According to Natalija Bitiukova, deputy director of the Human Rights Monitoring Institute, which founded the platform, Be-ribu.lt will help officers, prosecutors, judges and other professionals improve their qualifications and skills in a convenient, time- and money-saving manner.

"Many public officials and specialists would like to raise their qualifications, but are discouraged from doing so by cost, schedule clashes with their work or distance," said Bitiukova. "With Be-ribu.lt, they are able to improve themselves without being restricted by time or space. The course is accessible for free anywhere with an Internet connection."

First up: domestic violence

The first course offered by Be-ribu.lt should appeal to anyone who deals with domestic violence in their line of work. Tens of thousands of people, especially women, fall victim to this crime every year in Lithuania.

The lack of state funds for training and raising the qualifications of not only police officers, but also other professionals — prosecutors, judges, legal counsel — hinders efforts to mount an effective response to domestic violence.

Be-ribu.lt aims to solve this problem in an innovative, convenient and least costly manner. The e-learning platform is based on other globally recognized massive open online courses (such as Coursera, Iversity and Khan Academy).

"According to Deloitte forecasts, massive open online courses will make up more than 10 percent of all tertiary and enterprise continuing education by 2020. Why not make use of that potential here and now?" asks Bitiukova.

Free and open to all

The interactive course "Domestic Violence: What Every Professional Should Know" is composed of video lectures, additional reading materials and tests based on the knowledge acquired. Those who successfully complete the course are issued a certificate. Course lecturers include a psychologist, a police officer, a judge and experts in gender equality and human rights.

The development of Be-ribu.lt was sponsored by the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Development Cooperation Program of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lithuania.