On 4 September 2024, as part of the educational marathon ‘Organisation of work in the de-occupied territories’, which is taking place at the High School, the issue of combating human trafficking was discussed.

The speaker of the online meeting was Ihor Tridub, Head of the NGO Chystyi Arkush, who has experience of working directly with victims of human trafficking and facilitating their reintegration into society. Mr Ihor is also a national expert and trainer on combating human trafficking.

The relevance of the chosen topic is confirmed by the severity of the problem, as Ukraine is one of the countries most affected by human trafficking in Europe. According to a study commissioned by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), more than 300,000 Ukrainians have been affected by this crime since 1991.

The participants discussed the factors that contribute to the spread of this crime in the context of war and occupation, as well as ways to protect vulnerable populations. In particular, they stressed the need for large-scale information campaigns, the creation of specialised support services for victims of human trafficking and the strengthening of international cooperation in combating this phenomenon. In addition, the marathon participants shared their experience in restoring infrastructure, providing humanitarian aid and reintegrating communities in the de-occupied territories.

It should be noted that the School and the NGO Chystyi Arkush have recently signed a partnership and cooperation agreement. The plans include the implementation of joint projects, programmes and activities that include practical aspects of interagency cooperation and coordination of actors in the field of combating human trafficking, as well as the acquisition of communication skills by public servants to work with victims of human trafficking.

It should be added that 405 civil servants were trained under the general short-term programme ‘Mechanisms and Tools for Combating Human Trafficking’ at the High School in 2023-2024.