The joint European Union and Council of Europe action "Preventing and combating trafficking in human beings in Bosnia and Herzegovina" launched training sessions for health care professionals with the aim to increase their awareness of the phenomenon of human trafficking and the difficulties to properly identify and assist its victims, who are exposed to various detrimental conditions that affect their health and well-being.
The first training session was held in Teslic on 30 June and 1 July 2022. Twenty-four participants (general practitioners, specialist neuropsychiatrist, medical technicians / nurses, head of the health centers, specialists in pathology, internal medicine, and specialist epidemiologist, psychologists, social workers, senior health care specialist, NGOs and international organization representatives) from Banja Luka, Bijeljina, Brčko, Doboj, Prnjavor, Sarajevo, Teslić, Tešanj, Velika Kladuša, and Zenica, discussed with experienced lecturers and practitioners the elements of the trafficking offense and the role and responsibility of health institutions in the prevention and treatment of trafficking cases.
The health care professionals were introduced to specific health indicators and standard operating procedures to identify victims of trafficking and to refer them to competent services. They carried out practical work and applied the indicators and procedures to real cases. The practitioners were provided with guidelines for the provision of psychosocial and medical support to child and adult victims of trafficking and persons at risk in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The participants were addressed by professor Eldan Mujanović from the Faculty of Criminalistic, Criminology and Security Studies from University of Sarajevo; Bojana Jovanović from the Association „Otaharin“, Bijeljina; Meliha Sendić from Center for Women’s Rights, Zenica; Olga-Lola Ninković, psychologist from Banja Luka District Court; Nataša Milošević from Public Health Institution Brčko (Center for Mental Health), Brčko; and Dejan Prošić from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare of Republika Srpska.
The outcomes of the training session are a better understanding of the phenomenon of human trafficking and the indicators to recognise it as well as an increased awareness of the duty to act in case of suspicion and protect the victims.
The action „Preventing and combating trafficking in human beings in Bosnia and Herzegovina“ is implemented under the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme „Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022“.
