Registration open for a new HELP e-course - "LGBTI persons in the asylum procedure"

Dear beneficiaries of the National Institute of Justice,

We invite you to register for the new e-course "LGBTI persons in the asylum procedure", piloted by the National Institute of Justice in partnership with the Council of Europe.

Participants: judges, prosecutors, judicial assistants, clerks, staff from courts and prosecutor's offices, prosecutor's consultants, lawyers providing state-guaranteed legal aid, INJ staff/trainers, employees of the General Inspectorate for Migration, NGO representatives.

Registration period for the e-course: 5 – 17 November 2025.

Active period of the e-course: November 19, 2025 – December 21, 2025.                   

Certification: Beneficiaries will receive certificates certifying their participation in this e-course, issued by the HELP and INJ Unit (20 hours of training).

e-Course is structured in four modules and aims to increase the level of awareness and understanding of the essential aspects related to the rights of LGBTI persons in the context of asylum, as well as of the applicable international and European standards in the identification and evaluation of asylum applications made on the grounds of persecution based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression or sexual characteristics (SOGIESC).

The program contributes to developing the capacity of practitioners to better understand the rights of LGBTI asylum seekers at all stages of the procedure, both from the perspective of content and procedural aspects. The aim of the course is to strengthen a professional community that is informed and able to assess SOGIESC motivated asylum applications, applying a human rights-based approach throughout the decision-making process.

The course is interactive, integrates international and European (Council of Europe/European Union) standards, including relevant jurisprudence, and can be taken at a flexible pace, adapted to each participant's schedule.

Tutoring: Olga Bulmaga, certified tutor of the HELP Program.

Partner: The Council of Europe project "Strengthening the protection of human rights of refugees and migrants from the Republic of Moldova: phase II".

The launch event will take place in person, in the second half of November 19, 2025. Participants will receive additional information regarding the event agenda and other important details.

If you do not have an account on The HELP platform, we encourage you to create it before applying. HERE you can access the instructions.