Challenges to Preliminary Identification of Romani 'Victims of Trafficking'

A policy paper and a policy brief have been published by CPS Research Associate Jelena Jovanovic in the frame of the project 'Exploring 'Vulnerability of Roma' in the Anti-human Trafficking Policy Discourse in Serbia'.

Policy paper

Fourteen years after the Serbian government ratified the Palermo Protocol, the efficacy of its anti-trafficking policy mechanism should be assessed. This paper examines one area of anti-trafficking efforts – identification. It focuses on preliminary identification (detection and reporting) of Romani ‘victims of trafficking’. It focuses specifically on the challenges to identification connected with ‘forced marriage’ and ‘forced begging’ for two reasons: firstly, these are the forms of trafficking (as defined by anti-trafficking policy) which have been the most clearly ethnicized by anti-trafficking policy discourse in general. Trafficking for petty crimes is also a form associated with Roma, but Serbian anti-trafficking policy actors rarely have a say on this issue. The general anti-trafficking policy discourse also associates trafficking for sexual exploitation with Roma, but not exclusively, and almost only when prompted. In this case, “Roma are among the victims too”. Secondly, my interviews with local anti-trafficking policy actors on forced marriage and forced begging demonstrated clearly the persistent complexity of these discourses. My main finding is that the ways the specific policy debates are framed have serious negative impacts on combatting early, arranged, and forced marriage and begging and forced begging. In addition, structural problems cause institutions to strengthen and produce more negative effecters, resulting even in policing Romani children who are at the same time, by the same policy actors which police them, considered ‘victims’. The main aim of this paper is to address some of the outstanding issues pertinent to raising the awareness of anti-trafficking policy actors regarding problems related to victim identification.

Challenges to Preliminary Identification of Romani 'Victims of Trafficking': The Serbian Case (Download)

Policy Brief (in English and in Serbian)

In the first phase of my research (“Exploring ‘Vulnerability of Roma’ in the Anti-Human Trafficking Policy Discourse in Serbia”), I interviewed anti-trafficking policy actors active on the national level. One of the main findings is related to Serbian state institutions on the local level, which are criticized by many of the interviewed national policy actors for not identifying Romani victims of trafficking. In general, the interviewed national policy actors are convinced that discrimination (sometimes explicitly racism) prevents local level state institutions, especially schools and social care centers, from identifying Romani victims of trafficking. The second phase of my research examines the key findings of the first phase, through studying the local-level anti-trafficking discourse and practice. I conducted structured and semi-structured interviews with local antitrafficking policy actors: representatives of social care centers, health care institutions, police authorities, foster homes, non-governmental organizations, as well as several elementary school directors, Romani teacher assistants and a school psychologist.

Challenges to Preliminary Identification of "Victims" of Forced Marriage and Forced Begging in Serbia: Recommendations to Anti-Trafficking Policy Actors (Download)

Izazovi preliminarne identifikacije "žrtava" prinudnih brakova i prinudnog prosjačenja u Srbiji: Preporuke akterima u kreiranju politike borbe protiv trgovine ljudima (Preuzimanje)