The National Institute of Justice, as a member of the Steering Committee of the Council of Europe project „Protecting children from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse in the Republic of Moldova” and represented by Ecaterina Popa, Head of the Training and Research Department, participated in the second meeting held on October 4, 2019.
The purpose of the session was to discuss the progress made and the activities implemented, as well as to present the actions to be taken in the future. Thus, in the framework of the project, the National Institute of Justice has launched the distance learning course "Justice in the interest of the child", delivered on the HELP Platform of the Council of Europe. The course was intended for judges, prosecutors, representatives of the Governmental Agent Department and of the People’s Advocate Office, as well as, for the first time, students of the Law Faculty of the Moldova State University. Another innovative element was its concomitant start in Romania for the beneficiaries of the trainings conducted within the National Institute of Magistracy.
The meeting of the Steering Committee of the Project continued with a workshop on the elaboration of the "Study on the analysis of systemic problems that are affecting the response of the child protection system to cases of sexual exploitation and abuse and the effective implementation of the Lanzarote Convention". The study aims to provide stakeholders with an analytical review of the structures and functions of the current child protection system, including key policies, legal framework, available services, coordination and monitoring mechanisms to identify achievements, as well as the deficiencies and challenges in implementing the Lanzarote Convention in the Republic of Moldova.
The project of the Council of Europe „Protecting children from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse in the Republic of Moldova” is implemented between October 15, 2018- March 31, 2020 and focuses on three components: harmonization of the legal and policy framework, strengthening the capacities of professionals and raising awareness regarding the prevention and protection of children against sexual exploitation and abuse.