As part of the United Nations’ 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, on November 28, MARTA Centre organised an international conference titled “Effective Protection for Victims of Sexual Violence and Exploitation”. The event brought together experts from nine countries, including practitioners from Nordic countries, to share insights and best practices.
Besides the opportunity for networking and strengthening international ties among practitioners, this conference was saturated with valuable content and practical, first-hand information. The exchange of experiences and information, as well as close collaboration between countries, has been helping to solve sexual violence and exploitation crimes more effectively and provide comprehensive protection for victims. The conference topics included services that empower victims to advocate for their rights and seek protection; effective investigation and prosecution to ensure victim protection; safeguarding the rights of vulnerable groups and reducing the demand for sexual exploitation.
In the opening remarks, the Latvian Minister of the Interior, Rihards Kozlovskis, praised the major contribution of MARTA Centre towards fight against gender-based violence and protection of victims. Moreover, he emphasised the need for continuous efforts to improve safety:
“No form of violence is acceptable. Studies show that in 60% of cases, perpetrators are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. We must focus on prevention, particularly educating children and youth. From mid-next year, we will introduce modern technologies like electronic monitoring devices to ensure greater victim safety.”
Chief of the State Police of Latvia Armands Ruks shared practical examples and listed instances of fruitful international cooperation resulting in complex cases being solved, as well as new challenges on the desk of the State Police. Speakers at the conference were hands-on professionals, investigators from various countries sharing practical methods in improvement of victim protection, enhancement of support services and implementation of innovative investigation techniques. Discussions also focused on holding offenders accountable, particularly addressing challenges in the online environment.
Audience was addressed also by the Swedish Ambassador to Latvia Karin Höglund and Stefan Eriksson, Director of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Latvia, alongside Manuel Lafont Rapnouil, French Ambassador to Latvia; Eimear Friel, Ireland’s Ambassador to Latvia; Claudia Pieterse, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Latvia, and Philip Barclay, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Latvia.
With the support of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Latvia, experts from Norway and Ukraine participated in the conference and shared their insights. Inger Brit Holm from the Norwegian organisation “Alternativ til Vold” (“Alternative to Violence”) and Anžela Moiseienko from the Ukrainian organisation “Chernihiv Network” (“Чернігівська Мережа”) provided valuable perspectives. Additionally, with the support of the Swedish Embassy in Latvia, Janna Davidson, Sweden’s coordinator for combating human trafficking, attended the event delivering a detailed presentation on current challenges, statistics and solutions in Sweden.
The conference was funded by the Nordic Council of Ministers under the “Prosperous Future” grant for the project “Best Practices from the Nordic Region: Strengthening Civil Society Organizations of Latvia and Ukraine and Enhancing Support Systems for Gender-Based Violence Victim”.
The project aims to strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations in Latvia MARTA Centre in Rēzekne, Rīga, Liepāja and Ukraine Chernihiv Networks in Chernihiv, particularly in addressing violence against women and children. Leveraging the expertise of partners from Norway and Finland, the project will facilitate the exchange of best practices and methodologies to enhance victim support and rehabilitation services. The primary goal of the project is to empower civil society organisations in Latvia and Ukraine with the knowledge, skills and resources necessary to effectively respond to and prevent violence.
Recording of the conference is available on YouTube channel of the MARTA Centre.
MARTA Centre is the only women’s rights advocacy institution in Latvia, which provides professional social, legal, psychological services to adult victims of violence and human trafficking, ensures assistance to women and their children in vulnerable life situations.
