ASTRA – Antitrafficking Action, on October 16, 2023, in the premises of Media Center Belgrade, organized the event Judicial practice for the criminal offense of human trafficking, A DISTURBING REFLECTION OF SOCIETY, dedicated to marking October 18, the European Day against Human Trafficking.
Marija Anđelković, executive director of NGO ASTRA, and Radmila Dičić Dragičević, a retired judge of the Supreme Court, spoke at the event. Marija Anđelković informed the attendees of the results of a comparative analysis of the rights and position of victims of human trafficking in criminal proceedings for the period 2018−2022. Judge Dičić Dragićević spoke about international standards in procedural and legal protection of victims of human trafficking and the importance of preventing secondary victimization of victims of human trafficking during criminal proceedings.
The cases of human trafficking in front of the courts in Serbia are not numerous. Still, they are an illustrative example of society’s attitude towards one of the most vulnerable groups in the system, especially if we remember that it is the last instance of justice, which the victims who enter the court process hope for. How attainable is this justice? What is the amount of the prescribed penalties? Do and how often do victims experience secondary victimization in the system? Is the status of a particularly vulnerable witness usually granted, and why not? What is the possibility of obtaining compensation for the crime suffered? Are there established positive or negative practices, and how do they reflect on the position and status of victims? What are the possibilities for improving the position of victims of human trafficking in court proceedings? – those are some of the topics that were discussed at this meeting.
Full text of the publication HUMAN TRAFFICKING VICTIMS IN CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS − Analysis of Judicial Practice for 2022 can be found → HERE.
Video from the Event, October 16, 2023.