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 Bosnia and Herzegovina from 12 to 16 May 2025, as part of the fourth evaluation round of the Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.
This new evaluation round of monitoring the implementation of the Convention focuses on vulnerabilities to human trafficking and measures taken by States Parties to prevent them, detect and support vulnerable victims, and punish the offenders. This includes a focus on the use of information and communication technology (ICT), which brings structural changes to the way offenders operate and exacerbates existing vulnerabilities.
Prior to the visit, the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina provided a reply to GRETA’s questionnaire for the fourth evaluation round. In addition to the new thematic focus, GRETA examined how the main recommendations made in its third evaluation report on Bosnia and Herzegovina have been implemented.
During the visit, the GRETA delegation held consultations with the State Ministries of Security, Human Rights and Refugees, Justice, and Foreign Affairs, as well as representatives of law enforcement, the Prosecutor’s Office and the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The GRETA delegation also met with relevant ministries and agencies in Republika Srpska, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Brčko District, including representatives of law enforcement, Prosecutor’s Offices, the judiciary, legal aid centres, and Ombudsperson’s offices. The visit provided an opportunity to meet representatives of the local co-ordination teams for combating trafficking in human beings.
The GRETA delegation held separate meetings with representatives of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) providing assistance to victims of human trafficking, as well as with representatives from the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the European Union Delegation in Sarajevo and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ).
In the course of the visit, the GRETA delegation visited a safe house for victims of domestic violence, which also accommodates victims of human trafficking, managed by the NGO Lara Foundation in Bijeljina, a safe house for unaccompanied children operated by the NGO Jesuit Refugee Service in Sarajevo, and a temporary reception centre for migrants in Blažuj.
The visit was carried out by Mr Luka Maderić, Second Vice-President of GRETA, and Ms Dorothea Czarnecki and Ms Svala Ísfeld Ólafsdóttir, members of GRETA, who were accompanied by Mr Elvin Aliyev and Mr Mesut Bedirhanoglu of the Secretariat of the Convention.
Following the visit, GRETA will prepare a draft report, which will be sent to the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina for comments. GRETA will subsequently adopt a final report which will be published in the course of 2026.
