A new report on Croatia from the Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) focuses on victim access to justice and effective remedies. GRETA acknowledges steps taken, since its previous report on Croatia was published in 2016, to develop the legislative and policy framework relevant to action against trafficking in human beings. Some of the earlier recommendations made by GRETA have been implemented, such as including the Labour Inspectorate in the National Committee for Combating Human Trafficking and its Operational Team, and raising awareness of child trafficking risks.
However, GRETA notes with concern that not all complaints about possible human trafficking offences are taken seriously by the police and urges the Croatian authorities to ensure that human trafficking offences are promptly investigated, leading to effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions. The plea-bargaining procedure should be used only exceptionally in human trafficking cases, subject to appropriate safeguards.
The report refers to the 25 June 2020 decision of the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of S.M. v. Croatia, which upheld the applicant’s complaint of a lack of an adequate response by the authorities to allegations that she had been pressured into prostitution. The Court determined that the authorities had neither investigated all circumstances, nor made any assessment of the possible impact of psychological trauma on the applicant’s ability to clearly explain exploitation. Furthermore, the applicant was not provided appropriate assistance and support to alleviate her fear and pressure that she had felt whilst testifying against the perpetrator, a former police officer.
GRETA urges the Croatian authorities to build the awareness of all actors in the criminal justice system on how to avoid the re-victimisation and stigmatisation of victims of trafficking, and to avoid repeated and lengthy questioning of victims of trafficking.
Croatia is a country of origin, destination and transit of victims of human trafficking. Statistics from the Ministry of the Interior indicate that the number of identified victims was 38 in 2015, 30 in 2016, 29 in 2017, 76 in 2018 and 27 in 2019 (a total of 200). Over half of the victims were women, and one quarter were children. Trafficking for sexual exploitation of women and girls continues to be the main form of exploitation in Croatia, but the report notes an increase in trafficking for labour exploitation, which concerns mostly men. The number of foreign victims has increased over the years, totalling 86 for the period 2015-2019.
