A Council of Europe report (https://bit.ly/3mzOaf2 ) published on Thursday concludes the third observation round conducted by the Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) in Croatia, which is a country of origin, destination, and transit of victims of trafficking.
GRETA welcomes the measures taken following its previous report published in 2016, but “notes with concern” that not all complaints about potential cases of trafficking are taken seriously by the police. In this context, it recalls the judgment delivered by the European Court of Human Rights last June upholding an applicant’s complaint that she had been forced into prostitution (the “S.M. v. Croatia” case).
GRETA welcomed the creation of 60 hearing rooms equipped for children, but calls on the Croatian authorities to ensure that they benefit from special protection measures, in particular with regard to the disclosure of personal information to the media.
To date, no victim of trafficking has been compensated by a trafficker in criminal proceedings or has received compensation from the State, said GRETA, which points out that there are legal provisions for this.
The report further calls on Croatia to pay particular attention to at-risk sectors such as agriculture, construction, and hotels and to identify indicators of trafficking among asylum-seekers and unaccompanied children. While the main objective of trafficking remains the sexual exploitation of women and girls, labour exploitation is on the increase and is mainly targeted at men. (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)