Mechanism for the Monitoring of Trafficking in Human Beings Phenomenon. Bosnia And Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia
- Document number
- 1149
- Date
- 2006
- Title
- Mechanism for the Monitoring of Trafficking in Human Beings Phenomenon. Bosnia And Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia
- Author/publisher
- Jovana Skrnjug (ed.), International Organization for Migration (IOM) Belgrade
- Availability
- View/save PDF version of this document
- Document type(s)
- Guidelines/Recommendations, Research/Study/Analysis, Training Material/Resources,
- Keywords
- Women's Association Medica Zenica, The Croatian Red Cross Society, Victimology Society of Serbia (VDS), Palermo protocol, National Referral Mechanism, Anti-trafficking measures, NGO, Civil society, Advocacy,
- Summary
- The International Organization for Migration (IOM) started the implementation of the project “Establishment of Temporary Residence Permit Mechanisms for Victims of Trafficking and Witnesses in the Balkans” in August 2003. The project was inaugurated at the initiative of the Task Force on Trafficking in Human Beings of the Stability Pact for South East Europe. This Project has been managed by the IOM Mission in Belgrade with the assistance of IOM Missions in the Balkan Region. The final phase of the project will be concluded at the end of May 2006. The cornerstone of the project is The Tirana Statement of Commitments on the Legalization of the Status of Trafficked Victims, a document signed on December 2002 in Tirana . By legalizing the status of foreign victims, temporary residence permits have become an essential pre-condition for assistance to victims and are a motivation for victims to come forward and seek protection. Without a TRP in place, the uncertainty of victims’ status and the fact that there is potential for immediate deportation add to the anxiety of victims, who have often already been traumatized by their experience. The setting up of temporary residence permit mechanisms throughout Southeast Europe removes the prospect of immediate deportation of victims and considerably diminishes the risks of their re-entering trafficking networks. Temporary residence permits also provide the legal basis for NGOs to assist foreign victims of trafficking and facilitate the prosecution of traffickers. Without the appropriate mechanism in place, the foreign victims identified in the region without proper documentation are often treated as irregular migrants and are deported. Thus the possibility of denouncing traffickers or providing any kind of assistance is greatly reduced. The introduction of the NGO Watchdog partners in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia was one of the sub-activities within this regional IOM project. In each of the three countries, the NGOs were tasked with assessing the situation in the field of temporary residence protection and collecting general data in regard to trafficking in persons. The three selected NGOs were: Medica Zenica for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatian Red Cross for Croatia and for Serbia The Victimology Society of Serbia. During the implementation phase, the three NGOs met twice to coordinate their activities and to learn from each other. As the NGO watchdogs have been almost non-existent in the field of THB in the SEE, the work of the three NGO partners is of pioneering character. Although all three NGOs are active in the field of combating trafficking, they differ in their backgrounds and areas of expertise. In this respect, and to the satisfaction of IOM, the Recommendations produced by the three NGOs and presented in this edition, differ in their methodology and structure. However, the general idea, which is to monitor the issuance of TRPs and data collected on THB cases, is common to all three. Each Recommendation is unquestionably an outcome of a successfully established regional cooperation and it presents valuable guidelines for future counter-trafficking activities.
- Related documents