The text below was published by the University of Luxembourg on 3 May 2016 (http://wwwen.uni.lu/fdef/actualites/helping_combat_human_trafficking_in_laos)

Helping combat human trafficking in Laos

As part of a cooperation project to support the Faculty of Law and Political Science at the National University of Laos, two FDEF professors joined a workshop in the country’s capital Vientiane at the end of April.

Faculty Dean Stefan Braum and Associate Prof. Silvia Allegrezza, both specialists in criminal law, travelled to Vientiane from April 23 to 29 to continue a project started in 2013 with a view to strengthening legal higher education in the country.

In cooperation with the Institute for Legal Support and Technical Assistance (ILSTA), which also works with the Luxembourg Foreign Ministry, the academics from Luxembourg joined a workshop focusing on human trafficking and the smuggling of migrants in the region. The workshop brought together prosecutors, judges and other legal professionals, offering a comparative analysis of national and international law, combined with case studies.

Additionally, a group of junior researchers were able to get feedback on their work during a research methodology workshop with the guests from Luxembourg. The workshop was the first of its kind hosted between the two faculties. It is planned that in November 2016, PhD candidates from Luxembourg will travel to Laos for a similar exchange with their peers at the university in Vientiane.

Prof. Braum and Associate Prof. Allegrezza also met with the Chargé d’affaires of the Luxembourg Embassy in Laos, Claude Jentgen, as well as further representatives of ILSTA and the National University of Laos.

Efforts to support law teaching and research in Laos will continue in the future as part of the Faculty’s international outreach activities. A similar cooperation project in the fields of law and economics is currently being undertaken with the University of Bamako, Mali.