North Macedonia has ratified the Council of Europe Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings in 2009, and thus, has committed to protecting victims of human trafficking. Nonethless, challenges remain with regard to ensuring ethical and victim-sensitive reporting on human trafficking cases, which requires balancing the public’s right to information with the protection of victims’ privacy and personal data, as well as victim-oriented approach when reporting such cases.

Recognising these challenges, the EU and the Council of Europe joint actions “Strengthening anti - trafficking action in North MacedoniaStrengthening anti - trafficking action in North Macedonia” and “Protecting Freedom of Expression and of the Media in North Macedonia (PRO-FREX)“ delivered a capacity building activity on ethical and gender-sensitive reporting on human trafficking cases, in co-operation with the Association of Journalists and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD).

Marijana Marusic-Kos, the Council of Europe consultant addressed the participants highlighting the utmost importance of protecting victim's privacy: “The non-disclosure of the victim's personal data overrides the public interest. Reporting without sensationalism, without photos, scenes of suffering, or identifiable information about the victim means respecting ethical values, and protecting the victim from re-traumatisation”.

The participants, journalists and communication officers from North Macedonia, were able to better understand the victim’s perspective in human trafficking cases, strengthen their ethical and gender-sensitive reporting skills and enhance understanding of safeguarding victims’ personal data and privacy. Since a multi-disciplinary approach is key to successful prevention and fight against human trafficking, the training also promoted dialogue, co-operation and networking between institutions and media actors, when reporting on trafficking and gender-based violence cases.

The actions “Strengthening anti - trafficking action in North MacedoniaStrengthening anti - trafficking action in North Macedonia” and “Protecting Freedom of Expression and of the Media in North Macedonia (PRO-FREX)”, the latter being implemented by the Division fof Cooperation on Freedom of Expression, are part of the European Union and Council of Europe joint Programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.