Case study on the violation of the right to privacy and data confidentiality of children victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation in Serbia

In July 2021, Atina – Citizens’ Association for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and All Forms of Gender Based Violence published a case study on the violation of the right to privacy and data confidentiality of children victims of human trafficking and sexual exploitation in Serbia, titled “Mankind owes to the child the best that it has to give”. The study was created in partnership with organizations Partners Serbia, SHARE Foundation, A11 Initiative, Association “Da se zna!”, and Belgrade Open School within the project “Reclaiming Privacy: A Tool to Fight Oppression“, with the support of the European Union.

This study was created out of the need to present the challenges faced by children victims of human trafficking and sexual abuse in Serbia, when their legally guaranteed rights to privacy and confidentiality of data are being violated. It represents a cross-section of the current situation in practice, with constant repeating of harmful actions such as leakage of information from competent institutions, as well as publishing the identities of minor victims of human trafficking and sexual abuse to the general public through the media. As such, the study calls for, and reminds of, the importance of preserving the integrity of the child's personality, as well as the fact that children who have experienced violence must never be left without timely, adequate, criminal justice, family legal, and social protection from violence as well as from secondary victimization.

The study is intended for the interested and professional public, i.e. to all those who deal with the protection of personal data, protection of the rights of the child, protection of victims of human trafficking and sexual abuse in Serbia and beyond. It can also be a valuable read for understanding this topic, and used in the work by actors at the national and local level, civil society organizations, private sector, the media, academia, and others. The study itself was created with the best intention to remind professionals in Serbia that they are obliged to fully apply the existing laws, and enable children victims of sexual violence to recover from trauma as painlessly as possible, and reach successful and functional reintegration.