Dacic: Serbia Remains Country of Origin, Transit, but Also Destination for Human Trafficking

mup.gov.rs

Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic said on Oct. 28 that Serbia remained the country of origin and transit, but also destination for human trafficking, adding that Serbian citizens, especially women and children, were exposed to various forms of exploitation, including forced labor and forced marriage, but predominantly sexual exploitation.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs "is taking active measures to curb such criminal activities. From the beginning of 2023 to October 2024, 35 criminal reports were filed against 69 persons for the criminal acts of human trafficking, and 61 victims were identified," Dacic said at the opening of Interpol's global conference on fighting migrant smuggling and human trafficking.

The same time frame saw 600 criminal reports filed against 791 persons for the crime of unauthorized state line crossing and people smuggling.

Dacic said Serbia remained exposed to the inflow of migrants, most often in transit with the final desired destination of Western Europe, who mostly use smugglers.