Skopje, 30 May 2023 (MIA) – North Macedonia is a final destination country, origin country and a transit country when it comes to human trafficking. While in the past the victims were almost always young girls from Southeast Europe, now we are registering a trend of victims from the inside of our country, but also other countries from the region, underlined Minister of Interior Oliver Spasovski at Tuesday’s regional conference organized by the Migration, Asylum, Refugees Regional Initiative – MARRI titled “Successful Together! Regional Insights and Approaches on Preventing and Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings”. 

According to Spasovski, elements of exploitation of human trafficking victims increasingly include forced marriage and labor exploitation. 

Stressing that preventing and combating trafficking in human beings is high on the Government’s agenda, Spasovski said it produces a partnership approach and a joint contribution for the increase of efficiency of the system as a whole and effective tackling of these types of Crime.

“The fight against trafficking in human beings requires a proactive and multidisciplinary approach, which is why we are working with all relevant partners from the institutional sectors, civil society and the international community, in order to develop our regional cooperation and secure continued training of experts of all profiles,” said Spasovski.

The Interior Minister voiced his gratitude to the German Association for International Cooperation, i.e., the GIZ office in Skopje, and the MARRI Initiative for their vision in the conception of the regional project “Preventing and Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings in the Western Balkans – PaCT”.

“The synergy secured within this project contributes to the close cooperation and coordination between the existing networks in the region,” stressed Spasovski, once again underscoring the importance the Ministry assigns to international cooperation, as part of which various projects aimed at upgrading the capacities of the Ministry are being implemented.

The regional conference, “Successful Together! Regional Insights and Approaches on Preventing and Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings”, organized by the Migration, Asylum, Refugees Regional Initiative – MARRI is being held in Skopje, and attended by representatives of nongovernmental and international organizations.

Photo: MoI