Contributed by: Vanja Mikulic and Irena Milatovic, Montenegro National VAW Monitors
Women’s Safe House from Podgorica, and its partner NGO organizations, “Lara” from Bijeljina and ASTRA from Belgrade, have organized a seminar on trafficking in persons for the representatives of the Employment Biro and Agency for employment, Tourist Inspection, Labor Inspection and Ministry of Internal Affairs from Montenegro, Serbia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina on April 17-18, 2007 in Petrovac, Hotel “Rivijera.”According to Ms. Maja Raicevic, program coordinator of WSH, trafficking in human beings has been too long associated with only the purpose of sexual exploitation and forced prostitution. Even if this form of trafficking has been recognized in international documents, especially with the Trafficking Protocol, which gives a very detailed definition of trafficking in persons with its different forms and with different purposes, available data on trafficking in persons with the aim of forced labor is very rare; the fight against trafficking in persons is mostly directed to trafficking in persons for the purpose of sexual exploitation. Therefore, the aim of the seminar was to introduce representatives of the abovementioned institutions with this issue, to establish contacts and to develop recommendations for further activities. One of the recommendations developed refers to the establishment of special teams consisting of representatives of the police, the Revenue Agency, Market, Tourists and Labor Inspections so that, especially during the tourist season, control of labor exploitation cases can be conducted. With this initiative, all relevant state subjects will be introduced, as well as the National Coordinator for Combating Trafficking in Persons.
This project has been realized thanks to financial support from the Foundation STAR Network of World Learning and UNHCR office in Podgorica.
Source: Safe Women’s House, Podgorica