Warnath Group experts trained over fifty prosecutors, police, judges and social workers in Lima, Peru, from June 4th to 7th, 2013, helping to improve the country’s overall institutional response to the crime of human trafficking, and law enforcement’s understanding of and engagement with victims.
Two training sessions, lasting two days each, were conducted by Warnath Group Experts Willem Pretorius and Mark Kappelhoff, under the oversight of CEO and Founder Stephen Warnath, with the assistance of Legal Analyst & Program Manager Lawrence Dabney. The training covered a range of topics, including the identification of victims of trafficking, risk assessment and risk management techniques, interviewing victims as witnesses, and how to prepare a victim of trafficking to testify at trial.
Training participants responded extremely positively to the training, both in post-training evaluations and in person. Many were particularly impressed by the simulated victim interview exercise conducted on the second day of each exercise, in which Peruvian actresses trained to portray victims of trafficking were brought in to conduct simulated interviews. Conversations throughout the training were lively, but particularly in the aftermath of the interviews, with both actresses and participants offering many unique insights into the challenges and successes of the interview process.
The training was held at the School of the Public Ministry, with the support of Dr. Luis Pacheco and his assistant, Tania Becerra. Dr. Rosario Lopez Wong of the Public Ministry also provided invaluable help in discussing the details of Peruvian law, and providing opening and closing remarks on behalf of the Peruvian government. The Warnath Group team was assisted by the US Embassy in Lima’s specialist on human trafficking, Anne Morrison..
Warnath Group experts were able to tailor the training to the specific challenges and needs of the Peruvian justice system through a series of meetings held before the first training session, including with, the Ministry for Women and Vulnerable Populations, and the Public Ministry and IOM Peru. The meetings covered an entire day and proved invaluable to providing the Warnath Group’s trademark tailored training style, with contents and presentation made as effective as possible through careful targeting to the needs and priorities of Peru’s justice system.