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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Programme for helping victims of human trafficking to begin soon

Belgrade, 14 June 2006

Serbian Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Policy Slobodan Lalovic, Austrian Ambassador to Serbia Gerhard Jandl and coordinator of the project "Advisory Centre against Domestic Violence" Vesna Stanojevic signed today a donor agreement for implementation of the programme "Shelter for victims of human trafficking."

Speaking at a press conference at which the agreement was signed, Lalovic said that the Ministry will set aside €75,000 for the project Shelter 3 whose total value is €289,000 and which will be implemented over the next three years.

He said that the Austrian government, through its development agency, is financing the implementation of the project "Shelter for victims of human trafficking" for a third time in a row.

Lalovic said that human trafficking is an international problem and that its solution in Serbia calls for raising public awareness of this phenomenon.

The Minister warned that Serbia is no longer only a transit country as in previous years, but it has also become the country of origin and destination.

He recalled that in October 2004, at the initiative of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Policy, a council for the fight against human trafficking was formed, adding that a strategy to fight the trafficking of people is currently being prepared.

The Minister thanked the Austrian government on the assistance offered to Serbia in this and many other fields.

Jandl said that the fight against human trafficking is one of the priorities of Austria's foreign policy in the Balkans and for that reason, Austria will set aside €5 million to that end through its agency.

Stanojevic reminded the public that the Shelter for victims of human trafficking has been working since 2002 with the help of the Austrian government, but this is the first time that the agreement has been signed directly and that the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Policy takes part in the project's financing.

She said that 208 women and girls have been given shelter, of that number 69 are citizens of Serbia and Montenegro.

Stanojevic pointed to the alarming fact that last year the greatest number of women and girls in the shelter were from Moldavia, Ukraine and Russia, but the number of girls from Serbia and Montenegro is increasing. She added that it is very important that the state has taken part in the resolution of this problem.