Gender-sensitive approach in protection provision to trafficking victims was in the focus of the webinar organised with the members of the of the Roma Community Action Groups with the support of local NGO-s.
“The basic human rights of the trafficking victims are violated with no remorse. Prevention and early detection of potential trafficking victims are the key to successful fight against human trafficking” – explains Biljana Jovanovska, from the NGO Open Gate-La Strada, which manages the Centre for Victims of Trafficking and of Gender-based Violence during the webinar organised with the members of the Roma Community Action Groups. Maja Atanasova, from the partner NGO “Macedonian Association of Young Lawyers stressed that: “Gender inequality directly contributes to women becoming victims of human trafficking, mainly because of their dependency on the male figure in the family, the impossibility to earn a living and the obligation to care for the family”. During the webinar, the participants had the opportunity to discuss key aspects of the gender perspective and gender-sensitive approach towards protection provision to victims of trafficking.
The participants were the members of the Community Action groups and facilitators within the ROMACTED Programme working in the 15 Municipalities in North Macedonia. They noted that Roma community faces high risks concerning trafficking , because of the poverty, which constitutes one of the main reasons for falling prey to human trafficking.
The participants increased their knowledge regarding the concept of human trafficking and the significance of gender perspective in the trafficking context, as well as regarding the service provision based on the gender needs of trafficking victims. They also discussed different types of exploitation affecting more women or men, as well as victims’ and traffickers’ profiles seen from gender perspective. The participants asked for more anti-trafficking activities and projects in order to raise awareness about the perils of human trafficking for the Roma community.
The webinar was organised by the action “Preventing and Combating Human Trafficking in North Macedonia”, in the framework of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”, in cooperation with the ROMACTED Programme phase II- “Promoting-good-governance-and-roma-empowerment-at-local-level”.
