Montenegro is continuously building a strong systemic response to the challenges in the fight against human trafficking, said Minister of Interior Danilo Šaranović at the opening of a workshop on the recommendations of the Special Representative and Coordinator of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings on the need to strengthen the prevention of human trafficking in mass migration flows.
This was announced today by the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP).
Stressing that this topic is a challenge for both Montenegro and the entire contemporary Europe, Šaranović said that today's gathering is an opportunity to emphasize the importance of a multidisciplinary approach and point out the special vulnerability of persons in mixed migration flows in relation to human trafficking, with a focus on persons affected by the war in Ukraine.
"Montenegro is one of the first countries to open its borders to people from Ukraine after the start of the war in Ukraine, which is a continuation of the solidarity that Montenegro has shown since the wars of the 90s. The temporary protection mechanism was immediately activated, which created a solid legal basis for the inclusion of people from Ukraine and confirmed that Montenegro cherishes an open-door policy, providing security for all those who have decided to stay in it," the Ministry of Interior said in a statement.
The Ministry of the Interior added that as the department that coordinates activities in the fight against human trafficking, through cooperation with other institutions and bodies, they have undertaken numerous preventive activities to make the fight against this phenomenon more efficient, with a special focus on sexual and labor exploitation.
"In accordance with OSCE recommendations, campaigns have been intensified to increase the availability of information about the dangers of human trafficking and assistance services for these individuals, and a toll-free hotline has been established to allow reporting of any suspicion of human trafficking," the statement said.
The Ministry of Interior said that these efforts have resulted in greater recognition of the problem and stronger preventive action.
"The commitment to results is also confirmed by the data that in the previous year, the Police Directorate filed 16 criminal reports against 18 persons, the competent prosecutor's offices filed 14 indictments against 25 persons, and in the work of the courts there were a total of 27 cases against 48 defendants for the criminal offense of human trafficking under Article 444 of the Criminal Code of Montenegro, two of which ended with a final conviction, and two cases are being heard before the Special Department of the High Court," the Ministry of the Interior said.
The government department emphasized that it will continue to invest efforts in combating this serious violation of human rights, through strengthening institutional capacities.
"The support of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro in the development of a new strategic document in this area is of particular importance, and after the opinion of the European Commission, it will be submitted to the Government for adoption," the Ministry of Interior said.
"I am confident that this event, which brought together relevant stakeholders, along with the presentation of the recommendations of the OSCE Special Representative and Coordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, will provide a good platform for strengthening the joint response in the fight against trafficking in human beings, in order to ensure that persons from Ukraine seeking refuge are as safe as possible from exploitation and that potential victims are provided with all necessary assistance and protection," said Šaranović.
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