A three-day training course on the use of advanced technologies and digital investigations in human trafficking cases opened in Novi Sad on 3 June 2026, bringing together police officers and public prosecutors from across Serbia.
Opening the training, participants were addressed by Nenad Simić, National Anti-Trafficking Coordinator at the Ministry of the Interior, who highlighted the importance of the recently adopted comprehensive Law on the Prevention and Suppression of Trafficking in Human Beings and the Protection of Victims. He stressed the need to ensure its effective implementation and operationalisation, alongside the advancement of strategic priorities in the field of combating trafficking in human beings.
Tatjana Lagumdžija, Chief Public Prosecutor of the Appellate Public Prosecutor’s Office in Novi Sad, emphasised the growing importance of strengthening capacities for digital investigations and the collection of electronic evidence. She noted that technology presents both challenges and opportunities in combating human trafficking and underlined the importance of close co-operation between the police and prosecution services in addressing increasingly complex cases involving digital tools.
The increasing use of digital technologies has significantly transformed the way human trafficking networks operate. Recruitment, control and exploitation of victims are increasingly facilitated through online platforms, social media, encrypted communication tools and digital financial transactions, creating new challenges for law enforcement authorities and prosecutors in detecting, investigating and prosecuting trafficking offences.
The training aimed to strengthen the capacities of police officers and public prosecutors to effectively investigate and prosecute human trafficking cases involving the use of digital technologies. Building on a similar training organised in Niš in 2025, this activity represents a follow-up effort to further enhance specialised knowledge and practical skills in the field of digital investigations. The training is also foreseen under Serbia’s Action Plan for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings 2024–2026, reflecting national priorities in strengthening institutional capacities to address technology-facilitated trafficking. Through expert presentations, case studies and practical exercises, participants will enhance their understanding of technology-facilitated trafficking, develop skills related to digital investigations and electronic evidence, and further promote a victim-centred and human rights-based approach.
The training was jointly organised by the Council of Europe, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the Centre for International Legal Cooperation (CILC). It is implemented within the framework of the Council of Europe project “Strengthening Anti-Trafficking Action in Serbia”, part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”, the IOM Regional Migration Governance Programme funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, and the regional project “EU Support to Strengthening the Fight Against Migrant Smuggling and Trafficking in Human Beings in the Western Balkans (EU4FAST)”.
