The joint European Union/Council of Europe action “Preventing and combating trafficking in human beings in Bosnia and Herzegovina” organised on 19 May a round table to discuss the findings of the recent research on age assessment of children at risk of trafficking.
The research has been conducted following a recommendation of the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings to the national authorities to review the existent procedures and ensure that the best interests of the child are effectively protected in the context of age assessment.
The State anti-trafficking Co-ordinator, Samir Rizvo, emphasised the importance of establishing clear and adequate procedure and methods for assessing the age of children, in particular of unaccompanied migrant children who do not carry identity documents, in accordance with their best interests and human rights as enshrined in international legal instruments.
Daja Wenke, co-author of the report, introduced the relevant international standards and the work of the Council of Europe to help policy makers and practitioners protect children’s rights in the context of age assessment.
Amela Efendić, co-author of the report, presented the findings of the research and the social interview method that is applied by a multi-professional team in the Sarajevo Canton.
Melisa Hasanović from the Centre for social welfare of Sarajevo Canton, who works at the Camp Ušivak, emphasised that this method was developed by the social service institutions confronted with high number of children arriving in Bosnia and Herzegovina whose age is unknown. This method represents a useful basis for the development of a formal age assessment model applicable in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
More than 20 participants, representatives of ministries of security, human rights and internal affairs, prosecutors, social workers, the State Investigation and Protection Agency, border police, Service for Foreigner's Affairs, civil society organisations and experts, took part in the event.
Participants concluded that there was clearly a need for a well-defined age assessment procedure and methods respecting the children’s rights, irrespectively of their origin, and conducted in child- and gender-sensitive manner. The assessment of the age is a critical step for the children’s protection and access to assistance services.
The action „Preventing and combating trafficking in human beings in Bosnia and Herzegovina“ is implemented under the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”.
