VZCZCXYZ0005
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBW #0282/01 0531430
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 221428Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY BELGRADE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0827
INFO EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RUZEJAA/JAC MOLESWORTH RAF MOLESWORTH UK

UNCLAS BELGRADE 000282 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
DEPT FOR EUR/SCE (K. GARRY), G/TIP (L.PENA, J. DONNELLY) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC ELAB PHUM PREL SMIG KCRM KFRD KTIP KWMN SR
SUBJECT: SERBIA: ANNUAL TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT 
 
REF: A) STATE 2094; B) 09 BAKU 863; C) 07 BELGRADE 272 
D) BELGRADE 210; E) BELGRADE 90 
 
¶1.  Serbia's TIP Situation 
 
-------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶A. The office of the National Coordinator for Combating Trafficking 
in Persons and the Agency for Coordination of Protection of 
Trafficking Victims, as well as other government ministries and 
agencies, provide information about trafficking in persons.  In 
addition, the International Organization for Migration, the 
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and various 
NGOs provide information.  Information is generally reliable. 
 
 
 
¶B. Serbia is a country of origin, transit, and a destination for 
internationally and internally trafficked men, women, and children. 
The government's Agency for the Coordination of Protection of 
Victims of Trafficking recorded 127 trafficking victims in 2009. 
Of these, there were 104 females and 23 males; 59 were minors; 114 
were Serbian citizens and 13 were foreigners.  Trafficking victims 
were recruited from Serbia - 114, Macedonia - 1, Moldova - 1, 
Dominican Republic - 2, Albania - 1, Czech Republic - 1, Slovenia - 
1, Bosnia and Herzegovina - 2, Romania - 3, and Montenegro - 1. 
Men, women, and children are trafficked through, to, and within 
Serbia for the purpose of sexual and labor exploitation, forced 
marriage, begging, petty crime, and illegal adoption.  There were 
66 victims trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation, 18 
victims trafficked for the purpose of labor exploitation, 14 
victims trafficked for begging, 6 victims trafficked for forced 
marriage, 2 victims trafficked for petty crime, and 1 victim 
trafficked for illegal adoption.  There was a dramatic increase in 
the number of identified trafficking victims - over 110% - in 2009. 
Internal trafficking and trafficking in minors increased. 
Stakeholders believe the increase in identified victims is due to 
the combination of increased internal trafficking and greater 
awareness by officials other than border police. 
 
 
 
¶C. Victims were subjected to hard living and working conditions. 
Victims' documents were confiscated by traffickers.  Victims worked 
long hours, were denied access to health care, and minor victims 
were denied access to education. 
 
 
 
¶D. As in previous years, economic hardship, dysfunctional family 
situations, gender-based violence, ethnic background, and age 
continued to be the main factors determining vulnerability to 
trafficking.  Women and children were most at risk, with Romani 
children being more at risk of trafficking for begging, petty 
crime, and forced marriage. 
 
 
 
¶E. Traffickers tend to be part of small crime groups with 
international links.  They operate amid Serbia's black and gray 
markets, where it is not uncommon to deal with employers or 
recruiters making under-the-table deals promising travel and work 
opportunities.  In most cases, friends or family members take part 
in the trafficking scheme, facilitating contact between the 
traffickers and victims. 
 
 
 
¶2. The Government's Anti-TIP Efforts 
 
------------------------------------ 
 
 
 
¶A. The government acknowledges that trafficking is a problem in 
Serbia. 
 
¶B. There is a National Coordinator for Combating Trafficking in 
Persons, based in the Interior Ministry.  The Coordinator heads the 
Republic Team to Combat Trafficking in Persons, which includes 
representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Human and 
Minority Rights, Interior, Labor and Social Policy, Justice, 
Finance, Education and Sport, and Health, the government Council 
for Children's Rights, the Agency for Coordination of Protection of 
Trafficking Victims, the Supreme Court, and the Republic 
Prosecutor's office, as well as non-governmental and international 
organizations.  The Republic Team has four working groups on 
Trafficking in Children, Prevention and Education, Protection and 
Assistance, and Prosecution.  The Interior Minister leads the 
ministerial-level Council to Combat Trafficking in Persons, which 
sets government anti-trafficking policy. 
 
