and clear-cut goals, which has become increasingly evident over time, especially considering the creation of the National Referral System and the desire of several other organizations to join this system.
Unfortunately, data stemming from the analysis of trafficking victims’ reintegration reveals numerous cases of failure or only partial success thus far. Usually, such incidents occur due to multiple resources being allocated to individuals without coordination among agencies or plans being established without taking into account the risks and problems that might occur in the process. The analysis of unsuccessful reintegration cases shows a twofold failure: a lack of an individualized approach to each victim’s case and an incomplete understanding of the stages of assistance provision. In addition, there is a need for evaluative instruments to assess the stages of reintegration, including the stages of assistance provision; the development of a case management plan unique to each victim; and a standardized set of criteria to determine the success of the final outcome at the national level.
The goal of the 2007 workshop was therefore the “elaboration of suggestions and recommendations for the reintegration plan within the National Referral System.” The workshop proceedings were based on a number of objectives, including familiarizing participants with the terminology of the reintegration process; presenting analytic results of the La Strada study on trafficking victims’ reintegration; selecting prospective reintegration strategies for implementation; and establishing these plans’ limits, as well as assessment criteria of their success. Workshop participants, representing social assistance departments from the Ministry of Social Protection, Family and Child, various international organizations and NGOs, became acquainted with reintegration plans already in use, discussed new and more uniform reintegration strategies, and established indices for assessment of these plans. At the end of the workshop, participants determined that the best practices for reintegrating victims of trafficking should be published in a booklet that could be distributed to all agencies involved in this process.


* This article was edited by Nola Theiss, director of Human Trafficking Awareness Partnerships Inc, and Katie Marsico

At the request of “Medecine du monde” – Moldova organization, the International Center “La Strada” was subcontracted to carry out during the period of July – September a range of training seminars for social workers from Glodeni, Rascani, Falesti, Floresti, Sangerei, Balti regions and adherent villages. The general topic of the seminars is “The role of a social worker in preventing trafficking in human beings and facilitating the access of trafficked persons to the assistance”.
Usually, about 25 persons participate in such training seminars. The topics discussed within such activities are: Trafficking in human beings. Definitions, Mechanism of trafficking in human beings: causes, factors, actors, statistics. Mechanism of identification, Identification of trafficked victims needs, Consolidation of professional capacities of social assistants engaged in preventing and assisting victims of trafficking, Mechanism of cooperation with regard to assistance provision to the trafficked victims and their reintegration into the society and Consequences of trafficking in human beings. Prevention of this phenomenon.
In total over 150 specialists engaged in social assistance provision from the regions mentioned-above have attended the training seminars that were carried out by the International Center “La Strada” trainers, and enriched their knowledge within the field.

The First National Workshop in the Republic of Moldova within the framework of the Programme to Support the Development of Transnational Referral Mechanism (TRM) for Trafficked Persons in South-Eastern Europe was held in Molovata Noua (Dubasari region) during the period of June 11-12, 2007. The workshop was dedicated to the elaboration of standards for aid provision to the victims of trafficking in human beings. At the workshop the participants (representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Ministry of Internal Affairs, General Prosecutor’s Office, International Organization for Migration and International Center “La Strada”) got familiarized with several draft normative acts within the field, such as: the Strategy of the National Referral System for assistance and protection of victims of trafficking (NRS), Regulations on the identification of persons presumed to be victims of trafficking – a presentation by Tatiana Fomina, manager of the Analytical and Lobby Center “La Strada” and ICMPD Local Liaison Officer for the TRM Programme, and Regulations on repatriation of the trafficking victims – a presentation by Oleg Botnari, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration. The participants also discussed about the possible methods of victims identification abroad and in the Republic of Moldova. They also developed suggestions on the way of transmitting information on all cases of trafficking to the National Coordination Center directly from each organization engaged in the identification of trafficking victims. All participants agreed that the prior identification of the trafficking victims can be carried out by specialists from any organization that gets in contact with the presumed victims of trafficking (border guards, town hall employees, employment agencies, doctors etc); however, the final identification of the victims can be conducted only by the employees of the specialized police units, social assistant or psychologist working for state social service or specialized NGO.
At the end of the Workshop, the participants agreed on the method of collecting suggestions and recommendations, their processing and presentation of the final drafts at the next members working group meeting, which will be held on August 10th of the current year.
The Programme to Support the Development of Transnational Referral Mechanism (TRM) for Trafficked Persons in South-Eastern Europe was launched in July 2006. This Programme is funded by USAID and is implemented by ICMPD in partnership with ACTA (Network of NGOs against Human Trafficking and Corruption), MARRI (Migration, Asylum, Refugees Regional Initiative), Regional Center in Skopje and the Ministry of Interior of Bulgaria. The objective of the Programme is to offer a real chance to the victims of trafficking to restart a new life, based on their decisions, being aware of their rights and of the role they might play in criminal proceedings against perpetrators; and this objective will be fulfilled by developing and implementing mechanisms necessary for comprehensive transnational victim support and institutionalized cooperation on transnational cases between South-Eastern countries/actors.