In Montenegro, the number of victims of human trafficking, who are subjected to forced begging and forced child marriages, is increasing, while the most frequently identified cases of human trafficking are for sexual exploitation.
The document adopted by the Government of Montenegro on Thursday, which refers to the strategy for the fight against human trafficking for the period 2019-2024, warns against this. with a proposal of an action plan for its implementation.
In recent years, Montenegro has been recognized as a country of origin, transit and destination for men, women and children who were victims of human trafficking. This is stated in this document, and the same assessments were made two years ago by the US State Department, as well as other international institutions working to combat this scourge.
According to the document adopted by the Government, there is still no word on human trafficking on a large scale in Montenegro, but "challenges have been recognized" and the number of "potential victims" of human trafficking has increased.
"Bride trade" and prostitution
The police have identified an increased number of potential victims who are at risk of being forced into an illicit marriage or being "sexually exploited".
The most frequently identified cases of sexual exploitation (illustration)-"Challenges regarding the need to strengthen a proactive approach in identifying victims, especially among illegal migrants, foreigners seeking international protection, children who beg, seasonal workers, especially during the tourist season, were also recognized. In addition, the existence of large tourist settlements in Montenegro and the influx of one million tourists per year represent potential attraction factors for the development of human trafficking activities. Tourist facilities, including tourist settlements, should be proactively monitored as potential risk areas," the Strategy proposal reads.
From 2012 to 2018, 30 potential victims of human trafficking were identified in Montenegro, of which six were male and 24 were female. The table shows a significant increase in identified potential victims of human trafficking from 2013 (1) to 2018 (8). The most potential victims were recorded in 2012 - nine of them.
They claim that the previous Strategy for the fight against human trafficking introduced a new way of providing assistance to victims, which ensured that all persons, regardless of whether they are potential or actual victims of human trafficking, have equal access to services.
When it comes to the age of potential victims, the number of adults (17) is higher than the number of minor victims (13).
"However, compared to the period before 2012, an increased number of identified minor victims of human trafficking was recorded. The average age of minor victims is 13 years old," the document states. The most frequently identified cases of human trafficking in the mentioned period were forms of sexual exploitation - 47 percent of them. According to police data, 29 percent of people were exploited for forced marriage, while 18 percent of them were forced to beg:
"Identification of victims of human trafficking for forced begging and forced child marriage is on the rise and so far 11 cases have been identified".
When it comes to the countries of origin of the victims, we can say that almost half of the identified cases involved (potential) victims of Montenegrin citizens, while the other countries of origin are mainly regional countries (Serbia, Kosovo, Albania).
They claim that there has been an increase in the number of calls to the national SOS line for human trafficking. The largest number of calls was recorded in 2015, a total of 553, and the calls were mostly informative in nature. The SOS telephone line for victims of human trafficking is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is managed by the NGO "Montenegro Women's Lobby", which is financed from the budget of the National Office for Combating Human Trafficking.
During the implementation period of the previous Strategy, no cases of human trafficking were identified based on the investigation of suspicions reported through the SOS line.
They claim that it is better to protect the victims
They claim that the activities from the Strategy for the fight against human trafficking for the period 2012-2018. improved the system of protection and assistance to victims.
The development of the new Strategy for the fight against human trafficking for the period from 2019 to 2024 is based, they claim, on the recommended guiding principles in designing the strategy for the fight against human trafficking in accordance with international standards and the guiding principles of the OSCE.
It contains a number of recommendations related to the Government, the Police Directorate, prosecutor's offices, the judiciary, non-governmental organizations and other actors whose goal is to combat human trafficking.
Among other things, it was recommended that special attention be paid to street children, children from RE communities and unaccompanied minors in activities to combat child begging and child marriage.
In Montenegro, there is currently one service provider that has a license to perform social and child protection activities for accommodation in a shelter (in Bijela), and there are three licensed service providers to provide the SOS telephone service. By 2024, the strategy foresees a 100 percent increase in the number of service providers in the field of social and child protection that have a license to perform that activity.
The total estimated costs for the implementation of the Strategy for the fight against human trafficking for the entire period of its implementation from 2019 to 2024 amount to about 1.085.000 euros, according to the document. The budget for the implementation of the Strategy will be provided from the state budget and international donors and pre-accession IPA funds.
Five convictions for human trafficking in six years
According to the data of the Police Administration, in the period from 2012 to 2018, a total of 15 investigations were conducted for the criminal offense of human trafficking.
Two investigations were conducted in 2012, three in 2013, four in 2014, one investigation each in 2016 and 2017, while three investigations were conducted in 2018.
Out of 15 investigations, only five criminal charges were filed for that crime. One criminal complaint was filed in 2012, and two criminal charges were filed in 2014 and 2018.
"It is important to note that one criminal report filed by the Police Administration for rape in 2017 was requalified by the prosecution and an indictment was filed for human trafficking," writes the Strategy.
Based on the reports filed in the reporting period, the Prosecutor's Office filed three indictments, one each in 2013, 2014 and 2017.
Competent courts issued a total of five final verdicts for the criminal offense of human trafficking, and the sentences ranged from two to six years and 10 months in prison.
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