Meeting for institutions engaged in suppression of trafficking in persons in the area of Vukovar-Srijem, Osijek-Baranja, Brodsko-Posavska, Pozesko-Slavonska and Viroviticko-Podravska Countries

Women’s Association Vukovar in cooperation with Centre for Women War victims ROSA of Zagreb, Association Brod – the Group for Women’s Human Rights of Slavonski Brod and Centre for Civil Society development “Delfin” of Pakrac, organized a meeting for institutions engaged in suppression of trafficking in persons in the area of five Slavonian counties – Vukovar-Srijem, Osijek-Baranja, Brodsko-Posavska, Pozesko-Slavonska and Viroviticko-Podravska. The meeting was held on 22^nd and 23^rd of February 2010 in Hotel Park in Nasice.

The objective of the meeting was continuation of cooperation of institutions engaged in suppression of human trafficking, exchange of information and experience and education for work on suppression of human trafficking. The meeting attended 37 representatives of institutions and non-governmental organizations as well as media.

The presenters at the event were_ Ms. Djurdjica Kolarec, Coordinator of PETRA Network, who presented work of the Network and elaborated a case study of a pimp and a victim, Ms. Sanda Brumen, Sociologist, an expert associate of Centre for Women War Victims Rosa, who presented the results of a research on media perspectives related to trafficking in women and prostitution, Mr. Drazen Puljko, an officer with the Crime Department of Brodsko-Posavska Police Administration, who held a presentation on prejudices against women victims of trafficking and women in prostitution, Ms. Selma Golubovic  Skec, the representative of Croatian red Cross, who spoke about the approach and work with victims of human trafficking in the shelter, and Ms. Danijela Gaube, Counselor with the Office for Human Rights of the Government of Croatia, who presented adoption of a new operational document, the Protocol on Voluntary Repatriation of Victims of Human Trafficking, and adoption of Changes and supplement of Protocol on Identification, Assistance and Protection of Victims of Human Trafficking. She also spoke about the activities of the Office for Human Rights in 2009. The meeting facilitated Milena Babic, Deputy Project Manager with Women’s Association Vukovar.

Drazen Puljko: “There are differences between prejudices related to female and male prostitution. A women in prostitution is amoral, worthless, and when “bought” she can be done with whatever the buyer wishes. On the other hand, in case of male prostitution, at the first place there is no name for a man in prostitution by gender. As women in prostitution are called prostitutes, men in prostitution are called “gigolo”, what brings a picture of positive connotation in sense of power relations.

Several years ago there were many prejudices about domestic violence and victims of domestic violence. A lot of work, education, public awareness rising, time, and importantly legislative changes, was necessary to break those prejudices. Prejudices on prostitution should be broken the same way, through legislative changes, and changing the opinion of people about prostitution.”

Selma Golubovic Skec: “So far there were in total 19 persons admitted in shelter, out of which 11 female and 8 male. The men who have been sheltered were mainly victims of work exploitation, working as farmers. In most cases those were persons of lower educational level and abilities, between 20-67 years of age, manly citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Croatia. Female beneficiaries in shelter were young women between 19-26 years of age, mostly victims of trafficking for purpose of sexual exploitation. Most of them were from the countries of the region and one from Moldova.

Work with victims in shelter is based on estimation of their needs, and then we try to diminish the damage that the person sustained, or are supported through socialization.”

The meeting was organized with financial support of the Office for Human Rights of the Government of Croatia, and OAK Foundation, Switzerland.