UNODC to publish the Russian edition of its Case Digest on Evidential Issues in TIP Cases

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Regional Office for Central Asia has finalized the Russian edition of the UNODC Case Digest on Evidential Issues in Trafficking in Persons Cases. This Case Digest is an analytical compilation of 135 actual trafficking in persons’ (TIP) cases from 31 jurisdictions from most areas of the world, including Africa, Asia, the Middle East, North and South America, Europe and the Pacific to help criminal justice practitioners better learn nuances of criminal proceedings on TIP cases to establish accountability for traffickers. It was initially produced in English and now its Russian version was prepared and soon to be published and piloted in Central Asia to raise the capacity of judges, prosecutors, investigators and lawyers.

Being complex by its nature which requires a combination of circumstances to establish it, TIP is a serious crime against human dignity and human rights which “presents particularly complex evidential issues, many of which hinge upon the particular nature of this covert crime and the behaviour of victims, whose testimony is often the central piece of evidence.” The Case Digest offers tools and solutions that have been tried in real-life cases before the courts and it is believed that by learning and using those, practitioners will be better equipped when faced with evidence-based challenges in TIP cases.

The Case Digest serves as the best tool to support a mock trial methodology which will be soon rolled out in Central Asia including Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan to develop capacities of criminal justice practitioners to effectively deal with adjudication of the TIP cases in a competitive manner. The Case Digest can contribute to a mock trial in a number of ways including: 1) providing cases to serve as a basis for the mock trial, 2) providing assistance to choose cases other than those in the Case Digest, 3) raising awareness to important issues to be addressed, 4) enriching the mock trial with different vantage points, 5) enriching "simple" or undetailed cases.

UNODC supports efforts to combat human trafficking in Kyrgyzstan and the Central Asia region with support from the U.S. State Department’s Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).

 

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Эта статья на русском.