 
 
The Agency for Coordination of Protection of Trafficking Victims, 
based in the Labor and Social Policy Ministry, is responsible for 
victim identification, protection, and referral for assistance to 
state institutions or NGOs.  The Agency also cooperates with NGOs 
and international organizations that provide protection services. 
 
 
 
The organized crime police force includes a full-time 
anti-trafficking unit, and the border police force has a full-time 
office to combat trafficking and alien smuggling.  There are 
anti-trafficking units in the police stations of every town.  Some 
towns have special anti-trafficking teams that include police, 
prosecutors, social workers, and health workers, but they are not 
mandatory, and the teams exist only where local officials took the 
initiative to form them. 
 
 
 
¶C. Lack of resources for victim protection continues to be a 
problem in the current budget crisis.  The Agency for Coordination 
of Protection of Trafficking Victims has no budget beyond staff 
salaries.  NGOs that provide services to victims rely on a 
government fund generated from the government's sale of a special 
postage stamp in 2008 and funds from their donors; the stamp sale 
also funded Agency activities.  The government committed to 
providing funding in December 2009 to the two NGO-operated victim 
shelters when donor funding for both shelters ended and the 
shelters faced imminent closure.  The Interior Ministry also 
requested long-term funding of the shelters, as described in more 
detail below (para. 4C). 
 
 
 
¶D. The Ministry of Interior publishes information about 
anti-trafficking efforts on its website 
(http://www.mup.gov.rs/cms_cir/sadrzaj.nsf/tr govina-ljudima.h) and 
operates a hotline to collect trafficking in persons-related tips 
for law enforcement and victim information for the Agency for 
Coordination of Protection of Victims.  The Republic Team to Combat 
Trafficking in Persons meets quarterly and writes periodic reports 
on anti-trafficking efforts and activities. 
 
 
 
The National Coordinator for Combating Trafficking in Persons 
maintains a database designed to track trafficking cases from 
arrest through to sentencing; however, it currently only contains 
arrest and investigation data (see F, below).  The Justice Ministry 
in 2010 is piloting in courts in Zrenjanin new court software that 
will improve compilation and analysis of prosecution statistics, 
including trafficking prosecution; the ministry has plans to 
implement the new software in all courts by the end of 2012.  The 
National Coordinator and the Justice Ministry have begun 
discussions about integrating prosecution data into the National 
Coordinator's database.  The Agency for Coordination of Protection 
of Trafficking Victims maintains a separate database of identified 
victims. 
 
 
 
¶E. The government, in seeking durable solutions for displaced 
persons, has been working with UNHCR on adopting a law -- Procedure 
for Recognition of Legal Subjectivity -- to improve procedures for 
registering previously unregistered citizens and residents.  This 
is a work in progress that would benefit at-risk groups such as 
displaced persons and Roma.  The government, with UNHCR 
 
participation, has also established a working group to draft a new 
Law on Temporary and Permanent Residence. 
 
 
 
¶F.  As discussed in response 2D, the government is capable of 
gathering the data for an in-depth assessment of law enforcement 
efforts, although currently prosecution information is not 
automated and must be compiled by hand.  The new court software 
program will enable the Justice Ministry to automate data 
compilation and analysis.  In 2009, for the first time the Justice 
Ministry compiled detailed prosecution data.  The Interior Ministry 
already compiles data on investigations and criminal charges in its 
comprehensive trafficking database.  The biggest gap that remains 
is inclusion of prosecution and sentencing data in this database. 
Currently, this gap is worked around through informal exchange of 
information between the two ministries, but they are taking steps 
to formalize this exchange. 
 
 
 
¶3. Investigation and Prosecution of Traffickers 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
 
 
¶A. The 2006 Constitution identifies trafficking in persons and 
slavery as crimes.  Serbia's Criminal Code (August 2005) 
specifically prohibits trafficking in persons for both sexual and 
non-sexual exploitation, covers internal and external trafficking, 
and differentiates between trafficking in persons and human 
smuggling.  A separate article of the Criminal Code prohibits 
slavery.  Changes to the Criminal Code were adopted on August 31, 
2009, and provide for longer sentences for traffickers. 
 
