The second session of the advanced training for Serbian labour inspectors and key anti-trafficking stakeholders took place on 30 November and focused on strengthening multi-disciplinary co-operation in the process of inspection, identification, referral and investigation of cases of human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation.
The session gathered 19 participants (labour inspectors from different cities in Serbia, police officers, representatives of the Centre for Human Trafficking Victims’ Protection, civil society organisation and the National Anti-trafficking Coordination Office).
At the opening, the National Anti-trafficking Coordinator Mitar Djuraskovic said “It is obvious how important this topic is since there are more and more foreign workers in Serbia. Therefore strengthening and maintaining working contacts between anti-trafficking actors, applying the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and indicators of trafficking for labour exploitation, referring cases if there is any suspicion to the Centre for Human Trafficking Victims’ Protection and police are necessary”.
The participants heard examples of labour exploitation in Finland and learned about the role and mandate of Finish labour inspectors in the identification of victims. They exchanged with their Finish peer Katja-Pia Jenu on techniques of identification of victims and good practices during labour inspections, as victims are often afraid to talk and do not speak the local language. Ms Jenu highlighted that co-operation with police and CSOs is essential for the gathering information on cases and that providing workers with information on good working conditions and their rights is vital for them.
With the aim to strengthen multi-disciplinary co-operation, the participants discussed about collecting evidence and investigating cases of labour exploitation with elements of human trafficking. They were informed by Ms Jenu of a practical tool for law enforcement and labour inspectors, that can complement the Pocket guide for Serbian labour inspectors prepared by the action “Preventing and combating trafficking in human beings in Serbia“.
The training was organised by the action “Preventing and combating trafficking in human beings in Serbia” that is a part of the joint European Union and the Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019 – 2022”.
