To mark the European Anti-trafficking Day, the XVI Annual Symposium of Prosecutors of Bosnia and Herzegovina (17 – 19 October 2023) held a panel on "Trafficking in human beings as a form of gender-based violence” The panel was co-organised by the Council of Europe Office in BiH, the OSCE Mission to BiH, Atlantic Initiative BiH and International Forum of Solidarity-EMMAUS in cooperation with the Centres for Judicial and Prosecutorial Training of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, and the Association of Prosecutors of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
25 legal experts from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region focused on important topics such as gender-sensitive approaches in the fight against human trafficking and access to justice and remedies for women victims of violence and human trafficking. The symposium and the panel provided the participants with insight in the present state in these fields and enabled exchange of experiences.
A trial simulation took place and was led by Sena Uzunović, Judge at the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Ahmed Mešić, Prosecutor at the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The participants considered the study “Promoting gender equality and combating gender-based violence and stereotypes as means of combating trafficking in human beings”, according to which, gender-based discrimination and violence are deeply rooted in cultural norms and patriarchal attitudes that normalize such violence and make women more vulnerable to human trafficking.
Sena Uzunović said that “Trafficking in human beings is a complex crime with many gender-related aspects and challenges that prevent accountability from the traffickers and justice for the victims. This panel participants is an opportunity to learn how to overcome these challenges.”
Panel on trafficking in human beings is supported by the Council of Europe anti-trafficking project “Strengthening anti-trafficking action in Bosnia and Herzegovina” funded by the voluntary contributions in the framework of the Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina (2022-2025).
