Izveštaj o trgovini ljudima za 2009. godinu

Srbija (Grupa 2)

Srbija je zemlja porekla, tranzita i destinacije za muškarce, žene i devojčice kojima se trguje u zemlji i inostranstvu radi komercijalne seksualne eksploatacije i prinudnog rada. Strane žrtve dolaze u Srbiju iz istočne Evrope i centralne Azije preko Kosova i Makedonije. Srbija je i dalje tranzitna teritorija za trgovinu ljudima iz Bosne, Hrvatske i Slovenije ka krajnjim odredištima u Italiji i drugim zemljama zapadne Evrope. Deca, uglavnom romska, su još uvek žrtve trgovine ljudima u cilju seksualne eksploatacije, prinudnog rada i prinudne prošnje na ulicama. Žrtve identifikovane tokom 2008. godine su uglavnom žene i devojke iz Srbije kojima se trguje radi seksualne eksploatacije, a više od polovine žrtava su deca. U 2008. godini je zabeležen porast trgovine ljudima radi radne eksploatacije.

Vlada Srbije ne ispunjava u potpunosti minimum standarda za iskorenjivanje trgovine ljudima, ali čini značajne napore u tom pravcu. Država je povećala sredstva koja se izdvajaju za zaštitu žrtava i u novembru 2008. godine imenovala je novog nacionalnog koordinatora za suzbijanje trgovine ljudima. Međutim, pitanje krivičnog gonjenja i kažnjavanja trgovaca je i dalje problematično. Osim toga, policijski podaci su nepotpuni. Država još uvek nije razvila formalne procedure za adekvatnu identifikaciju i upućivanje potencijalnih žrtava trgovine ljudima, na taj način ozbiljno umanjujući svoju sposobnost da žrtvama pruži odgovarajuću pomoć i zaštitu. Ako se ovi nedostaci ne isprave, može se dogoditi da Srbija u narednom izveštaju dobije negativnu ocenu.

Preporuke za Srbiju: obezbediti sveobuhvatne podatke o naporima u pravcu energičnog krivičnog gonjenja, osuđivanja i kažnjavanja trgovaca ljudima; agresivno krivično goniti i kažnjavati državne službenike koji omogućavaju trgovinu ljudima; sprovesti standardizovani protokol za identifikaciju i upućivanje žrtava, što uključuje Službu za koordinaciju zaštite žrtava trgovine ljudima i NVO gde je prikladno; obezbediti održivo direktno finansiranje pomoći i zaštite žrtava; pojačati obuku za socijalne radnike i policiju kako bi se poboljšala identifikacija žrtava trgovine ljudima; razviti programe namenjene problemu trgovine ljudima radi prinudnog rada koji je u porastu, kao i programe za decu žrtve trgovine ljudima; poboljšati preventivne aktivnosti.

