Enhancing Prevention of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Children

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We would like to inform you that ERADICATING held the online seminar  ‘’Enhancing Prevention of Human Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Children’’ on the 18th of November 2022.

During the first session of the event, the project team presented the reasoning and methodological approach developed under ERADICATING. The session also included a showcase of one of the project’s innovative tools – the Digital Child Manual in the form of a fairytale. The Manual aims at boosting awareness among Generations Z and Alpha on various aspects of THB, putting the emphasis on mixed forms of minors’ exploitation, and highlighting the social preventative role of civil protection authorities.

The second session of the event accommodated a couple of round table discussions which focused on the preventive role of police authorities in investigating, assisting and combating THB/CSE. There was also a discussion on the need for promoting multisector cooperation to support THB/CSE victims.

Stay tuned by following us on social media!

       

 

Agenda

Speakers’ bios

 

Evangelos ZARKADOULAS
Justice and Home Affairs Counsellor
Permanent Representaion of Greece to EU

Evangelos Zarkadoulas is a Senior Police Officer (Police Major) of the Hellenic Police, and his expertise is investigating public security crimes (criminal organizations, homicides, armed robberies, etc.). Currently, he is a liaison officer between the Hellenic Police and the EU for security issues as a Justice and Home Affairs Counsellor at the Permanent Representation of Greece to the EU. His portfolio entails the topics of internal security, cross-border police cooperation, and exchange of information in the Justice and Home Affairs field. Additionally, he is a Ph.D. Law Candidate at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUBrussel). The discourse of his research is dedicated to the use of AI by law enforcement authorities.

 

Antonia POTHOULAKI
Senior Researcher at KEMEA
ERADICATING’s Project Manager

Dr. Antonia Pothoulaki (PhD, Post Doc) is a Special Scientist in the field of Organized Crime (Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings) and teaching Experimental Criminology- Social Control of Crime at the Hellenic Police Officers School/ Ministry of Citizen Protection. She holds a PhD on Applied Ethics Philosophy with specialization on “Transnational Trafficking” and Ethical Issues ” and a Post-Doctoral on “Transnational Trafficking, Human Rights and Ethical-Psychological Aspects”. She is author of the book entitled “Trafficking “Paths” in Out of Law “Routes” – Ethical, Legal and Psychological Aspects”. She is Senior Researcher at Centre for Security Studies of the Hellenic Ministry of Citizen Protection where she is involved in EU and Nationally Funded R&D projects related to Organized Crime Research & Prevention Policy, Radicalization, Terrorism, Justice, Domestic Violence and Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings.
Stefan RALCHEV
Research Fellow, Security Program
Center for the Study of Democracy

Stefan Ralchev is Research Fellow in CSD’s Security Program. His expertise is in the fields of human trafficking, human security and comparative politics and European integration of Southeast Europe. Before joining CSD, he worked at Bulgaria’s National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, a government body under the Council of Ministers, where he helped devise Bulgaria’s policy responses to the crime of human trafficking and coordinated the Commission’s international activities. He also has previous experience with civil society organisations, including Transparency International – Bulgaria.

Natasha ALEXOPOULOU
Project Manager and Researcher
Human & Fundamental Rights Unit, KMOP

Natasha Alexopoulou is a legal advisor and currently collaborating with KMOP as a project manager and researcher in EU funded projects related to THB, migration, SGBV and children rights. She has studied law at the Law School of Athens and has a Master’s degree in Criminal Law and Criminal Procedures.



Anton Van DYCK
General Manager
PAYOKE

Anton Van Dyck is the General Manager at Payoke, one of the three government-recognized specialized centers for victims of human trafficking in Belgium. He has a background in law and public administration from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). Before his time at Payoke, he analyzed value chains on human rights compliance in the private sector and worked as a lobbyist on sexual and reproductive health and rights in Brussels.
Frederik DEJONGHE
Legal counselor
PAYOKE

Frederik Dejonghe is a Legal counselor, who specializes in helping victims of trafficking through the loverboy modus operandi at Payoke. Having spent years in international consulting, he found his way to Payoke in 2019 to help organize the center for referral of victims of loverboy traffickers in Flanders.


Yuval SANDERS
CEO and Co-Founder of Falkor

Yuval Sanders is a leader in open-source intelligence and data analysis. In the past decade he has lead innovative intelligence products and methodologies to market and disrupted the traditional verticals such as public-sector organizations, banks and more. Yuval has over a decade of experience in open-source intelligence and data analysis, and has a proven track record in integrating new technologies into both public and private organizations of all sizes. Yuval is passionate about utilizing emerging technologies and data science to enhance analytical workflows and to promote private-public integration and cooperation. Yuval is the CEO and co-founder of Falkor, a data-driven investigation and analytics platform for analysts, and also serves as the co-founder of IOTT Integration, a firm specializing in open-source intelligence technology and investigative methodology. Yuval is fluent in Italian, Spanish, English and Hebrew. Yuval has studied at the University of Padova, Italy.


Ramin FARINPOUR
Course Director
European Criminal Law Section
Academy of European Law
Ramin Farinpour is a Course Director in the Academy of European Law’s European Criminal Law Section since November 2011 and Senior Lawyer since January 2017, dealing with terrorism, police cooperation, trafficking in drugs and human beings, migrant smuggling, financial and economic crime, as well as border management and detention conditions. He was seconded to the Austrian Federal Ministry for Europe, Integration and International Affairs in 2018 to work as a Desk Officer during the Austrian EU Council Presidency in the Unit for EU Coordination, assisting with the preparation of the COREPER I and II sessions and coordination of the Austrian Presidency for the Ministry. Prior to his role at ERA, he worked in the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement for three years in the Institution Building Unit, where he organised targeted, effective technical short-term assistance for the TAIEX (Technical Assistance and Information Exchange Instrument) beneficiary countries (the EU Candidate Countries, the potential Candidate Countries, the countries covered by the European Neighbourhood Policy Programme and Russia) in the Justice and Home Affairs field. He has previously also worked in the Directorate for General EU Affairs & Institutions, the European Ombudsman’s Legal Department and the Austrian Red Cross’ Austrian Centre for for Country of Origin and Asylum Research and Documentation (ACCORD).

Mauro Manolo BELMONTE
Consultant for Italian Prosecutor’s Offices
CEO and Founder of MBS Engineering

Mauro Manolo Belmonte is a consultant for Italian Prosecutor’s Offices, supports investigators with their cases in Trafficking Human Beings, sexual exploitation, drugs trafficking, fraud, financial crimes and other criminal organisations.
In the “Centre of Excellence for Stability Police Units” of Vicenza, he trained the police officers as part of the project EUPCST live exercise on “Combating Trafficking Human Beings” in EU Civilian CSDP missions. At this moment his company MBS is the leader in informatics technologies applied to investigative intelligence. Within MBS Engineering he has developed an advanced analysis tool CIT in cooperation with the Italian law enforcement.

Vasileios KOUTSOLIAKOS
Senior Police Officer
International Police Cooperation Division of Hellenic Police
Vasileios Koutsoliakos is a Senior Police Officer (Police Lieutenant Colonel) who serves on International Police Cooperation Division of Hellenic Police the last for years. His portfolio entails on EU and International Law Enforcement Cooperation on Serious and Organized Crime and Schengen Area. He has also worked as an intelligence officer in Counterterrorism Unit of the HP and he is an expert in international terrorism and radicalization. He graduated from the Hellenic Police Academy and earned a bachelor’s degree in international, European and regional studies. He has a master’s degree in international relations and strategic studies from Panteion University and another in crisis, mass disaster and emergency management from the University of Athens. He has also graduated National Security School.