Gender and human rights training for NGOs

22 September 2008 - Increasing knowledge of human rights and gender sensitivity among civil society groups dealing with human trafficking is the aim of a training course underway in Skopje, Macedonia.

Conducted by the Research Centre for Gender Studies of the Euro-Balkan Institute, with support from the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the German government, the course specifically examines trafficking in women as a form of gender-based violence and a violation of human rights.

"We have designed this course to enrich participants' theoretical knowledge and practical skills in order for them to tackle trafficking from a gender sensitive perspective," says Katerina Kolozova, Director of the Centre for Gender Studies.

"Women and girls are the predominant category of people subjected to trafficking. Factors that contribute to this are varied and complex. An improved understanding of what makes women and girls vulnerable to trafficking will help NGOs better design and tailor their projects, all the while protecting the victims' human rights."

The training, which began in late August, includes five sessions spread over four months. The 15 participants attending the course were selected from NGOs working on human trafficking and human rights promotion in Macedonia supported by the OSCE.

"The course is giving me valuable insight into the risks that children and adolescents face, and how in particular they affect girls. It's helping me better understand the profile of victims," notes Maja Varoslija, from the NGO Open Gate/La Strada. "I am also making a clearer distinction between trafficking and migration and how human rights violations occur in these contexts."

"As well as exploring factors that contribute to trafficking broadly, we're also focusing on specific issues that make women vulnerable to trafficking in South East Europe," says Svetlana Cvetkovska with the National Referral Mechanism Coordination Office.

Throughout the course, participants will discuss the definition of trafficking and the local legal tools in place to counter it; international human rights instruments; recent trends in trafficking; routes and mechanisms of trafficking; profiling of victims, and gender stereotypes and societal concepts.