Bujanovac High School Students Against Human Trafficking

Bujanovac, February 25, 2025—Students from the "Sveti Sava" and "Sezai Suroi" high schools in Bujanovac performed a theatrical performance today in the town square, aiming to raise awareness about human trafficking and provide support to victims in Serbia.

This event is part of a joint project called "Bridge – a Step Forward in Protecting Women and Girls Victims of Violence in Kosovo* and Serbia," implemented by the NGO "Atina" in cooperation with the PVPT organization from Pristina, supported by the "Beyond" association from Bujanovac, and funded by the European Union (EU). For 22 years, the "Atina" association has been fighting against human trafficking and providing support to victims in Serbia.

"Human trafficking is a crime against humanity, and it must be prevented. It is important to recognize the risks and protect ourselves and others." These are the messages Bujanovac high school students conveyed about their performance, which they presented on Monday in the town square.

According to Bojana Nakić from the "Atina" association, the students identified these issues as extremely important and discussed them with the local citizens.

"Our symbolism during the campaign is the blue heart on the t-shirts, symbolizing the fight against human trafficking. Such activities are vital because talking to children about these issues is crucial, especially since this is a multi-ethnic area. Various linguistic and religious communities are present. It’s important that they understand the problem, recognize risks and risky situations, learn how to react, and protect themselves first and foremost, and then others around them," says Nakić.

"The project’s goal is to strengthen cooperation in the field of protecting human trafficking victims, with a special focus on women and girls. The event will involve students from the 'Sveti Sava' and 'Sezai Suroi' high schools, who will perform a theatrical performance showcasing various forms of human trafficking. The students will also distribute flyers and record messages on important topics related to this issue, in both Serbian and Albanian," say the organizers.

This project aims to improve the quality of life for victims of human trafficking and gender-based violence and strengthen the capacity of organizations working in this area. Through study visits, training, and promotional activities, the project focuses on connecting actors from Kosovo and Serbia and aims to improve cooperation in victim protection.

"Through this project, the network of organizations working in this field is strengthened, enabling more efficient exchange of information and resources and better protection and support for victims. The project also aims to contribute to normalizing relations between actors from Kosovo and Serbia, focusing on concrete help and support for victims," added the organizers.