 
 
¶B. The August 2009 changes to the Criminal Code introduced tougher 
sentences for trafficking in persons.  The penalty for the basic 
criminal act of trafficking in persons for both sexual and labor 
exploitation now ranges from 3 to 12 years in prison, from the 
previous 2 to 10.  The minimum penalty for trafficking in minors 
was increased to five years from the previous three.  If the act of 
trafficking resulted in death, the penalty is a minimum of 10 
years; if it involved serious physical injury, the penalty was 
increased to 5, from the previous minimum 3, to 15 years.  If there 
were multiple acts of trafficking or if perpetrated by a group, the 
penalty is a minimum of five years. 
 
 
 
The changes to the Criminal Code added penalties of six months to 
five years for individuals who know, or are in a position to know 
of a trafficking situation and exploit or facilitate exploitation 
of trafficking victims, for example, clients of prostitution or 
employees at establishments exploiting victims.  In the case of 
trafficked minors the minimum sentence for this offense is one to 
eight years imprisonment. 
 
 
 
The Criminal Code amendments eliminated for trafficking offenses 
the discretion judges formerly had to hand down sentences less than 
the prescribed minimum due to extraordinary circumstances. 
 
 
 
The August 2009 amendments also specified that even when 
trafficking victims consent to their conditions, activities defined 
in the Criminal Code as exploitation or enslavement are considered 
criminal acts.  The amendments introduced the criminal act of 
trafficking in persons committed by an organized criminal group, 
which is punishable by minimum 10 years. 
 
 
 
Also new, trafficking in minors up to 16 years of age for the 
purpose of illegal adoption is punishable by 1 to 5 years in 
prison.  Punishment for trafficking for illegal adoption by a group 
is punishable by a minimum of three years.  If committed by an 
organized criminal group, the minimum sentence is five years. 
 
As in previous years, the penalty for "slavery or a relationship 
similar to slavery" is 1 to 10 years in prison and includes anyone 
who buys, sells, or transfers the victim, anyone who helps in the 
purchase, sale, or transfer, and anyone who encourages a person to 
sell his or her freedom or the freedom of a dependent.  The 
punishment for transporting a person held as a slave from one 
country to another is six months to five years.  The penalty for 
any slavery offense against a minor is 5 to 15 years. 
 
 
 
¶C. The Criminal Code does not distinguish between trafficking for 
the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking for 
purpose of labor exploitation. These offenses are covered by a 
single trafficking in persons criminal act under Article 388, as 
described above. 
 
 
 
¶D. The August 2009 Criminal Code amendments increased the penalties 
for rape to 3 to 12 years in prison, from the previous 2 to 10 
years.  The penalty for sexual abuse was increased to 2 to 10 years 
from the previous 1 to 10. 
 
 
 
¶E. The government took legal actions against human trafficking 
offenders.  Article 388 of the Criminal Code was used to 
investigate, prosecute, and convict traffickers.  The National 
Coordinator for Combating Trafficking in Persons reported that 
there were 51 criminal charges filed against 93 individuals for 
trafficking crimes in 2009.  Of these, 33 criminal charges were 
filed for trafficking for sexual exploitation, and 9 criminal 
charges were filed for trafficking for labor exploitation. There 
were 5 criminal charges filed for trafficking for forced marriage; 
4 charges filed for trafficking for begging; and 2 criminal charges 
for petty crime.  In two instances criminal charges were filed for 
multiple types of exploitation. 
 
 
 
Of 51 criminal charges filed for trafficking in 2009, 13 are still 
in investigation, 18 are in ongoing criminal proceedings, 10 are 
pending, 3 were dropped, 1 was thrown out by the court, and in 2 
cases new charges for other offenses were filed.  Trials were 
completed in an additional four cases, as described below. 
 
