ECHO2 project participants met in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, for the second meeting. A four-day workhop focused on illegal migration and drug trafficking. The group, composed by 20 students between 16 and 25 years of age, had the opportunity to deepen the topics through the professional contributions of Mr Pavel Dimitrov, local prosecutor, and Mrs Katya Yanulova, psychologist.

The consumption of drugs, the repressive approach against drugs, the exploitation of women for sexual purposes, the exploitation of children for illegal labour, and the trafficking of organs were amongst the specific issues debated during the discussion with the speakers.

Hence, the group decided to start working on the production of a video with the aim to underline the difference between the actual situation in Bulgaria over the drug trafficking and the possibility to implement a regulatory framework over the illegal businesses.

Besides the video, the group created and put in place a flash-mob in the city centre of Stara Zagora intended to call attention against sexual exploitation of women, given the high presence of “sex workers” in some areas of the city where they students live.

You can watch the photos on ECHO 2 's Facebook page.

And it doesn't finish here! Next ECHO2 meeting is going to take place in Lecce, Italy, on 18-21 of April. This time, the focus will be on environmental crimes.

Crucial for the meeting in Lecce is the participation of Francesco Tarantini, President of the association Legambiente, who will offer an overview about eco-crimes in Italy and in Europe. Finally, association Libera and representatives of Apulia Region will present their best practices in place to fight organised crime.