Raising awareness is crucial in order to end human trafficking
“It is difficult to influence the demand and supply for human trafficking with legislative measures. Therefore, I believe raising awareness is crucial in order to end human trafficking. In addition to training law enforcement officers and judicial authorities, we should influence people’s attitudes and offer them information about the effects of human trafficking”, said the Finnish Minister of Justice, Leena Luhtanen in Tirana, Albania today.
The fourth EU-Western Balkans Ministerial Forum on Justice and Home Affairs was held in Tirana on 17 November. The aim for the meeting was to find out how the Western Balkan countries have progressed in combating human trafficking and the related measures to protect witnesses.
“It is a fact that many countries in the Western Balkans have become a region of origin, transit and destination of human trafficking. However, many of them, Albania, Croatia and Serbia to mention a few, have already set up bodies to combat organised crime and human trafficking,” Ms Luhtanen continued.
Witnesses and victims of organised crime and human trafficking are in great risk of being intimidated by the criminals and therefore unwilling to testify. The EU legislation acknowledges the witnesses’ right to be protected against all direct and indirect intimidation, pressurising and threatening acts during the preliminary investigation as well as during and following the trial.
The Western Balkan countries have faced difficulties in trying to provide adequate witness protection, as the countries have not been able to offer enough resources or opportunities to provide training, courtrooms that can facilitate witness protection or necessary technology, such as video conferencing equipment.
At the meeting, Ms Luhtanen represented the EU along with the Finnish Minister of the Interior, Mr Kari Rajamäki, the incoming German and Portuguese Presidencies and the Vice-President of the European Commission Franco Frattini, EU Commissioner responsible for Justice, Freedom and Security.
In addition to Albania, the Western Balkan countries represented at the meeting included Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Montenegro. Kosovo was represented by the UNMIK (United Nations Mission in Kosovo), but the new justice and home affairs ministers of Kosovo were also invited to the meeting.
Further information: Sebastian Sass, EU Co-ordinator, tel. +358 50 5252672
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