Krivično gonjenje

Vlada Srbije je nastavila da sprovodi aktivne istrage slučajeva trgovine ljudima, ali nije ponudila dokaze da je trgovcima ljudima adekvatno suđeno i da su shodno osuđeni i kažnjeni. Optuženi za trgovinu ljudima, što je nasilno krivično delo, često ostaju na slobodi pre suđenja i tokom žalbenog postupka, i predstavljaju opasnost za žrtvu. Krivični zakonik Srbije zabranjuje trgovinu ljudima radi seksualne ili radne eksploatacije u svom članu 388, koji propisuje kaznu od dve do deset godina zatvora. Ova kazna je dovoljno stroga i srazmerna je kaznama za ostala teška krivična dela kao što je silovanje. Tokom 2008. godine protiv 94 lica su podignute krivične prijave za trgovinu ljudima. Država nije dala sveobuhvatne podatke o krivičnom gonjenju, ali je rečeno da je 2008. 18 trgovaca osuđeno na zatvorske kazne, a njih 17 je oslobođeno optužbi. Nismo dobili podatke o dužini dosuđenih kazni, kao i da li se radi o uslovnim kaznama. Takođe, prema državnim podacima, 2008. godine 29 lica osumnjičenih za trgovinu ljudima je bilo u pritvoru tokom istrage ili suđenja. Trgovci povremeno nisu držani u pritvoru pre suđenja ili u žalbenom postupku. Po zakonu, lica osuđena za trgovinu ljudima će ostati u pritvoru tokom žalbenog postupka samo ako su osuđeni na kaznu zatvora dužu od pet godina. Suđenja koja traju mesecima ili godinama i višestruke žalbe dovode do odlaganja služenja kazne, čak i za nekoliko godina. Jedan od najozloglašenijih trgovaca u Srbiji, osuđen 2006. godine pred Vrhovnim sudom na 4 godine i tri meseca zatvora, je još uvek na slobodi. Nevladine i međunarodne organizacije ocenjuju iz prakse da dosuđene zatvorske kazne postaju duže zahvaljujući obuci sudija. U decembru 2008. godine, pred Okružnim sudom u Subotici jedno lice je bilo osuđeno za trgovinu ljudima na 10 godina zatvora; ovaj trgovac je ostao u pritvoru tokom žalbenog postupka. Država nije pokazala spremnost da adekvatno kazni državne službenike umešane u trgovinu ljudima. U slučaju koji je izazvao veliku pažnju u Novom Pazaru avgusta 2008. godine, osuđeno je 12 lica optuženih za trgovinu ljudima, uključujući i Zamenika javnog tužioca i dva policajca. Glavni trgovac u ovom slučaju, privatno lice, je osuđen na osam godina zatvora, dok su dva policajca dobila uslovne kazne, a tužilac je osuđen na tri godine uslovne kazne i pušten je nakon jedne godine provedene u pritvoru. Taj tužilac je seksualno eksploatisao neke od žrtava. Ništa novo se nije dogodilo u slučaju o kome su mediji izveštavali 2007. godine vezano za policajca koji je bio pod istragom za omogućavanje trgovine jednim licem radi radne eksploatacije. Odbijanje države da sarađuje sa vladom Kosova sputava napore da se istraže i krivično gone slučajevi prekogranične trgovine ljudima.

Zaštita

Tokom 2008. godine, Vlada Srbije je pojačala napore da zaštiti žrtve, ali nije poboljšala procedure za identifikaciju. Dok je država, uz pomoć međunarodnih organizacija, nastavila da obučava pripadnike policije na temu identifikacije i tretmana žrtava, i dalje ne postoje sistematične procedure i standardi za identifikaciju, upućivanje i postupanje sa žrtvama trgovine ljudima, a na slučajevima se radi ad hoc. Kroz jednokratnu prodaju doplatne poštanske marke, država je trima nevladinim organizacijama dala $ 36.571 za pomoć žrtvama. Državna Služba za koordinaciju zaštite žrtava trgovine ljudima i dalje ima manjak zaposlenih, ali je primila $18,501 direktnog državnog finansiranja, što je više nego 2007. godine, kao i dodatna sredstva za pomoć žrtvama u iznosu od $29.143 od prodaje doplatne markice. Tokom 2008. godine država i NVO su identifikovali 55 žrtava trgovine ljudima, a za njih 20 je obezbeđen smeštaj u dva skloništa koje vode NVO. Identifikovane žrtve se generalno ne stavljaju u pritvor ili zatvor niti se na drugi način kažnjavaju za neželjene radnje koje su učinile dok su bile izložene eksploataciji. Međutim, državni službenici i organizacije koje se bave problemom trgovine ljudima veruju da zbog nepostojanja sistematskih procedura za identifikaciju žrtava, neke žrtve nisu identifikovane i moguće je da su bile kažnjene za ono što su radile dok su bile eksploatisane. Februara 2008. godine, granična policija je uhapsila dve trafikovane devojke iz Uzbekistana zbog kršenja propisa o prelasku državne granice. Ombudsman Srbije je saznao za ovaj slučaj i pomogao u oslobađanju devojaka iz pritvora posle dve nedelje. Devojke su odbile privremenu dozvolu boravka i napustile su Srbiju o sopstvenom trošku. Navodno, trgovci su pobegli preko granice pre nego što je policija uspela da ih uhapsi. Prema organizacijama koje se bave problemom trgovine ljudima, mnoge žrtve nisu dobile odgovarajuću zaštitu na sudu kroz primenu Zakona o zaštiti svedoka iz 2006. godine, zbog toga što u sudovima ne postoje prostorije koje bi omogućile da žrtve mogu da čekaju na postupak ili da svedoče odvojeno od optuženih. Prema podacima jedne NVO, početkom 2009. godine jedna žrtva je sa svojim detetom bila izložena stalnim pretnjama od strane trgovca tokom suđenja; ona je na kraju promenila svoje svedočenje, zbog čega je protiv nje podignuta optužnica za davanje lažnog iskaza. Tokom perioda na koji se ovaj izveštaj odnosi, šest multidisciplinarnih opštinskih timova, u koje su uključene i NVO, koji su osnovani godinu dana ranije radi poboljšanja zaštite žrtava, nastavili su da rade.

