(MENAFN- Gulf Times) A number of important subjects, including human trafficking, were discussed at the 13th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice yesterday.
The discussions on Day 3 of the event, which is being held at the Qatar National Convention Centre, took place in the presence of several ministers of interior and justice, attorney-generals, public prosecutors and high-level delegations.
One of the sessions focused on the "UN Voluntary Trust Fund for victims of trafficking in persons: achievements and challenges five years on".
Yury Fedotov, Executive Director of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), and Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children, spoke during the session.
The event showcased the work of two NGOs assisting victims of trafficking in persons in Nepal and Nigeria with the support of the Trust Fund and discussed the importance of helping victims of human trafficking not only as a humanitarian act but also as a necessary part of the overall fight against trafficking in persons. Finally, the speakers called for increased and sustained financial support for the Trust Fund in order to address the growing need for assistance to victims of trafficking in persons worldwide.
The second session discussed the role of the UN standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice in support of effective, fair, humane and accountable criminal justice systems: experiences and lessons learned in meeting the unique needs of women and children, in particular the treatment and social reintegration of offenders. Also in focus was trafficking in persons and smuggling of migrants: successes and challenges in criminalisation, in mutual legal assistance and in effective protection of witnesses and trafficking victims.
The session on "moving away from the death penalty", by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, was moderated by Ivan ?imonovic, UN assistant secretary-general for human rights. The welcome address was given by the Minister of Justice of Italy, Andrea Orlando.
Christof Heyns, UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Taghreed Jaber, regional director, Penal Reform International Middle East and North Africa, Jeffrey Fagan, Isidor, and Seville Sulzbacher, professor of law, Columbia Law School, New York, were the panel members.
Other high-level events dealt with the "United Nations rule of law assistance in conflict and post-conflict settings: the global focal point arrangement," by UNODC, Department of Peacekeeping Operations and the UN Development Programme, "Strengthening national and international co-operation in preventing and countering terrorist financing" and "Implementation of the UN principles and guidelines on access to legal aid in criminal justice systems: follow-up on the Johannesburg Declaration".
The workshops also covered topics such as "successes and challenges in implementing comprehensive crime prevention and criminal justice policies and strategies to promote the rule of law at the national and international levels, and to support sustainable development".
Speaking at the session on the "experiences on reorientation and rehabilitation of juveniles", Christian Ranheim, head of the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Indonesia, said children taken for legal action have the right to legal representation and a lawyer will attend with the juvenile during the investigation and plead before the courts.
He also urged for more co-operation between Asian countries in the field of statistics on crimes committed by juveniles, stressing the importance of co-operation in terms of exchanging information and knowledge.
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