Since the beginning of the year, 17 criminal charges have been filed in Montenegro against 19 people for human trafficking, and 30 people have been identified as victims, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP) announced.
The Ministry said that this year they are implementing a series of activities on the occasion of October 18th - European Day against Trafficking in Human Beings, to inform the public about human trafficking as a form of modern slavery, which knows no borders and deprives people around the world of their freedom and basic rights, with the aim of exploiting them.
According to data from the Ministry of Interior/Police Directorate, since the beginning of the year, 17 criminal charges have been filed against 19 people for human trafficking, and 30 people have been identified as victims.
"The most common forms of exploitation remain forced labor and begging, with recorded cases of sexual exploitation and illegal marriage," the Ministry of the Interior said in a statement.
As they said, in light of marking this date, the entire month of October in Montenegro is dedicated to activities aimed at prevention, education and protection of victims, especially among the younger population and vulnerable groups, through cooperation with international organizations, institutions and the civil sector.
"The focus of this year's activities was placed on youth and peer education, and training was implemented for more than 50 teachers from all over Montenegro, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and the Institute for Education," the Ministry of Interior said.
The department added that on Friday, the first class in all primary and secondary schools was dedicated to the topic of human trafficking, while a debate was held at the 'Slobodan Škerović' Gymnasium in Podgorica on whether young people today are sufficiently informed and empowered to resist the challenges of human trafficking and whether social networks represent an advantage or a risk in this regard.
With the support of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the "It Concerns You" campaign was implemented, which, as explained by the Ministry of the Interior, strengthens the resilience of young people to various forms of exploitation through social networks and public events.
The statement states that, as part of the same campaign, on October 15 and 16, an interactive performance "Museum of Broken Promises" was presented at St. Peter of Cetinje Square in Podgorica, which shows the real stories of victims of labor exploitation through audio-visual and interactive elements.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that the installation will also be presented in Bar, as part of efforts to raise the level of awareness and empathy among citizens.
According to them, next week, in cooperation with the German Organization for International Cooperation (GIZ), activities are planned with a focus on strengthening the unity of children from the majority population and children from the Roma and Egyptian communities, about which the public will be informed in a timely manner.
"The Ministry of Interior remains strongly committed to the mission of protecting human rights, improving multi-sectoral cooperation and efficient identification of victims of human trafficking, while constantly strengthening partnerships with all relevant stakeholders," the ministry's statement concluded.
The European Commission established October 18 as the European Day for the Fight against Trafficking in Human Beings, with the aim of drawing attention to the victims of this crime and raising awareness about one of the cruelest forms of human rights violations.
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