Prevencija

Vlada Srbije je pokazala neke napore u cilju prevencije trgovine ljudima tokom 2008. godine. Nova Vlada je imenovala novog nacionalnog koordinatora za suzbijanje trgovine ljudima u novembru 2008. godine, nakon što je ova pozicija mesecima stajala upražnjena tokom mandata prethodne Vlade. Istog meseca, Vlada je formirala i Savet za borbu protiv trgovine ljudima na ministarskom nivou. Savet, i na radnom nivou Republički tim za borbu protiv trgovine ljudima i njegove radne grupe, u čijem sastavu su i NVO, zajedno su radili na donošenju plana akcije za suzbijanje trgovine ljudima, koji je Vlada usvojila u aprilu 2009. godine. Ministri unutrašnjih poslova i pravde su na Međunarodni dan žena održali pres konferenciju kako bi skrenuli pažnju na problem trgovine ljudima. Država je finansirala i sprovela anti-trafiking kampanju sa posterima koji su postavljeni na aerodromima i graničnim prelazima u celoj zemlji, pamfletima koji su deljeni po školama i policijskim stanicama i oglasima koji su štampani u novinama, u rubrikama za traženje posla. Ovaj materijal je osmišljen sa ciljem da se potencijalne žrtve opomenu i da se ohrabri javnost da preko policijskog SOS telefona prijavi slučajeve trgovine ljudima. Kampanja koju je vodila NVO je bila usmerena na potencijalne klijente žrtava seksualne eksploatacije i nije finansirana od strane države.

US State Department's TIP Country Report for Serbia

Serbia (TIER 2)

2009 TIP Report

Serbia is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and girls trafficked internationally and within the country for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor. Foreign victims are trafficked to Serbia from Eastern Europe and Central Asia through Kosovo and Macedonia. Serbia continued to serve as a transit country for victims trafficked from Bosnia, Croatia, and Slovenia and destined for Italy and other countries in Western Europe.

Children, mostly Roma, continued to be trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation, forced marriage, or forced street begging. The majority of identified victims in 2008 were Serbian women and girls trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation; over half were children. There was an increase in cases of trafficking for forced labor in 2008.

The Government of Serbia does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government increased funding for protection of victims and appointed a new National Anti-Trafficking Coordinator in November 2008, though serious concerns remained about punishment of traffickers and prosecution of complicit officials.

Moreover, law enforcement data provided was incomplete. The government also has not yet developed formal procedures to adequately identify and refer potential trafficking victims, seriously hampering its ability to provide assistance and protection to victims. Serbia may be negatively assessed in the next Report if it does not address these deficiencies.

Recommendations for Serbia: Provide comprehensive data on efforts to vigorously prosecute, convict, and punish traffickers; aggressively prosecute and punish officials who facilitate trafficking; implement a standardized protocol for victim identification and referral that includes the Agency for Coordination of Protection of Victims of Trafficking and NGOs, as appropriate; provide sustained direct funding for victim protection and assistance; increase training for social workers and police to improve identification of trafficking victims; develop programs to address the increasingly growing problem of trafficking for forced labor and children who are victims of trafficking; and improve prevention efforts.

Prosecution

The Government of Serbia continued to actively investigate trafficking cases, but it did not provide evidence it adequately prosecuted, convicted and punished trafficking offenders. Trafficking suspects accused of violent crimes often continued to be freed during the pre-trial and appeal process, posing a serious risk to their victims.