 
 
There were 5 second instance sentences against 18 traffickers in 
¶2009. Sentences ranged from acquittal in the case of one individual 
to 10 years imprisonment.  Most of the sentences were in the range 
of 2 to 4 years in prison.  There were 10 first instance sentences 
against 24 traffickers in 2009.  Sentences ranged from acquittal in 
one case to six years' imprisonment.  Four of these sentences were 
actions based on criminal charges filed in 2009, which represents a 
decrease in the length of trafficking trials; previously nearly all 
trials took two to three years or more to complete. 
 
 
 
¶F. The government, mainly through programs sponsored by NGOs and 
international organizations, provides extensive training to police 
(including police academy students), prosecutors, judges, 
magistrates, social workers, labor inspectors, teachers, and other 
officials in how to recognize, investigate, and prosecute 
trafficking and identify victims and refer them for assistance. 
 
 
 
In June 2009, the Interior Ministry established a Working Group to 
Coordinate Implementation of the National Action Plan to Combat 
Trafficking 2009-2011. The Working Group is tasked with development 
of long-term educational plans and programs on trafficking in 
persons for members of police. 
 
 
 
¶G. According to the National Coordinator, the government continues 
to cooperate with bordering countries and other neighbors on 
anti-trafficking cases.  In November, the Interior and Justice 
Ministries, in cooperation with UNODC, held a regional workshop on 
international legal cooperation on trafficking in persons and 
 
migrant smuggling.  Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, 
Macedonia, Montenegro, Austria, Romania, and the European Union 
Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) took part in the workshop. 
 
 
 
The government does not cooperate directly with Kosovo's government 
on any issues, which impedes its efforts to combat trafficking 
because Kosovo is a major transit country on the Balkan Route from 
Eastern Europe and Central Asia.  The Interior Ministry, however, 
does have a cooperation agreement with EULEX, and the National 
Coordinator told us his office participated in the investigation of 
trafficking victims from Kosovo who drowned in the Tisza River on 
the Serbia-Hungary border in October 2009. 
 
 
 
¶H. Serbian law now permits the extradition of Serbian citizens. 
The National Assembly passed on March 18, 2009 a Law on 
International Legal Cooperation that permits extradition if there 
is an existing bilateral extradition treaty.  Serbia has begun the 
process of updating its 1902 treaty with the United States and is 
negotiating extradition agreements with several neighboring 
countries. 
 
 
 
¶I. There is no evidence of systematic government involvement in or 
tolerance of trafficking. 
 
 
 
¶J. The "Jet Set" trial, in which the Novi Pazar deputy public 
prosecutor was arrested and tried, concluded in August 2008.  On 
August 11, 2009, the Supreme Court confirmed on appeal the first 
instance sentence, finding Novi Pazar Deputy District Prosecutor 
Senad Palamar and other defendants guilty of abuse of public office 
and trafficking in persons.  Palamar's sentence - one year 
suspended with three years of probation - was confirmed.  Sentences 
for the two policemen for abuse of public office were also 
confirmed - one year suspended with three years of probation. 
 
 
 
¶K. During the year, the government deployed around 100 troops in 
international peacekeeping efforts.  There were no instances of 
troops being involved in trafficking while in peacekeeping 
missions. 
 
 
 
¶L. We are not aware of any child sex tourism or demand for child 
sex tourism in Serbia. 
 
 
 
¶4. Protection and Assistance to Victims 
 
--------------------------------------- 
 
 
 
¶A. The government has a witness/victim protection service and 
provides free access to social and medical care for both foreign 
and domestic trafficking victims.  The government partly funds NGOs 
that provide two shelters and legal, psychological, and 
reintegration services. 
 
 
 
¶B. Serbia has victim care facilities for foreign and domestic 
trafficking victims, operated by NGOs.  The NGO Counseling Center 
against Family Violence runs a shelter for foreign trafficking 
victims.  NGO Atina runs a shelter/transition house for domestic 
and foreign trafficking victims.  Both shelters are funded by 
foreign donors.  Foreign victims have the same access to care as 
national victims.  There are no specialized shelters for child 
trafficking victims.  Children are accommodated in both NGO-run 
shelters for women until foster care or other services are 
arranged.  There are no specialized shelters for men who are 
trafficking victims, but men have access to other government and 
NGO services. 
 
