How to meet the challenges posed by the growing use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) for the recruitment, control and exploitation of victims of human trafficking? More than 60 national and regional experts met at a two-day conference in Sarajevo on 2 and 3 October 2024 to discuss these challenges and exchange best practice. In particular, they examined the protection and sharing of digital evidence in cases of human trafficking, how use of ICTs can strengthen prevention of human trafficking and how to improve victims’ access to services. Discussions also focused on cooperation and partnerships between governments, tech-companies, financial institutions, and civil society.
"The widespread use of information and communication technology (ICT) in the recruitment, control and exploitation of victims of human trafficking - many of whom are children – poses a major challenge. However, tech tools can also be part of the solution, by helping law enforcement authorities to detect, investigate and prosecute human trafficking cases," stressed Bojana Urumova, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Sarajevo.
Stanislava Tanić, Head of the Department for Combating Human Trafficking and Illegal Immigration at the Bosnia and Herzegovina Ministry of Security, pointed out that increased use of the Internet has multiplied opportunities for traffickers who use social networks to recruit victims and gain their trust. "This is why it is crucial to educate the general public about the risks of the internet and ways of protection, so that they can safely use the internet and be able to recognise the signs of recruitment," explained Tanić.
"Given the increased number of ICT abuses used by traffickers in the recruitment and exploitation of victims, a comprehensive and effective joint response is necessary, from prevention campaigns, through proactive investigations and digital evidence collection. This requires better sharing of experiences and procedures between institutions and Council of Europe legal instruments," said Nenad Simić, National Coordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Ministry of the Interior of Republic of Serbia.
"The prevention of new forms of human trafficking facilitated by ICTs must also target the youth, in order to protect young people and children who are particularly vulnerable to this heinous crime," said Biljana Lalova, Head of the Anti-Trafficking Unit at the Ministry of the Interior of North Macedonia.
GRETA's third evaluation reports for Bosnia and Herzegovina (July 2022), Northern Macedonia (March 2023) and Serbia (June 2023) have highlighted the importance of taking measures to strengthen the criminal justice response to human trafficking, including taking proactive and prompt investigations and using all possible evidence, including special investigative measures and digital evidence.
The conference was organised within the framework of the Council of Europe project "Strengthening the fight against trafficking in Bosnia and Herzegovina" and the anti-trafficking projects in Serbia and Northern Macedonia, which are part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey" (phase III).