The criminal code for Serbia prohibits sex and labor trafficking through its article 388, which prescribes penalties of two to 10 years, imprisonment; these are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those prescribed for other grave offenses, such as rape. In 2008, the government investigated and charged 94 persons with trafficking. The government did not provide comprehensive prosecution data, but reported that, in 2008, 18 trafficking offenders were convicted and sentenced to prison; 17 others were acquitted. The government did not provide information on the length of these sentences or whether any were suspended. It reported that it detained 29 trafficking suspects pending trial or investigation during 2008. At times, traffickers were not held in detention during pre-trial and appeals processes; by law, individuals convicted for trafficking are only detained during the appeals process if their sentence was greater than five years. Trials that last months or years and multiple appeals result in delays, sometimes by several years, in convicted traffickers serving their sentences. One of erbia’s most infamous traffickers, sentenced to four years and three months by the Supreme Court in 2006, remains free. NGOs and international organizations reported necdotally that sentences were increasing due to better education of judges. In December 2008, an individual was convicted of trafficking in persons in the District Court in Subotica, which sentenced him to 10 years in jail; this trafficker remains in jail pending appeal. The government did not demonstrate adequate punishment of officials complicit in trafficking. In a high profile case in Novi Pazar in August 2008, the government prosecuted and convicted 12 trafficking offenders, including the Deputy Public Prosecutor and two police officers. The principal trafficker in this case, a private citizen, received an eight-year sentence, though the two police officers received suspended sentences and the prosecutor was given a suspended sentence of three years and released for time served of one year. The prosecutor had sexually exploited some of the victims. There were no further developments in the 2007 case reported by the media of a police office investigated for facilitating the trafficking of a forced labor victim. The government’s refusal to cooperate with the Kosovo government hampers Serbia’s efforts to investigate and prosecute transnational trafficking.

Protection

The Government of Serbia increased efforts to protect victims but did not improve its identification procedures in 2008. While the government, with the assistance of international organizations, trained law enforcement officials on victim identification and treatment, the government continued to lack systematic victim identification, referral and treatment procedures and standards; trafficking cases were addressed on an ad hoc basis. The government provided three NGOs with $36,571 for victim assistance in July 2008 through the one-time sale of a special stamp. The government’s Agency of Coordination for Protection of Victims of Trafficking remained understaffed, but it received $18,501 in direct government funding, an increase compared to 2007, and also received $29,143 from the public stamp subsidy for its victim assistance funding. In 2008, the government and NGOs identified 55 trafficking victims and accommodated 20 in two NGO shelters. Identified victims generally are not detained, jailed, or otherwise penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of their being trafficked; however, government officials and organizations that deal with trafficking believe that due to the lack of systematic victim identification procedures, some victims were not identified and may have been penalized for acts committed as a result of being trafficked. In February 2008, border police arrested two trafficked girls from Uzbekistan for immigration violations. Serbia's Ombudsman learned of the case and facilitated the girls, release from detention two weeks later. The girls declined temporary residence permits and departed Serbia at their own expense. Reportedly, their traffickers fled across the border before police were able to arrest them. According to organizations dealing with trafficking, many victims were not provided with adequate protection in court mandated by the 2006 Witness Protection Law due to the lack of court facilities that would allow victims to await court proceedings or testify in areas separated from the defendants. An NGO reported that in early 2009, one victim and her child were repeatedly threatened by the trafficker during the trial; the victim subsequently changed her testimony; she was then charged by the government with perjury and defamation. During the reporting period, six NGO-municipal multi-disciplinary teams established last year to improve victim protection continued to operate.

Prevention

The Government of Serbia demonstrated some efforts to prevent trafficking in 2008. The new government appointed a new anti-trafficking national coordinator in November 2008, after the previous government left the position unfilled for many months. The government also created a ministerial-level Anti-Trafficking Council the same month. The Council and the working level Anti-Trafficking Team and Working Groups, which included NGO and international organization representatives, collaborated on a 2009-2011 national anti-trafficking action plan which the government adopted in April 2009. The Interior Minister and Justice Minister held a press conference on International Women's Day specifically to draw attention to human trafficking. The government funded and implemented an anti-trafficking campaign that included osters displayed at airports and border crossings around the country, flyers distributed at schools and police stations, and advertisements published in the help-wanted sections of magazines. The materials were designed to warn potential victims and to ask the public to report trafficking-related activity to a police hotline. An NGO campaign targeted at potential clients of the sex trade was not funded by the government.