Trafficking Victims’ Rights Must Come First: North Macedonia Strengthens its Victim-Centred Approach - Council of Europe Programme Office in Skopje

Back Trafficking Victims’ Rights Must Come First: North Macedonia Strengthens its Victim-Centred Approach

In force since 2008, the Council of Europe Convention on action against trafficking in human beings requires states to identify and support trafficking victims, protect them from further harm and ensure they are treated with dignity. To support this, a capacity-building activity brought together judges, prosecutors, lawyers, and civil society representatives to enhance their knowledge on protecting the rights of human trafficking victims. Organised by the EU and Council of Europe joint action “Strengthening anti-trafficking action in North Macedonia”, in co-operation with the Academy for Judges and Prosecutors of North Macedonia, the event focused on the European Court of Human Rights' case-law and the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. This activity aimed to equip participants with the necessary expertise and skills to treat trafficking victims in accordance with European anti-trafficking standards.

“The victim is not merely a means of evidence - it is the centre of the entire proceeding. The Convention on action against human trafficking marked a turning point in the treatment of victims of trafficking, shifting the paradigm from the exclusive focus on the criminal justice response to the victim-centred approach”, said Biljana LUBAROVSKA, an independent expert from GRETA.

Participants were also trained on the European Convention of Human Rights and on the European Court case-law in the human trafficking context. They worked on case scenarios and discussed the essential elements for establishing the existence of human trafficking and a violation of Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights, prohibiting slavery and forced labour. Identification of foreign trafficking victims was also a key topic of discussion. Only when victims are identified, they can receive healthcare, food, clothing, psycho-social care and accommodation they are entitled to. Resocialisation and reintegration of trafficking victims were also positive state obligations, stemming from the European Convention on Human Rights.

On the margins of the event, the participants engaged in bilateral meetings, sharing their experience with human trafficking cases, in view of advancing the rights of the trafficking victims and strengthening the criminal justice response.

This activity is organised in the framework of the “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye ”, funded by EU and Council of Europe, and implemented by Council of Europe.

Veles, North Macedonia 26-27 October 2026

Diminuer la taille du texte
Augmenter la taille du texte
Imprimer la page

Welcome to the Council of Europe Programme Office in Skopje

North Macedonia became the 38th member State of the Council of Europe on 9 November 1995 and is actively involved in all aspects of the mission and work of our Organisation to promote human rights, democracy, and the rule of law. The Council of Europe Programme Office in Skopje was established in 2012, covering a variety of co-operation projects.

Working in close collaboration with the national authorities, representatives of the civil society and other partners, the Office is currently implementing key European Union and Council of Europe joint programmes. In particular the Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye (Horizontal Facility III) focus is on the reform in the justice system, fight against economic crime, promoting anti-discrimination and protecting the rights of vulnerable groups as well as improving the application of the European standards in the field of freedom of expression and freedom of the media.

Moreover, to promote democracy and human rights in and through education and equip young people with the competences to live in a multicultural society, the Quality Education for All – Building Democratic Resilience – North Macedonia project is implemented with funding by Germany.

Additional co-operation activities are carried out in the framework of key regional joint programmes with the European Union, focused on enhancing the role and capacities of local authorities in the Western Balkans in implementing and monitoring the Reform Agendas under the EU’s Reform and Growth Facility (LORAI), and fighting cybercrime (CyberSEE).

More information on North Macedonia and Council of Europe

HORIZONTAL FACILITY III ACTIONS IN NORTH MACEDONIA