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Start of Project Balkans ACT (Against Crime of Trafficking) Now-II

logo Balkans act now

In 2015-2016 La Strada International was a partner in the second phase of the project Balkans ACT (Against Crime of Trafficking) Now! The project is implemented by ASTRA (Serbia), Open Gate/La Strada MacedoniaEmmaus (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and the Women’s Rights Centre (Montenegro) and funded by the Instrument for Preaccession Assistance (IPA) of the European Union.

The project aimed to contribute to the democratisation and EU integration processes in the Western Balkans through improving civil activism environment, capacity, commitment and influence of civil society networks in the debate on human rights and the rule of law related to the issue of organised crime, specifically human trafficking. The specific objectives of the project were:
1. To evaluate and present to the public the current practices within the justice sector regarding treatment of victims of human trafficking and related mechanisms and procedures.
2. To develop and advocate new policy proposals for self-sustainable and effective compensation mechanism for the victims of human trafficking and other violent crimes in targeted states.

The planned activities were:

  • Monitoring national anti-trafficking policies in targeted IPA countries based on specifically designed monitoring tool.
  • Producing and presenting Regional Report on Trafficking in Human Beings based on the findings of the monitoring process.
  • Producing policy proposals and feasibility studies for compensation funds for victims of human trafficking/crime in targeted IPA countries.
  • Working groups for developing policy proposals for establishing state compensation fund in all targeted states.
  • Strategic litigation of trafficking cases.
  • Anti-trafficking media campaign.

The expected results of this two-year project were:

  • Efficient CSO monitoring tool specifically designed to enable insights into justice sector policies towards the victims of human trafficking and related anti-trafficking mechanisms and procedures in targeted states, adjusted and put to use;
  • Key challenges in the domain of combating human trafficking in all targeted states identified and policy recommendations for change formulated, communicated and advocated;
  • Feasibility studies on state compensation funds conducted and policy proposals for establishing state compensation mechanisms drafted and presented to the public in the targeted states;
  • Citizens of the targeted states aware of the relevance of anti-trafficking activities and invited to support the policy changes in this domain.