The action on “Preventing and combating human trafficking in North Macedonia” in co-operation with the Institute for Public Health and civil society organisations (CSOs) Open Gate and Centre for Research and Policy Making (CRPM), co-authored a Short Guide for health care professionals on identification and support of trafficking victims. By applying the focus group methodology, the action aimed at making the said Short Guide accessible and readily useable by general practitioners, nurses, first emergency responders, gynaecologists, surgeons, i.e., by the health care professionals who may come in touch with potential victims of human trafficking.

“When the trafficking victim asks for medical help, this creates a momentum for her /him to find a way out from the vicious circle, therefore the health care professionals play an important role in identifying and assisting human trafficking victims”, said Dr. Daniela Ivanova Panova, a gynaecologist from the Centre for victims of sexual violence. She explained the indicators for detecting and identifying potential trafficking victims by health care professionals.

Marija Todorovska, Programme Manager from the CSO Open Gate with more than 20 years of work experience in the anti-trafficking field explained the profile of trafficking victims and the support structure that exists in North Macedonia, including the State Centre for victims of human trafficking and gender violence managed by Open Gate. “In the country, the trafficking trends change constantly. Whereas in the past most of the women trafficking victims came from Moldavia, Ukraine, Russia, internal trafficking has been on the rise now”, affirms Todorovska.

While the draft of the said Short Guide was prepared with a participation of approximately 20 health care professionals in two previous focus groups held in May 2022, the task of the third focus group was to verify the draft material. Fourteen health care professionals exchanged ideas and provided good proposals for improving the Short Guide under a guidance of Marija Risteska, the Executive Director of CRPM. The Short Guide was deemed very useful by the participants. They, among other, proposed a continuous education on human trafficking for health care professionals, as well as supplemented information about identifying potential trafficking victims among persons with disabilities and about health care professionals’ protection from violence. The Short Guide will be made available in Macedonian, Albanian and English languages in November this year.

The 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 2019 - 2022 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.