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In response to KFF request for a meeting, vice Minister of Interior of Lithuania Mr. Urbonas organized one on 2/13/2017 in the Ministry, in Vilnius.
During the meeting, KFF NYC director updated the vice Minister and the advisers Mrs. R.Sirgediene, Dr. A. Sakocius and Mr. P. Malakauskas on the KFF work helping Lithuanian NGOs to work on social issues, especially when offering sports and life skills to the youth in the underprivileged families, and getting them legal help when they get caught in Trafficking in Human Beings.
It was a straight forward conversation regarding the THB situation in Lithuania, where KFF and the Ministry’s reps realized that they share most of the same information, and are willing to work together.
One of the questions was on legal help for THB victims in Lithuania. So far Caritas anti-trafficking program was taking care of legal expenses and KFF was one of sponsors. Based on KFF request,
Vice Minister promised to hold a meeting with the Chairman of the Lithuanian Bar Association, Dr. Ignas Vegele and ask the Lithuanian lawyers to provide pro bono legal services to THB victims based on the British Attorneys at Law example, where they provide free of charge legal help to Lithuanian victims in Great Britain.
On 2/21 KFF was informed by Kristina Misiniene, who heads Caritas anti trafficking efforts (The Kazickas Family foundation's grantee), vice Minister organized FIRST of a kind meeting in the Ministry, with the Chairman dr. Ignas Vegele present, regarding pro bono services to the THB victims in LT.
Based on a previous KFF meeting with Mr. Martyn Cushing, Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Vilnius, KFF was ready to organize a seminar for the Lithuanian Attorneys at Law with the British speakers who would encourage and challenge the Lithuanian colleagues to offer free of charge legal services to the victims.
KFF will keep in contact with the vice Minister Darius Urbonas, to see if a contact person could be assigned to work in partnership with the Ministry of Interior- the British Embassy- the Kazickas Family Foundation- the Lithuanian Bar Association to continue these efforts.
KFF thanks Martynas Duksa, the Attorney at Law at TAILORS Professionals, who is the first Lithuanian lawyer who took THB victim's case free of charge!
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