At the 15th meeting of the Special Working Group for Monitoring and Implementation of the Strategy against Trafficking in Human Beings, held on June 3, 2021, ASTRA presented its new edition of the Analysis of Protection and Support Services for Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings in Serbia. The Brochure: Services for Persons at Risk and Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings was also presented on this occasion. The Brochure is a short edition of the Analysis intended for direct users of services.
ASTRA has been pointing out for years now the need to better informing of (potential) victims of trafficking about the rights and services offered to them. Therefore, the opportunity to prepare a detailed overview of services currently available to survivors of trafficking in human beings in the Republic of Serbia was indicated within the project “A space for a place to fight human trafficking”. Publication of Analysis and Brochure was supported by the European Union and Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue.
During the preparation of this issue, it became clear that representatives of institutions and the civil sector and service providers themselves are also not fully aware of all services offered by other actors involved in supporting victims of trafficking, both within and outside the National Referral Mechanism. Therefore, to collect data from service providers at the national level, 18 questionnaires were developed and forwarded to 174 local self-government units (145 municipalities, 28 cities, and Belgrade).
The original idea was that the primary users of this Analysis and Brochure should be people who have had an experience of human trafficking or people in risk. However, given the scope and content of this publication, we conclude that it will certainly benefit service providers for better coordination and better customer support.
The Brochure presents a more concise and focused overview of services intended for direct users – victims of trafficking and persons at risk.
So far, the Republic of Serbia has not had a unique register of available services and providers of services (protection and support) for victims of crime with elements of violence, including victims of trafficking. The same goes for the register of services and providers of social protection services (general and specialized ) that could also be made available to victims of trafficking. These two publications will alleviate these shortcomings almost completely.
The Analysis will be available in Serbian in electronic and printed editions. The Brochure for persons at risk and victims of trafficking will be available in Serbian, Romani and Albanian, in electronic and printed editions.
Keeping in mind the importance and scope of the Analysis and the importance of cross-sectoral dialogue and exchange of experiences, the results of the Analysis will be soon presented to the general public at a public event. The event will bring together representatives of institutions involved in developing the Analysis and all relevant actors in the field of combating THB.