Organized press conference on the occasion of the completion of the project “Let’s build sustainable results in the fight against human trafficking”
The Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM) and the Montenegrin Women’s Lobby (CZL) organized a press conference on February 28, 2017. in the PR center on the occasion of the completion of the project “Building sustainable results in the fight against human trafficking”, which was supported by the Canadian Embassy in Belgrade. The project aimed to contribute to strengthening the capacity to identify victims of trafficking, as well as to improve coordination and cooperation between key actors in the fight against trafficking.
Marija Vuksanović, project coordinator, CEDEM, Aida Petrović, executive director, CŽL and Sonja Perišić Bigović, representative of the Office for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, spoke at the press conference.
A representative from the Office for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Sonja Perišić Bigović, said at the press conference that the crime of trafficking in human beings is difficult to prove and that it often happens that due to lack of evidence, the crime is reclassified as a related crime.
“Sanction for the perpetrator is not absent, it is not judged as human trafficking, but all potential victims who are in the shelter, regardless of the qualification of the crime, are provided with all the protection they deserve under the positive regulations of our state and international standards,” she said. is Perišić Bigović in the PR Center.
She pointed out that Montenegro recognized the gravity of the crime of trafficking in human beings early on and that it tried to establish a system of combating trafficking in human beings through numerous activities, as she stated.
The coordinator of projects in CEDEM, Marija Vuksanović, assessed that insufficient work had been done on the issue of identifying victims of human trafficking.
“A clear indicator for poor identification are the differences in the number of victims identified by non-governmental organizations and the number of victims who have formally acquired the legal status of a victim, according to the Office,” Vuksanovic said.
She pointed out the prosecution of criminal offenses for perpetrators of human trafficking and, as she stated, a mild penal policy towards perpetrators.
“It is necessary for the state prosecutor’s office, in cooperation with all other bodies, primarily the police, to provide better quality evidence that will be used later in court proceedings and which will not depend only on the victim’s testimony and access to law enforcement,” Vuksanovic explained.
She assessed that there is no effective criminal prosecution if the victims have not exercised all the rights provided by law and guaranteed by international standards.
According to her, modest results have been achieved in terms of reintegration, because, after the end of the criminal procedure, the victim is left to herself.
The executive director of CZL, Aida Petrovic, said that human trafficking today functions through other channels, explaining that sexual exploitation does not take place in well-known cafes and clubs, “but social networks are also used for that.”
Petrovic reminded that CZL, in cooperation with the Turkish agency TIKA, opened a center for education and professional training, which gives the opportunity to attend three courses, but, according to her, there is a problem of paying for courses.
She believes that the campaigns should last longer and be continuously financed by the state.
“Donors are returning us to the state because they say that the state should pay for courses or create a fund that will enable users to be independent in the future,” said Petrovic.
She called on the media to report on the problem of human trafficking in a way that would help eliminate prejudice, as well as to raise awareness of the seriousness of the crime of human trafficking.
