NGO Atina is spotlighted in the latest edition of the 23rd quarterly Newsletter on the fight against human trafficking in Southeast Europe, which covers the period from January to March.

Photograph: Vesti Online

Jelena Hrnjak, Programme Manager of Citizens’ Association for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and All Forms of Gender-Based Violence Atina, points out that the greatest challenge lies in the fact that this position of victims before the court depends on judicial discretion. That is, whether a person has the status of a particularly sensitive witness that can provide them with a lower degree of stress and secondary victimization, depends solely on the judge's decision.

Based on the public call and Working procedures, a committee made up of representatives of the Office for Cooperation with Civil Society and the Office for the Coordination of Activities in Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, within the Police Directorate of Ministry of the Interior, reached a final decision on the selection of civil society organizations to take part in the process of monitoring, reporting, and evaluating the implementation of the Strategy for Prevention and Suppression of Trafficking in Human Beings, Especially Women and Children, and Protection of Victims 2017-2022.