There is little talk about human trafficking in Kosovo, and every piece of information can be of great importance, say representatives of international organizations and NGOs in Kosovo.
In the organization of UNDP, a conference was held on “Prevention of trafficking in Kosovo and challenges in the integration of victims of trafficking,” in Gracanica.
UNDP officer Vesa Rezniqi said at the conference more should be done to solve the problem of trafficking, adding that according to data, the number of victims in Kosovo is similar to previous years.
“The number of victims of trafficking in Kosovo is the same as last year, and the average is around 50. What is worrying is the fact that the victims of trafficking are mainly from Kosovo, as the number of persons from abroad is less compared to last year,” said Rezniqi.
She urged people to report to the police or the national helpline on 0800 11 112 if they have any information.
President of the NGO “Avenue” from Laplje Selo Gordana Djorić said that the whole society must be involved in solving this problem. As she pointed out, in this way awareness among people would be raised that trafficking is a major problem that together must be solved.
“Only the information conveyed in the right place at the right time can mean a lot. We as a society need to change our consciousness. It should not be a disgrace to the family, we need to come to grips with this serious problem and through competent institutions appeal and respond in the right way, so that we can stop this great evil,” said Djuric.
Head of Department for investigation of trafficking in Kosovo Police Ramadan Ahmeti stressed that trafficking victims mostly are people younger than 17 years, adding that this phenomenon does not bypass other members of society.
The reason for the conference was marking of the 8th March, International Women’s Day, to raise awareness of non-governmental organizations on the issue of human trafficking. The event was organized in collaboration with the organizations ‘Hand to Hand’ and ‘Avenue’, as well as a network of NGOs from the Roma community.
The conference is part of the “Initiative for the safety of women” of the Secretariat of the National Anti- trafficking at the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo.
