“No one has the right to exploit another human being. Timely and effective financial investigation is key to ensure that assets of illicit origin are not concealed by the traffickers and can be used to compensate the victims for the physical and psychological trauma as well as the economic loss they may have suffered”, highlighted Radmilla Dragicevic Dicic, Judge at the Supreme Court of Cassation, on the occasion of the workshop on compensation for victims of human trafficking and effective financial investigations organised by the Council of Europe in Belgrade on 22 and 23 November with the support of the non-governmental organisation ASTRA.
The workshop gathered prosecutors, judges and financial investigators in view of their strategic role in ensuring effective investigation in cases of human trafficking. During the workshop, the participants were informed about trends and challenges in Court proceedings and financial investigations in human trafficking cases. They had the opportunity to discuss possible ways forward to make full use of the existing legislation on the freezing and forfeiture of assets to secure compensation for victims of trafficking. Furthermore, the participants learned about the experience of the Dutch authorities on tracing financial flows in cases of human trafficking and managing the process that leads to the confiscation of assets.
“Those who have investigative powers need to understand that the most important thing is to follow the money. Co-operation with other actors, such as banks and tax authorities are key since they hold information which is very useful to ensure confiscation of assets and payment of compensation claims”, highlighted Merel Mette Rademaker, Dutch Senior Assistant Prosecutor in the Hague.
The training was organised in the framework of the Action “Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings in Serbia”, which is part of the "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey", a joint programme co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and implemented by the Council of Europe.
