From 29 January to 2 February 2018,  a delegation of the Council of Europe's Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) carried out an evaluation visit to Italy. The purpose of the visits was to assess progress in the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings since the first evaluation visit by GRETA in 2013, as well as developments since the publication of GRETA’s urgent procedure report in January 2017. GRETA visited shelters and drop-in centres for victims of trafficking, as well as an emergency reception centre (CAS) for asylum-seeking women.

On 29 January 2018, GRETA published its second evaluation report on Serbia, where it noted that the legal and institutional framework for combatting human trafficking in Serbia has evolved, but efforts should be stepped up to reduce children’s vulnerability to trafficking. Following the sharp increase in the number of refugees and migrants passing through Serbia in 2015-2016, there were an estimated 670 to 800 unaccompanied children in Serbia in March 2017, a number of whom were sleeping on the streets in unsafe and unsanitary conditions. GRETA urged the Serbian authorities to ensure that unaccompanied and separated children benefit from effective care arrangements, including safe and appropriate accommodation, and to guarantee the timely appointment of guardians.