About the Project

The Arab Center for the Development of the Rule of Law and Integrity (ACRLI) is implementing a project entitled: “Improving Capacities to Fight Human Trafficking in Lebanon”, with a funding provided by the United States Government.
The project’s main objective consists to strengthen the capacity of the judiciary body with a view to enforce and improve the application of the Lebanese Anti-Trafficking Law (Law no 164/2011).
Several activities are planned to take place throughout the project lifespan in order to achieve the set goal and objective. The project’s activities are briefed as follows:
  • Develop a manual for judges and prosecutors.
    The manual will address core elements of the trafficking in persons crime and will be used as a reference for the training workshops to be held within the project. It will shed light on the main issues related to the trafficking in persons crime on both the national and international levels, namely: i) the legal framework and the relevant international legal standards related to trafficking in persons, ii) the international guidelines and indicators developed by the concerned international organizations, iii) the national legal framework of trafficking in persons crime, specifically Law no 164/2011, iv) the victim identification and protection of both victims and witnesses, and v) the necessary elements required for successful prosecution under the law, which are minimum requirements prosecutors must gather in order to prosecute the trafficking in persons cases.
  • Hold a series of training workshops for both prosecutors and judges.
    ACRLI will facilitate six training workshops for prosecutors and judges on the Anti-Trafficking Law (Law no 164/2011). The workshops will gather prosecutors and concerned judges in all over Lebanon to ensure widespread coverage throughout the country.
    The capacity building activities will be based upon the experiences and contributions of judges and prosecutors. During the workshops, the international framework of trafficking in persons crime will be presented. Moreover, judges and prosecutors will discuss and share experiences regarding the challenges related to the implementation of Law No. 164/2011, especially with regard to the identification and qualification of the crime, the ways to protect victims and witnesses, as well as the mechanisms and means of prevention and cooperation to combat trafficking in persons crimes.
  • Hold training workshops for future judges at the Institute of Judicial Studies.
    ACRLI will conduct a series of training workshops for future judges at the Lebanese Institute of Judicial Studies.  The workshops will be designed to provide the trainee judges with both the international and national legal framework of trafficking in persons crime. The sessions will highlight the core elements of trafficking in persons crime from the theoretical and practical perspectives through the presentation and discussion of trafficking in persons cases.
  • Facilitate follow-up sessions with trained judges and prosecutors.
    Four follow-up sessions will be organized in order to discuss the practical implementation of the Lebanese Anti-Trafficking Law No. 164/2011.  Judges and prosecutors will present practical cases, share personal experiences, and suggest recommendations to overcome the challenges to enforce the Lebanese laws on human trafficking. The emerging recommendations will be collected and added to the final version of the manual. The later will be adapted into a locally-appropriate manual for prosecutors and judges addressing the key elements of the 2011 Anti-Trafficking Law as well as the international frameworks of trafficking.
  • Establish a central committee of specialized judges and prosecutors, with training of trainers responsibilities.
    A central committee of specialized judges and prosecutors with a keen interest to fight trafficking in persons crimes will be established. The committee will serve as a unit of specialized judges in counter-trafficking matters and as a training team who shall handle training responsibilities in the eventual upcoming capacity building activities.
    In this line, ACRLI  will conduct two training for trainers’ sessions for the committee members to enhance their training skills and strengthen their knowledge on the topic.
    The committee’s members are expected to act as focal points within the judiciary to be resources for other judges and prosecutors who are less familiar with the Anti-Trafficking Law No. 164/2011. They shall also serve as trainers for the judiciary in trafficking in persons training workshops and sessions.
  • Create a legal compendium on trafficking in persons.
    ACRLI  will develop a compendium to disseminate legal information on trafficking and build awareness on the topic among a wide range of stakeholders, concerned actors and victims. The compendium will include the legal texts, court decisions, international conventions, as well as principles, guidelines, training manuals, best practices, and other regional and international references.  The compendium will be made available online to stakeholders, researchers, policy-makers, law faculties, the media, and the public at large.
    Moreover, ACRLI  will develop information material which are planned to be circulated among victims and potential victims. The material shall reach out areas and communities at risk of trafficking namely refugees camps. They will aim to raise awareness on victim’s rights, victim protection, the anti-trafficking law and international legal standards.
  • Hold a national conference on trafficking in persons
    A national conference will be held at the end of the project. The conference will launch the final version of the manual produced throughout the project. The conference shall gather all concerned parties including but not limited to, representatives of : i) the main stakeholders (i.e. the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Labor, etc), ii) the General Security and the Internal Security Forces (ISF), iii)  concerned international organizations, iv) foreign embassies, and v) concerned Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), in addition to judges, prosecutors, lawyers, and activists. The conference will also serve as a networking event that will encourage linkages and cooperation among the various stakeholders.
ACRLI will undertake the execution of the project’s activities in close coordination with the concerned stakeholders and beneficiaries in the Lebanese judicial system.
ACRLI, in cooperation with its partner, Migration Services for Development (MSD), will also coordinate and seek out synergies with other counter-trafficking initiatives in Lebanon who provide direct services to survivors and victims of trafficking.