Women and girls are the most common victims of human trafficking, and it is important for health care providers to have knowledge and skills to recognise the signs of human trafficking and to refer potential victims to protection and assistance services, was highlighted at the two training sessions organised by the joint European Union - Council of Europe action “Preventing and combating trafficking in human beings in Serbia”, in co-operation with the Ministry of Health.

Health professionals may be one of the first professionals to come in contact with potential human trafficking victims seeking for medical care. At the two training sessions, organised from 19 to 21 October in Vrnjacka Banja and from 26 to 28 October 2022 in Sabac, 48 practitioners (psychiatrists, representatives of public health institutes and emergency centres, GPs, co-ordinators of the network for fighting against gender-based violence) acquired better understanding of vulnerabilities to human trafficking and gender-based violence, and discussed warning signs and specific indicators.

The participants heard statistics and presentations on the anti-trafficking system and actions in Serbia from representatives of the police, social care system and education system. They were moreover interested in recent statistics, the consequences of the trafficking process and concrete examples of cases and reactions when being in contact with victims.

The action „Preventing and combating trafficking in human beings in Serbia“ is part of the joint European Union/Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”.