Press releases

MINSK, 29 July (BelTA) – The second international seminar for the representatives of the authorized bodies of the states included in the Group of Friends United against Human Trafficking will take place in Minsk on 30-31 July, BelTA learned from Konstantin Shalkevich, the head of the Information and Public Relations Department of the Belarusian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“The seminar is one of the thematic events organized by the Belarusian side to mark the World Day against Human Trafficking which is celebrated by the international community on 30 July and is expected to encourage the general public to pay more attention to the problem of human trafficking. The seminar will focus on the efforts to eradicate human trafficking for sexual and labor exploitation, Internet child pornography. The experts will share the best practices in the fight against these social maladies, the rehabilitation of victims,” Konstantin Shalkevich said.

The meeting will take place at the international center of training, professional advancement and retraining of specialists in migration and prevention of human trafficking at the Interior Ministry Academy. Partaking in the seminar will be the representatives of authorized bodies from Belarus and 15 states included in the Group of Friends, authoritative international organizations and the civil society.

Belarus’ First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Mikhnevich and top-ranking representatives of international organizations OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings Madina Jarbussynova, Regioal Director of the IOM Regional Office foe South-Eastern Europe and Central Asia Renate Held will deliver welcoming speeches at the seminar.

The event is organized as part of the international technical aid project aimed at stepping up international efforts against human trafficking in the context of the observation of human rights. This project is implemented by the Interior Ministry Academy jointly with the Interior Ministry, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belarus, UNDP and is financed by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The Group of Friends United against Human Trafficking which was established upon the initiative of Belarus at the UN comprises 22 states sharing the position of our country regarding the need to consolidate international efforts to combat human trafficking.