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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbia clearly determined to clamp down on human trafficking

Belgrade, 19 October 2009

First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic and European Commission Ambassador to Serbia Vincent Degert opened an exhibition of children’s works themed “Modern Slavery” at the National Bank of Serbia yesterday, marking the European Day against Trafficking in Human Beings.

Author: Tanjug

At the opening Dacic said that the task of the entire democratic society is to fight this occurrence, adding that the goal of the exhibition is to point out the Serbian government’s clear determination to clamp down on this kind of trafficking and warn everyone of its dangers, especially the young.

He said that preventive actions are also necessary to halt trafficking in human beings, particularly in women and children.

Dacic noted that the Ministry of the Interior has established a police mechanism to suppress this kind of trafficking, adding that it also initiated cooperation with other state organs and proposed amendments to the Criminal Code in line with democratic standards.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that these criminal acts deeply affect the victims since they are usually young women and children.

He recalled the series of activities the Serbian government undertook in the past three years, since Europe began marking the Day against Trafficking in Human Beings, adding that it also issued a special postage stamp whose sale secured funds for assistance to the victims of trafficking.

Dacic said that the police and his Ministry will continue doing their job, but noted that in order to fight this modern type of slavery efficiently we must all be aware of the horrors the victims go through.

Degert stressed that the motive for marking this day is no tolerance for criminals and full support to victims.

He recalled that the European Day against Trafficking in Human Beings was first marked in 2007 at the initiative of the European Commission Vice Chairman Franco Frattini.

Serbia responded well to the initiative through the efforts of the Ministry of the Interior and by duly informing potential victims, especially children, the Ambassador said.

The goal of the initiative is to provide full support to victims and the respect of human rights and human dignity, which also brought about the creation of organs for support to victims within the EU, he noted.

Degert also pointed to the necessity of acting at various levels of responsibility in order to prevent human trafficking because criminals can use our every weakness or lack of attention.

Representatives of the diplomatic crops and members of the Serbian Team for the Fight against Trafficking in Human Beings also attended the exhibition.