The Council of Europe and the European Union initiated a €700,000 project titled “Prevention in the fight against human trafficking in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” in support of Bosnia's authorities through the improvement of measures in the fight against human trafficking and protection of victims.

The project is implemented within the EU and Council of Europe's joint project “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey II,” whose aim is to assist south-east European beneficiaries and their harmonisation with European standards.

Head of the Council of Europe Office in Bosnia, Ambassador Drahoslav Stefanek, said that in most cases, Bosnia is the country of origin of victims of trafficking, not the country of destination.

“We will focus on two basic issues. The first is the labour exploitation of victims of human trafficking in Bosnia, but also of people from Bosnia who are taken abroad for these purposes. Another area is the trafficking in children and minors. There is a Council of Europe Convention on Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Human Beings, and it has been ratified by 46 countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Stefanek.

This is a three-year project which will be implemented by May 2022.