Joint meeting on anti-trafficking projects in Croatia

ZAGREB, 28 November 2000 - The OSCE Mission to Croatia and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) jointly hosted a roundtable meeting today on trafficking in human beings. As a result, a working body on trafficking in Croatia was established, composed of four working groups in the areas of legislation, law enforcement, prevention as well as assistance and protection. Croatian Government and Parliament representatives intend to take an active role in the established working groups.

This was the first time when the international community, the Croatian government and parliament, and NGOs met to discuss trafficking in human beings. Commenting on the importance of the issue, Ambassador Hans-Dieter Steinbach, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission, pointed out that trafficking in human beings was much more than just the illegal crossing of borders. Rather, the act of trafficking was a form of modern day slavery, distinct from alien smuggling and simple illegal migration.

Dr. Helga Conrad, Chairman of the Stability Pact Task Force on Trafficking in Human Beings, stressed that national governments should have their own plan of action in order to effectively cooperate across the border.

Although the extent of the problem in Croatia is still unknown, all agreed about the urgency of establishing a national action plan to address the issue of trafficking in human beings.

Participants to the meeting included representatives of the Parliament of Croatia, Mirjana Feric-Vac, Head of the Croatian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly to the Council of Europe, and Ingrid Anticevic Marinovic, President of the Parliamentary Committee for Legislation in the Sabor. Assistant Minister of Justice Lidija Lukina-Karajkovic, and representatives from the Ministry of Interior and Foreign Affairs also attended the meeting. NGOs as well as embassies took active part in the roundtable.

Addressing the specific issue of trafficking in women for the purposes of prostitution, Croatian member of Parliament Feric-Vac stated: "There is a dire need for local authorities and governments to step in and prevent the re-victimization of women" alluding to the unacceptable situation whereby trafficked women are still not provided with adequate protection and repatriation assistance.

For more information, please contact OSCE Spokesperson, Alessandro Fracassetti, OSCE Mission to Croatia, tel.: +385 1 3096 620, fax: + 385 1 3096 297, e-mail: alessandro.fracassetti@oscecro.org; www.osce.org/croatia