On 29/06/2023 - 30/06/2023 in Vienna, Austria, within the framework of the A4 project, two workshops on transfers and policies with a full exchange of knowledge between EL/AT LEAs were held.
On the first day, the legal framework of the Republic of Austria for combating human trafficking was discussed.
Mr. Norbert Leonhardmair (VIC) presented the Austrian legal framework for combating human trafficking in a systematized form.
In his presentation, he supports topics such as:
- Mandatory referral (regulated in the provision of §38a of the Law on the Security Police Service - SPG - Sicherheitspolizeigesetz)
- Psycho-social and legal assistance in the judicial process (regulated in the Code of Criminal Procedure - StPO – Strafprozeßordnung).
A practical review of the topic of the fight against human trafficking was made by Police Brigadier General Gerald Tatzgern (Gerald Tatzgern, Police Brigade General - Head of Joint Operational Office against Human Smuggling and Human Trafficking and special investigations – JOO).
In his presentation to the participants, he touched on the following topics:
- the Austrian national referral mechanism;
- Practical aspects of interdepartmental and cross-border cooperation carried out by JOO;
- the Austrian proposal to identify Ukrainian victims of human trafficking;
- The situation of migrants and refugees: Identification, risks and ways of action by the structure he leads.
The second day took the form of a round table with the topic: Challenges in the transposition of practices (result: Practical guide A4).
Within the framework of the discussion, many different issues were discussed, related to the effective counteraction of the fight against human trafficking, your previous crimes, as well as the subsequent criminal activity.
The participation of representatives of many different non-governmental, international and law enforcement organizations and services added value to the discussion.
In conclusion, the upcoming A4 project final conference on August 29, 2023, which will be held in Athens, Hellenic Republic, was announced.
