Human trafficking in Bosnia and Herzegovina

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NGO's report that traffickers frequently use intermediaries to bring clients to private apartments, motels, and gas stations where victims are held.[1]

The Government of Bosnia fully complies with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. The government made clear progress in its anti-trafficking

NGO service providers which it funded.[1]

The

U.S. State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons placed the country in "Tier 2" in 2017.[2] Although the government claimed compliance, the report noted the inability to fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but that it is making significant efforts to do so.[3]

Prosecution

The

labor exploitation through Article 186 of its criminal code, which prescribes penalties of up to 10 years’ imprisonment. These penalties are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape
. The government amended its criminal code in 2009, setting a three-year minimum sentence for trafficking and increasing the minimum penalty for officials involved in trafficking. The national government successfully prosecuted a landmark trafficking case involving a high-level trafficker in 2009, sentencing the ringleader to 12 years in prison, fining him $14,286, and ordering the forfeiture of over $204,600 in assets.

In 2009, the national government investigated 14 suspected trafficking cases, and local authorities investigated 21 such cases. The national government

prosecuted three cases involving 12 suspected trafficking offenders in 2009, and convicted 11 trafficking offenders; sentences for 11 convicted traffickers in two cases ranged from five months to 12 years’ imprisonment. Six of these sentences were over three years in length, and one suspect was acquitted. Courts in the Federation prosecuted seven cases, convicted 11 traffickers, and sentenced nine of them to one to three years. Finally, in the Republika Srpska, authorities reportedly prosecuted nine trafficking cases and convicted five trafficking offenders, resulting in sentences ranging from one to two years. State and local-level courts suspended sentences for two convicted traffickers in 2009, a notable decrease from 14 suspended sentences in 2008.[1]

Under Bosnian

government officials for trafficking-related complicity.[1]

Prosecution is crucial in addressing the human trafficking problem in Bosnia and Herzegovina because, without it, the problem degenerates to a cycle. In this condition, the victims gets repatriated to their home countries only to be retrafficked, creating what some calls as repatriation factory.[4]

Protection

The Government of Bosnia made progress in identifying and protecting victims of trafficking in 2009. The government continued to provide sufficient funding to six local NGOs that provided shelter and

Organized Crime Division, reported witness protection in Bosnia remained inadequate.[1]

The government provided legal alternatives to the removal of foreign trafficking victims to countries where they face hardship or retribution through the provision of short- and long-term

visas. The government ensured that identified victims were not penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of their being trafficked; however, unidentified victims were likely inadvertently deported or occasionally prosecuted for immigration or other violations. The government failed to protect the confidentiality of an alleged underage sex trafficking victim during the reporting period by allowing some media to disclose her full name and photo. While the government reported that authorities referred the victim to one of its shelters for care, the disclosure of her identity likely hampered the government's ability to adequately protect her.[1]

Prevention

Prevention initiatives undertaken by the government is based on the implementation of the 2016-2019 national anti-trafficking plan, which prescribed specific efforts to identify trafficking incidents and the protection of victims in cooperation with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and NGOs.[2] For instance, the Office of the State Coordinator coordinates and supervises an NGO-funded comprehensive campaign targeted at young people seeking employment abroad that includes TV spots, billboards, and pamphlets. The government continued to fund an NGO's operation of an anti-trafficking hotline in 2009. The partnership with the OSCE also involved the training of prosecutors and judges to augment practical and theoretical knowledge on the elements of human trafficking as a crime as well as their role in addressing issues of victim and witness support within the judicial system. OSCE, for its part, is focused on working with domestic institutions and international partners to enhance the legislative and policy framework for human trafficking in the country.[5]

The Bosnia and Herzegovina government is also continuing to give specialized trafficking awareness training to

commercial sex acts or forced labor.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "Trafficking in Persons Report 2010 Country Narratives -- Countries A Through F". 2010-06-17. Archived from the original on 2010-06-17. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
  2. ^ a b "Trafficking in Persons Report 2017: Tier Placements". US Department of State. Archived from the original on 2017-06-28. Retrieved 2017-12-01. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ "Bosnia and Herzegovina". U.S. Department of State. Archived from the original on 2017-07-03. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  4. ^ Vulliamy, Ed (2012-01-15). "Has the UN learned lessons of Bosnian sex slavery revealed in Rachel Weisz film?". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
  5. osce.org
    . Retrieved 2018-08-22.
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