Back Strengthening access to justice: Free legal aid for human trafficking victims

Belgrade, Serbia 25 November 2024
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Strengthening access to justice: Free legal aid for human trafficking victims

Legal experts and key stakeholders came together at a roundtable in Belgrade to tackle one of the most critical challenges in combating human trafficking: ensuring victims have access to free legal aid. Organised by the Council of Europe under the Horizontal Facility programme in Serbia and the Ministry of the Interior, the event provided a platform for exchanging experiences, addressing systemic challenges, and fostering collaboration to enhance support for survivors.

The roundtable brought together representatives from Serbia’s Ministries of the Interior and Justice, the Centre for Human Trafficking Victims’ Protection, the Ombudsman’s Office, 7 legal aid services in local self-governments, the Serbian Bar Association, the Belgrade Bar Association, and non-governmental organizations. Together, they delved into the implementation of the Law on Free Legal Aid, focusing specifically on victims of trafficking.

Participants discussed practical aspects of providing free legal aid in terms of   forms and their availability to human trafficking victims, procedure for exercising the right to free legal aid, challenges in referring victims to providers of free legal support and free legal aid.

Real-world challenges were highlighted, and participants explored sustainable and equitable solutions to these issues. They emphases the need for stronger coordination, raising awareness and knowledge of professionals when conducting procedures involving human trafficking victims, as a particularly vulnerable category entitled to free legal aid in the Law on Free Legal Aid.

The round-table meeting was organised in line with the recommendations of the third GRETA evaluation report for Serbia (in particular with an eye on Article 15, paragraph 2 of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings) and the national Action Plan for the Implementation of the Programme for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings in the Republic of Serbia 2024-2026.

The roundtable underscored the importance of collaboration and knowledge sharing among institutions and organizations. By fostering dialogue and exchanging experiences, participants identified actionable steps to improve the free legal aid system and strengthen Serbia’s response to trafficking in human beings.

This initiative is part of the action “Strengthening anti-trafficking action in Serbia” within the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey".

Horizontal Facility III

The joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Türkiye” (Horizontal Facility III) is a co-operation initiative, running from 2023 until 2026.

The programme covers actions in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Türkiye. It enables the Beneficiaries to meet their reform agendas in the fields of human rights, rule of law and democracy and to comply with European standards, which is also a priority for the EU enlargement process.

The third phase of the programme is worth €41 million (85% funded by the European Union, 15% by the Council of Europe).

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.