Needs Assessment Research: The Regional Counter Trafficking Situation in the Western Balkans

The Western Balkan (WB) countries have a history of being countries of origin, transit and destination for victims of human trafficking. As the current borders of the European Union have expanded to include countries in and bordering the WB region, irregular migration flows have also shifted, with many WB countries experiencing an influx of irregular migrants, as well as migrants arriving from new countries of origin. These new migration flows contribute to the vulnerability of certain groups and may present certain security risks.

This project’s main objective is to generate the necessary evidence to improve current legislation and programmes addressing the issue of Trafficking in Persons (TIP) in the WB region. The project consists of a needs-assessment of the current Counter Trafficking (CT) mechanisms in the region. It will evaluate the current TIP situation in order to determine: which aspects of CT efforts throughout the region urgently need to be addressed; and the possibilities for regional cooperation on CT issues.