The European Union and the Council of Europe joint action “Strengthening anti-trafficking action in North Macedonia” reviewed its progress in the efforts to combat trafficking in North Macedonia, at its 7th Steering Committee meeting. The meeting was attended by key beneficiaries and partners including the Delegation of the European Union to North Macedonia, the National Anti-trafficking Commission, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Social Policy, Demography and Youth, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Anti-trafficking Rapporteur, the International Centre for Migration Policy Development, the State Labour Inspectorate as well as civil society organisations.
In the first six-month period in 2026, the action implemented four capacity building activities aiming at strengthening trauma-informed support and protection for trafficking victims, enhancing on-line investigations and safeguarding of digital evidence, as well as improving elementary school teachers’ abilities to teach young students about the perils of child trafficking and methods of self-protection. The action developed classroom scenarios inspired by the popular story of Pinocchio, offering creative activities designed to educate children about naivety, trust, and the risks of child trafficking for labour exploitation.
The meeting coincides with the finalisation of the Strategy on Combating Human Trafficking and Child Trafficking and related action plans. The insightful discussions provided significant contribution regarding the future implementation of these strategic documents and the importance of co-ordination between all actors in the field.
The meeting was an opportunity for the anti-trafficking stakeholders to forge trust and strengthen partnerships, essential for an effective criminal justice response to the human trafficking. The efforts invested and the progress attained in fighting human trafficking is a result of the effective co-operation between institutions, civil society partners and international organisations. The participants reaffirmed their shared commitment to advance the anti-trafficking efforts in line with the recommendations provided by the Council of Europe Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) while strengthening and expanding support services for victims of human trafficking.
The action “Strengthening anti-trafficking action in North Macedonia” is part of the European Union and Council of Europe joint initiative “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye”.