The NGO Astra runs a drop-in center that provides legal, medical, 
psychological, and other support.  The Victimology Society of 
Serbia has a victim support service that offers all victims of 
crime emotional support, provides information on their rights and 
on specialized services available in Belgrade, and refers victims 
to such service providers. 
 
 
 
¶C. By law and in practice, domestic and foreign victims of 
trafficking can receive free medical assistance in public clinics. 
NGOs provide victims shelter, medical treatment, psychological 
counseling, and reintegration assistance (see paragraph 4B).  The 
government funds the salaries of two full-time staff at the Agency 
for Coordination of Protection of Trafficking Victims 
(approximately $26,000 in 2009).  The government also provides 
grants to NGOs with the remaining proceeds of a special 
anti-trafficking postage stamp sold in January 2008.  These grants, 
worth approximately $17,000 in 2009, along with funds from 
international donors, fund the victim services provided by NGOs. 
The government also uses the stamp fund to fund travel for Agency 
staff and emergency support for victims, including immediate food, 
clothing, travel, and shelter needs. 
 
 
 
The National Anti-Trafficking Coordinator announced on December 16, 
2009, that the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry had allocated 3 
million dinars (approximately $45,000) to provide funding for 
direct victims' assistance through the reintegration shelters for 
¶2010.  The Interior Minister sent an official request to the 
Finance Minister to allocate an additional 60,000 EUR ($86,000) 
from budgetary reserves for longer-term funding of the two 
shelters. 
 
 
 
¶D. Foreign victims are entitled to the same services that domestic 
victims receive, including free medical care.  The government 
provides temporary residence permits for foreign victims of 
trafficking free of charge, upon recommendation of the Agency for 
Coordination of Protection of Trafficking Victims.  Permits are 
typically issued for an initial period of three to six months, up 
to one year.  Victims may adjust their status to remain in Serbia 
if they choose.  The residency permits are available to any foreign 
victim and are not contingent on cooperating with investigations or 
prosecutions.  There were no reports that foreign victims were 
forced to return to their home countries. 
 
 
 
¶E. NGOs provide short- and long-term shelter to domestic and 
foreign victims, partly funded by the government's special stamp 
fund. 
 
 
 
¶F. There is a referral mechanism in place to direct potential and 
suspected trafficking victims for identification and further on to 
agencies and NGOs for short- and long-term assistance. 
 
 
 
The Agency for Coordination of Protection of Trafficking Victims is 
responsible for identifying victims and cooperating with NGOs and 
international organizations that provide victim services.  Police, 
NGOs, shelters, and anti-trafficking hotline operators work 
directly with the Agency when they suspect they have a victim of 
trafficking, and one of the two members of the Agency responds 
immediately to provide identification and emergency support.  On 
November 12, 2009, the Interior, Finance, Justice, Health, 
Education, and Labor and Social Affairs Ministries signed an 
agreement on cooperation to combat trafficking in order to 
harmonize each ministry's activities and provide for a more 
comprehensive approach to government's anti-trafficking activities. 
A victim referral mechanism was part of the agreement. 
 
 
 
In March and October, the Serbian Red Cross in cooperation with the 
Interior Ministry, the Academy for Criminal and Police Studies, the 
Agency for Coordination of Protection of Trafficking Victims, and 
the Institute for Forensic Medicine, conducted a seminar for 
 
doctors and medical staff on how to recognize and treat trafficking 
victims.  On April 7, 2009, the Interior Ministry issued a 
mandatory instruction to all police on handling illegal migrants 
with a set of prescribed questions and examples to help identify 
trafficking victims. 
 
 
 
While the Agency is usually able to respond to all referrals, the 
two staff members are overworked, and the office needs more 
personnel and resources.  The Law on the Seizure of Proceeds from 
Crime (2008) allows for a portion of seized property to be spent on 
social services.  The National Action Plan calls for the 
establishment of a fund -- 3% of the value of any seized proceeds 
from crime -- that would support anti-trafficking activities, 
including victim protection and the Agency's budget.  The National 
Coordinator began meeting with the Justice Ministry State Secretary 
in October 2009 to discuss how to implement this initiative. 
 
