Trafficking in Human Beings in Southeastern Europe - Iom

Trafficking in Human Beingsin Southeastern Europe2.2. Roles of government, international organisations andNGOsThe FRY government appointed a National Co-ordinator on Trafficking and aCo-ordinator for the Stability Pact Task Force and convenes working groups ontrafficking. According to the government, the priority issues related to traffickingare in the field of law enforcement - actions against and prosecution of thetraffickers, and collection and processing of reliable data. Although traffickinghas been put on the government agenda, it is rather a low priority and raisingof awareness and services fall to the international organisations, and to theNGO sector which receives no state support. Co-operation between governmentand NGOs is very weak.Republic ofSerbia(excludingKosovo)Before 2001, there were no international agencies working on the issue oftrafficking in Serbia. Following the Federal elections at the end of 2000, OSCEestablished a mission in FRY and took a lead in putting trafficking on the government’sagenda, as well as supporting co-ordination and providing expertise.OSCE has appointed a full time trafficking expert and has developed verygood co-operation with governmental institutions and NGOs. In December2001 OSCE organised a round table in Bujanovac, a meeting of the FRY teamto combat human trafficking, chaired by the Assistant Federal Minister of theInterior. The team was charged with developing and implementing projectsaimed not only at preventing trafficking but also at protecting the victims andprosecuting the traffickers. The roundtable was also an opportunity to presentstrategies for the promotion of local initiatives. IOM is managing shelters fortrafficked persons as part of its return and reintegration programme.Participants in the NGO sector in Serbia have had a very different experience totheir colleagues and counterparts in other parts of the region. Many countriesin the region experienced the injection of large amounts of money into civil societyactivities. Whilst this led to a flourishing NGO sector, it also led to the establishmentof many weak organisations. As the level of support and resourcesdeclined, so did the number of organisations that were able to survive.This has not been the experience in Serbia. While limited resources have hada constraining influence on NGOs’ capacity and ability to scale up activities, ithas also meant organisations have developed sustainable and creative workwith limited amounts of money and support. They have also been less subjectto donors’ agendas and have been able to remain true to their mandates.NGOs in Serbia have also had to operate in a hostile environment with theiractivities coming under increasing scrutiny and pressure from the government.As isolation from the international community increased, so did theintimidation NGOs experienced and to continue working in this environmentrequired courage and commitment.There are a number of women’s organisations in Serbia that have beenaddressing the problems surrounding violence against women, such as sexualassault and domestic violence, for many years. They have also been veryprominent in anti-war, anti-conscription and peace activism. Such has beenthe power of some of the initiatives started by these organisations that wehave seen them develop into international campaigns, such as the Women inBlack. They have established programmes to support victims of violence, setup SOS hotlines and shelters for abused women, and have networked withother organisations in the region. Despite lack of state support and relianceon outside donors for funding, local NGOs have managed to remain independentand self-sustaining for many years.81