Workshop - Development of Standard Action Procedures for the investigation of child labor cases

Today, October 14, 2021, the Academy of Justice in cooperation with the office of the International Labor Organization (ILO) conducted a workshop on "Drafting Standard Action Procedures for the investigation of cases of child labor."

This workshop came as a result of 2 trainings conducted during 2020, which expressed the need to draft SOPs on the engagement of children in hard work and forced labor.

The purpose of the workshop was:

1. Ensuring that standard operating procedures address the key challenges facing Judges and Prosecutors in enforcing criminal law in Kosovo;
2. Ensuring that the proposed drafting methodology is effective;
3. To receive specific feedback and recommendations from the stakeholders involved in the procedures, in order to design standard procedures that are as consistent and comprehensive as possible.

The drafting of standard procedures aims to properly understand the international norms of criminal prosecution, to understand the laws and court practices for cases of providing evidence during the engagement of children in hard labor, to compare the local legislation with the international one, etc.

The workshop was conducted physically, always respecting all the measures provided by the decision of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo and the Ministry of Health, regarding hygiene, distance, space in order to protect against the COVID-19 virus.

Participants in the first working group were: Judges from the Basic Courts, Prosecutors from the Basic Prosecution Offices, Victim Advocates and officials from the Centers for Social Work.