HUMAN RIGHTS commissions were trained on their legal and ethical responsibilities towards soldiers. Human Rights and Anti-Trafficking ODIHR continued to focus on promoting effective national referral mechanisms to protect the rights of trafficked persons, enhancing access of victims of trafficking to justice, and strengthening partnerships among national and international stakeholders. ODIHR continued the implementation of a threeyear project on human rights protection for trafficked persons and vulnerable groups in Central Asia, begun in 2012. Two assessments of national referral mechanisms and access by trafficked persons to compensation were carried out in 2013 in Kyrgyzstan (February to April) and Kazakhstan (May to August), respectively. The purpose of the assessments was to identify the current stage of development of national referral mechanisms in the two participating States, assess opportunities for victims of trafficking to claim compensation, and develop recommendations for all stakeholders to achieve further progress. A regional roundtable meeting on building national referral mechanisms was organized in Istanbul in May. ODIHR brought together representatives of state agencies responsible for law enforcement, the administration of justice and social welfare, and NGOs from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as experts from Belgium, Moldova and the Netherlands. Throughout 2013 ODIHR continued to promote improved access to justice for victims of trafficking, including their access to compensation. ODIHR organized a regional seminar in October for Central Asian lawyers specialized in combating trafficking. Lawyers and legal practitioners from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, as well as Azerbaijan and Ukraine, developed recommendations for states, civil society and private actors on improving access to legal assistance and on remedies for trafficked persons. In December, ODIHR and the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) organized a regional seminar for 25 lawyers from nine participating States (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia). Participants discussed topics including pro-bono legal assistance to victims, legal aid during the identification stage, investigation and court proceedings, and compensation for victims. ODIHR Annual Report 2013  /   49