 
 
While stakeholders told us they believed referral had generally 
improved, the Baku case (Ref B) involving hundreds of mostly 
Bosnian Serb men exploited for labor in Azerbaijan, showed the 
frailty of the system. 
 
 
 
The Agency for Coordination of Protection of Trafficking Victims, 
the NGO Astra, the Interior Ministry's Border Police, and the 
Office of the National Coordinator to Combat Trafficking were all 
involved in the case but operated with conflicting data and 
imperfect coordination.  Through contact with NGOs in Azerbaijan 
and Bosnia, Serbian NGO Astra discovered that many of the men were 
to return through Belgrade.  They met the men at the airport and 
interviewed several extensively.  In its report on the case, Astra 
accused the government of failing to provide any assistance to 
these trafficking victims. 
 
 
 
The Office of The National Coordinator separately had requested 
airlines to be alert for passengers on flights from Vienna and 
Istanbul who had connected from Baku and to notify police when such 
passengers were arriving so police could conduct interviews and 
refer victims to the Agency.  The Border Police at the Belgrade 
airport conducted initial interviews with several of the men -- 
both Serbian and Bosnian citizens -- upon their arrival in Serbia. 
All interviewed men rejected any assistance and stated they would 
return to their families.  Police provided them with contact 
information for the Agency for Coordination of Protection of 
Trafficking Victims; none contacted the Agency.  None was recorded 
as a victim because the Agency never interviewed any of them. 
(Note: victims do not have to self-identify in order for the Agency 
to identify them as victims, but the Agency does require certain 
types of information and often an interview to make the 
determination.)  Finally, the Department for Foreigners in the 
Belgrade Police conducted interviews with 12 potential victims from 
Baku and forwarded information to the public prosecutor who will 
determine whether there are grounds for prosecution in Serbia. 
 
 
 
Government officials told us that NGO Astra had not alerted the 
government after receiving and interviewing the dozens of victims 
mentioned in its report, in violation of the victim identification 
and referral protocol.  NGO Astra did eventually refer some victims 
to the Agency, who were provided assistance.  During the Agency's 
process to apply for a temporary residence permit for one of these 
individuals, Belgrade Police determined he was a former trafficker, 
an associate of the infamous Serbian trafficker Milivoje Zarubica 
(Ref C), and subsequently arrested him.  He remains in custody, 
pending investigation. 
 
 
 
¶G. The Agency for Coordination of Protection of Trafficking Victims 
identified 127 victims during the reporting period, 66 of whom were 
victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation and 18 of whom were 
victims of nonconsensual labor exploitation.  An additional 14 
victims were trafficked for begging, 6 for forced marriage, 2 for 
petty crime and one for the purpose of illegal adoption.  Police 
referred 112 trafficking victims for identification and assistance; 
the Agency identified 3 victims during a trafficking trial in which 
 
the victims were witnesses; NGOs referred 6 victims, centers for 
social work referred 2; the Center for Children without Parental 
Care and UNHCR referred one victim each; and NGO Lara from 
Bijeljina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, near the border with Serbia, 
referred 2 trafficking victims.  All trafficking victims were 
offered assistance and were provided various types of assistance 
based on their requests and needs.  Of the 127, 40 victims, 
including 10 minors, were accommodated in two shelters and at the 
Center for Children without Parental Care, and 19 identified 
trafficking victims rejected any assistance. 
 
 
 
¶H. Because most of the trafficking in Serbia is for sexual 
exploitation, Serbian authorities have made at-risk services (night 
clubs, restaurants, massage parlors, discos, etc.) the focus of 
training for law enforcement.  Consular and border officials are 
also trained to look for signs of trafficking in immigration cases. 
 
 
 
 
As mentioned above (4F), on April 7, 2009, the Interior Ministry 
passed a mandatory instruction to all police personnel on handling 
illegal migrants.  On November 12, 2009, the Ministries of 
Interior, Finance, Justice, Health, Education, and Labor and Social 
Affairs signed an agreement on cooperation to combat trafficking to 
coordinate each ministry's activities; a victim referral mechanism 
was part of the agreement. 
 
