Impact of COVID-19 on labor exploitation of migrants at Europe’s farmlands

1. Victims must be informed of all their rights and informed in a timely manner of all services and the functioning of the entire support mechanism and the clear mandates of all actors involved, in a way that is clear and understandable to them.
2. It is necessary to establish the entire support mechanism on the needs of the victim and respect the full participation of the victim, for the support system to be centered on the victim, to move from "work for the victim" to "work with the victim". Not only to be asked but also to be heard.

Photograph: Piroshki Photography

The arrest of a Center for Social Work employee from Vranje, who tried to assist an Albanian citizen in adopting a girl from Serbia with falsified documents, once again drew public attention to an increasing number of cases of human trafficking in Serbia. According to Jelena Hrnjak from Citizens Association Atina for combating human trafficking, 60 percent of human trafficking victims in Serbia are children.

When faced with any crisis, fear and anxiety are inevitable, they are normal and natural responses to situations of danger and uncertainty. It is quite easy to get lost in worrying and thinking about different things that we cannot influence, what awaits us in the future, how the virus will affect our loved ones, our community, country or world, what will happen next. And while it is perfectly normal to get lost in such worries and thoughts it is neither useful nor can it help us in any way.

“An arrest for human trafficking and mediation in prostitution” - not a month goes by without newspaper columns being filled with articles about the exploitation of people, workers, women for the purpose of human trafficking. “Blic” has been exploring this phenomenon, who the most common victims are, but also how we can deal with it as a society.

Working for almost two decades on developing direct support programs for girls and women who have experienced gender-based violence and human trafficking, the key principle that Atina's team is guided by in its work is the principle of full and comprehensive participation. Atina's basic starting point is to create program activities according to the requirements and needs of each girl and woman who is a part of her.

(Budikarakter.rs, photo: Dragan Todorović)

Jelena Hrnjak: Human Trafficking Victims are the Bravest Women of All

Some of the bravest women and girls I have ever met were human trafficking victims. Those were the women who boldly stood in a courtroom and put traffickers in their place, resisting the system that crucified them with social attitudes and expectations. That boldness and bravery is what drives me, and should drive us all.  

Photo: NGO Atina's archive

Lidija Đorđević from NGO Atina: The voices of women with the experience of violence need to be heard and appreciated. It makes a difference and brings about change.

Terms of Reference for a Consultant for mapping services of social protection and local referral pathways 

Project “From Harm to Safety: Improving the Protection of Victims of Trafficking (VoTs) in Serbia” is carried out by NGO Atina and International Rescue Committee (IRC) with the support of the Government of the United States

Targeted Municipalities: Vranje, Subotica, Novi Sad, Niš, Sremska Mitrovica, Kragujevac, and Kraljevo

Published on December 13, 2019