Montenegro regressed, while Serbia and Kosovo maintained the same position, it was stated in the State Department’s annual Report on Human Trafficking in the World. Some of the Report details were presented in the US capital on Wednesday by Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Montenegro remained in category two – but Montenegro, as well as Serbia, should monitor the situation additionally, the report stated.
It was specified that the Montenegrin authorities did not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking, but that they were making significant efforts to do so.
“Efforts included criminal prosecution of several defendants and identification of victims of human trafficking. The government adopted the 2022 National Action Plan, while the coordinating bodies were meeting consistently. However, the government did not show greater overall efforts compared to the previous report”, the text stated.
It was stated that not a single human trafficker was convicted, while at the same time the police office that dealt with the investigations of those cases was reorganized, which reduced the ability to manage the cases.
It was also pointed out that the authorities did not react quickly enough and protect the victims – since experts published credible allegations of abuse committed by a person who was one of the managers of a shelter for victims of human trafficking, the work of which is financed by the Montenegrin authorities.
“After accusations that included physical violence against the victim, intimidation and blackmail – civil society and international organizations stopped referring victims to that shelter. While the state prosecutor’s office launched an investigation against the employee of the shelter, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare did not suspend the shelter’s license and funding,” the report stated.
According to the Report, the financing was terminated upon the expiration of the agreement on the approval of funds in December 2022. Then the renovation of the aforementioned shelter for children victims of human trafficking began, but the residents were not provided with alternative accommodation – or specialized help – which directly affected the decline of Montenegro in this regard.
The US Government believes that it is important to establish and provide protection for victims in Montenegro, including specialized housing, assistance and support for child and adult victims of human trafficking.
