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In North Macedonia, the statistics show that between 2017 and 2020, 75% of all identified victims were children, mostly trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation, but also for forced marriages and for the purpose of labour exploitation. To support the identification and referral of such cases, the training on interviewing child potential victims of trafficking organised by the EU and Council of Europe action on “Preventing and Combating Human Trafficking in North Macedonia” in co-operation with the Bureau for Development of Education, provided to 30 school psychologists and pedagogues from Skopje and Bitola key knowledge and information on this topic.
As a result of the successful and continuous cooperation between the joint EU and Council of Europe action on Preventing and Combating Human Trafficking in North Macedonia and the Bureau for Development of Education all the primary and secondary schools in North Macedonia have received training and education materials on preventing and combating child trafficking in multiple languages, as well as on-line trainings on the same topic.
This activity was organised within the framework of the action on Preventing and Combating Human Trafficking in North Macedonia, which is part of the European Union / Council of Europe programme Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey II aiming at assisting beneficiaries in the Western Balkans and Turkey to comply with the Council of Europe standards and European Union acquis in the framework of the enlargement process.
The action on “Preventing and Combating Human Trafficking in North Macedonia” is implemented within the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”.
What is the goal?
The Action Preventing and Combating Human Trafficking in North Macedonia supports the authorities in North Macedonia in improving the identification, protection of, and assistance to victims of human trafficking, in line with the European standards, as stipulated in the recommendations resulting from the monitoring of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.
Who benefits from the Action?
key beneficiary institutions, including: National Commission for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and Illegal Migration, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and State Labour Inspectorate, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health
civil society organisations and selected public/private sector actors (Chamber of Commerce, Agrotrade Union)
communities at risk from human trafficking (including victims of human trafficking and their families)
public at large
How will the Action work?
The Action will support the authorities in preventing and combating trafficking in human beings, by providing expert advice, raising capacities and supporting key stakeholders in their efforts. In this framework the Action will concretely focus on:
- legislative interventions, policy and research support;
- multi-disciplinary trainings for key actors;
- seminars and workshops with partner institutions;
awareness raising and informative events for the public;
Expected results:
Expected results from the project are:
- detection and identification of, and assistance to victims of human trafficking for the purpose of labour exploitation will be improved;
- detection and identification of, and protection of child victims of human trafficking will be strengthened;
- access to compensation for victims of human trafficking will be improved;
- all the actors in the field of combatting human trafficking, and the general public at large, will be more informed and aware about specific vulnerabilities to trafficking situations and the rights of trafficked persons.
https://www.coe.int/en/web/skopje/preventing-and-combating-human-trafficking-in-north-macedonia