 
 
In June 2009, Serbia took part in the last session of the 
International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD)-run 
and USAID-funded project on development of a Transnational Referral 
Mechanism for trafficking victims in southeastern Europe, which 
institutionalizes cooperation among multiple state institutions and 
NGOs across the region on identification, referral, and assistance 
to trafficking victims. 
 
 
 
¶I. Generally, the rights of victims are respected.  While 
anti-trafficking stakeholders believe authorities occasionally fail 
to recognize a victim immediately, victims generally are not 
detained, jailed, or deported.  There were no reports of such 
detentions or that victims were prosecuted for violations of other 
laws during the reporting period. 
 
 
 
As reported in the 2009 TIP report, a deputy prosecutor in Vranje 
in July 2008 charged a trafficking victim with false testimony when 
she refused to testify against her trafficker, who had married her 
in the hopes of avoiding prosecution.  The deputy prosecutor at the 
same time suspended proceedings against the alleged trafficker.  In 
October 2009, the National Coordinator sent a letter to the Justice 
Ministry requesting further information.  In February 2010, the 
Republic Prosecutor's office told us it had formally requested an 
inquiry in the Vranje office to determine whether the deputy 
prosecutor had violated Serbian law or international standards of 
TIP victim protection in filing the case against the victim.  The 
inquiry is ongoing, and we will not know further details until it 
is complete. 
 
 
 
¶J. The government encourages victims to assist in the investigation 
and prosecution of trafficking, and facilitates this through its 
victim/witness protection program.  An Agency for Coordination of 
Protection of Victims or an NGO official remains with victims 
during trials.  According to NGOs, most identified trafficking 
victims report crimes against them to the police and assist them in 
their investigations. 
 
 
 
Serbia allows victims to file civil suits against their traffickers 
for compensation.  Victims who are pursuing criminal or civil suits 
are entitled to temporary residence permits and may obtain other 
employment or leave the country pending trial proceedings.  There 
is no restitution program, but it is possible in both criminal and 
civil proceedings for judges to award plaintiffs compensation, 
including compensation from seized property.  In the first instance 
 
of a victim receiving this type of award, a court awarded a victim 
compensation from a trafficker's seized assets in August 2009 (Ref 
D). 
 
 
 
¶K. The government took part in providing training for government 
officials, including police, prosecutors, judges, labor inspectors, 
teachers, and social welfare workers in recognizing trafficking and 
providing assistance to victims.  In conjunction with IOM and the 
NGO Atina, the Republic Social Welfare Institute in June 2009 
produced a manual entitled "Social Inclusion of Human Trafficking 
Victims," designed to guide staff at shelters and local social 
welfare centers around the country in providing assistance to 
victims. 
 
 
 
Serbian diplomats receive several classes of instruction on 
trafficking at the Diplomatic Academy.  Part of their consultations 
before taking posts in missions abroad is a visit to the Interior 
Ministry's Border Police Directorate and the Office of the National 
Coordinator where they receive awareness materials and additional 
briefings on trafficking.  Ten trafficking victims, all Serbian 
citizens, were assisted by Serbian Embassies abroad in 2009; all 10 
were provided travel documents and repatriation assistance. 
 
 
 
¶L. Serbian citizens who are repatriated as victims of trafficking 
are entitled to the same assistance as victims identified in 
Serbia. 
 
 
 
¶M. Several local and international NGOs, including the Serbian Red 
Cross, Beosupport, the Child Rights Center, the Anti-Trafficking 
Center, Counseling against Family Violence, Atina, Astra, the 
Victimology Society of Serbia, Save the Children UK, and the 
Christian Children's Fund, work with trafficking victims and 
participate in the Republic Team to Combat Trafficking in Persons 
and its working groups.  International organizations include the 
International Organization for Migration, the Organization for 
Security and Cooperation in Europe, UNICEF, and the UN High 
Commissioner for Refugees.  The U.S.-based NGO Fair Fund works with 
Atina on a program that provides life skills and income to 
individuals in Atina's shelter.  In addition, there are several 
small local NGOs working on TIP issues in cities around Serbia, 
such as Cube in Novi Sad and new NGO Antos in Kraljevo. 
 
