Anti-Trafficking Success Stories from Croatia

Most victims of human trafficking are not forcibly abducted into slavery. Deceit, not outright force, is the trafficker’s most efficient tool. In the Balkans, traffickers sell the image of a prosperous, cosmopolitan Western Europe with a demand for waitresses, nannies, wives, dancers and models. Young women, motivated by poverty, ambition or a lack of prospects at home, often see such offers as a chance to improve their lot.

In order to fight the trafficker’s misinformation, young people need the knowledge that will help them avoid being victimized. And, because young people are most likely to heed their peers, World Learning’s STAR Network (Strategies, Training, Advocacy, and Resources) designed its Croatia Trafficking Prevention Activity (CTPA) to fight the traffickers where it can have the greatest impact: on the ground, working through small grants to local partners.

A poster warning of bogus newspaper ads for work abroad. It offers examples of suspicious information.

One partner, the Center for Women “Rosa,” from Zagreb, is working to be sure that more people are aware of the dangers of trafficking and the dirty tricks that traffickers use to lure victims. Rosa designed and carried out a “Campaign Against Trafficking in Women and Girls,” to raise awareness of trafficking in persons, particularly women and girls for sexual exploitation. It targeted the general public, potential and actual victims of trafficking, as well as state institutions and NGOs working to fight this problem in Croatia.

The campaign distributed more than 1,500 posters and 4,500 postcards to police stations, Croatia’s government-operated Centers for Social Welfare and NGOs all over the country. It published public announcements in “IN ZG: A Monthly Guide to City Events,” with approximately 40,000 copies reaching citizens of Zagreb and tourists. The campaign also placed illuminated signs in transit centers including airports, bus stop shelters, railway platforms and tram stops.

Broadcast media also played an important role. Three national radio stations broadcast jingles and Croatian TV1 and TV2 broadcast Public Service Announcements free of charge. Further bolstering these efforts, a network of Croatian women’s organizations called Petra arranged broadcast of the same PSAs on local TV and radio stations in other affected communities beyond Zagreb, greatly multiplying the impact of Rosa’s message.

As a result of this campaign, the number of calls to the SOS Helpline against trafficking in women increased significantly. During June 2005 alone, the total number of calls was higher than in all of 2004. Four cases of trafficking in women and one case of an enslaved man were discovered after being reported to the SOS Helpline.

Posters at transit centers, such as this bus stop in Dubrovnik, raise awareness of trafficking in Croatia.

Another grantee and local partner, the Organization for Integrity and Prosperity (OIP), from Split, works in the schools to teach students about the dangers of human trafficking. Split, located on the Adriatic coast, is Croatia’s second largest city. As a tourist gateway to nearby islands and beaches, it is also one of the country’s centers of international trade. However, the relative poverty of the surrounding inland areas makes Split a magnet for traffickers and their victims.

OIP carries out workshops for high school students in Split and in Imotski, which is located in a poorer inland area nearby. In six workshops, 110 pupils from Split and 50 pupils from Imotski learned how to avoid becoming victims of traffickers. Additionally, OIP has fostered cross-border cooperation with an NGO from Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina who added to the workshops with their experiences in combating trafficking among youth in their own country.

High school students in Imotski learn about the recruitment tactics of traffickers

Croatia’s Ministry of Education and Sport has committed itself to include more education on trafficking into the school system to prevent trafficking. OIP has been recognized as one of the implementers of the Ministry’s program and its project was recommended by Ministry to be included for “scaling up” within the regular educational system.

Although teachers participated as observers in OIP’s work with students, many teachers expressed a desire for additional education on the subject. Parents have also expressed their interest to be more involved in prevention programs. In future projects, OIP will work to involve teachers and parents along with their primary target: youth who finish school and may search for a job abroad.

STAR Updates | In the News

World Learning

World Learning International Development Programs

1015 15th Street, NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20005 USA
Phone: (202) 408-5420 Fax: (202) 408-5397 Email: star@worldlearning.org