The Office of the National Coordinator against Trafficking in Human Beings today organized a conference to mark the EU Day Against Human Trafficking. Although there are efforts in combating trafficking in human beings, yet much remains to be done in this regard. The United States Ambassador to Kosovo, Greg Delawie, said that Kosovo is making significant efforts in combating this crime, but there is still much work to be done in order to meet international standards for eliminating trafficking.

Over 26,000 families or more than 100,000 people in Kosovo live on social welfare assistance and half of this figure includes children. Officials from Kosovo’s Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare said that the large number of people on social assistance costs millions of euros and that they also need partners’ help in decreasing the poverty level in Kosovo.

The Coalition of NGOs for Child Protection in Kosovo – KOMF, through a press release issued today said that 61.4 % of children in Kosovo suffer from psychological violence and physical punishment. “The data show a high degree of violence committed against children. According to the Kosovo Statistics Agency, 61.4% of surveyed children up to age 14 stated that they had suffered psychological violence and/or physical punishment by members of the family over the last month from the date of the interview.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Cultural Right, Karima Bennoune, who is currently visiting Kosovo, held a series of meetings with government officials, civil society and international representatives in Kosovo. However, a press conference called for Wednesday did not happen because her visit to Kosovo has not yet ended. She addressed the media only with an informal conversation and did not allow them to record her statement.

Kosovo Assembly today approved a six-point Resolution through which it called for the immediate release of the Kosovo Police regional director, Nehat Thaci, who was arrested several days ago by Serbian authorities. The Resolution also stresses that any communication of the Kosovo government for the arrest of Mr. Thaci should be made through the Office of the EU High Representative, Federica Mogherini.

The government of Kosovo considers that Serbia’s reactions with regards to the Trepça Law are vain and pointless. To the authorities in Pristina, claims of the Prime Minister of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić that he will annul Pristina’s decisions related to Trepça, do not have any judicial or practical impact.

The Government of Serbia has announced that it has decided to annul all legal consequences of the Kosovo authorities’ actions related to Trepça status.

The Director of Kosovo Police for Mitrovica region, Nehat Thaçi (40 years old), rejected accusations of the Serbian Prosecution for organized crime and for being responsible for expelling a Serb family.

The Prosecution in Belgrade accused Thaçi to have expelled Milivojević family on 1 July 1999, near Lipjan/Ljipljane. He said that at that day he was in Fushë Kosovë/ Kosovo Polje.

The Presidency of the Assembly of Kosovo has decided during the today’s meeting to hold an extraordinary session on Tuesday. Serbia’s arrest of the Kosovo Police senior official, Nehat Thaçi, will be the only point of the agenda to be discussed at tomorrow’s Assembly’s session.

The session, initiated by the independent MP Gëzim Kelmendi, will start at 14:00 hours.

President of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolic, said in an interview for the Belgrade paper Kurir that they have made enough concessions to the Albanians in Kosovo and cannot afford to continue them by handing over telecommunication assets. “We cannot do this. Let someone else secure them the telecommunication and postal codes, they cannot touch our assets”, Nikolic is reported to have said.

The leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj and that of the Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) Fatmir Limaj held today a press conference at the AAK Headquarters.