 
 
¶5. Prevention 
 
------------- 
 
 
 
¶A. The Ministry of Interior maintains an anti-trafficking website 
and Facebook page.  It publicized its trafficking tip hotline 
through a poster campaign throughout the year.  All points of entry 
into Serbia have TIP awareness materials posted, including the 
Interior Ministry hotline number.  The NGO Astra, in cooperation 
with the Human and Minority Rights Ministry and international 
donors, continued the Naked Facts campaign with the message "Women 
are not meat.  Children are not slaves.  People are not 
merchandise."  Individual local NGOs, citizens' associations, and 
social welfare centers around the country conducted training and 
awareness sessions for the public and local officials, including 
teachers and police.  The Telecommunications Ministry conducted a 
campaign on keeping children safe on the Internet. 
 
 
 
During the University Games in August 2009, a government-produced 
anti-trafficking awareness video was aired on a number of TV 
channels as part of the anti-trafficking prevention campaign tied 
to this international sporting event that attracted tens of 
thousands of foreign and domestic visitors.  The video is available 
on the Interior Ministry's website.  On Police Day in June, the 
National Coordinator held an exhibition of children's drawings with 
an anti-trafficking awareness theme at the police training center 
in Makis, Belgrade.  Politicians and celebrities, including 
President Tadic and basketball star Vlade Divac, attended the 
 
exhibition and congratulated the children on their artwork.  The 
government published a 2010 calendar with some of the drawings as 
part of its awareness campaign.  The exhibition was repeated at the 
National Bank in Belgrade, with an opening on European 
Anti-Trafficking Day in October. 
 
 
 
The Council to Combat Trafficking proclaimed October as the Month 
to Combat Trafficking.  Starting in October, in conjunction with 
NGOs, local police and social welfare centers around the country 
began giving a series of awareness lectures in schools; nearly 30 
lectures took place in 2009.  Local police conducted additional 
awareness activities aimed at school-age children during October. 
Also in October, in cooperation with the Youth and Sport Ministry, 
Novi Sad NGO Cube conducted awareness training for high school 
students, focusing on the risk of false employment opportunities. 
 
 
 
¶B.  The National Coordinator is examining the potential effects of 
Serbian citizens' recent inclusion in the Schengen visa-free regime 
(Ref E), which could facilitate trafficking by reducing document 
inspections into and out of Serbia. 
 
 
 
¶C. Government agencies, NGOs, and international organizations 
coordinate all anti-trafficking efforts through the Republic Team 
to Combat Trafficking in Persons. 
 
 
 
¶D. The government adopted a National Strategy to Combat Trafficking 
in Persons in Serbia in 2006.  In March 2009, the National Council 
adopted the Action Plan to Combat Trafficking for 2009-2011, 
drafted by the Republic Team, which includes activities to 
implement the strategy.  While the financial and budget crisis has 
severely limited the funds dedicated to the Action Plan that the 
National Council had requested, the government is implementing many 
Action Plan activities, focusing on prevention activities and 
improving coordination among victim protection and law enforcement 
bodies and NGOs. 
 
 
 
¶E. Prostitution and facilitation of prostitution are illegal, and 
police enforce the relevant laws.  The media publicizes law 
enforcement crackdowns on commercial sex establishments. 
 
 
 
¶F. There is no evidence of Serbian citizens participating in 
international child sex tourism. 
 
 
 
¶G. Serbia does not have over 100 troops in international 
peacekeeping efforts. 
 
 
 
¶6. TIP Contact and Hours 
 
------------------------ 
 
 
 
Post's TIP contact is Bianca Menendez, 381-11-306-4654, fax 
381-11-361-3962.  Post spent a total of 37 hours writing this 
report.  The following individuals contributed to the report: 
FO-1: 2 hours, FO-2: 15 hours, FSN-10: 20 hours. 
WARLICK