Protection of Human Trafficking Victims and Functionalization of Institutional Mechanisms in Kosovo

Abstract

Trafficking with human beings involves not only a crime in itself, but, in most cases, it is a
crime with multiple activities and with multilateral organizational structures. Before the war in
Kosovo, trafficking with human beings was very little, or not to say the least expressed, meanwhile
with the end of the war, Kosovo was not only a transit country, but it is a source and destination
country for women and children, sexual victims trafficking and forced labour. This paper represents
an attempt to highlight the growing phenomenon of trafficking in human beings both in the region and
in Kosovo, based on available literature, reports, contacts and personal research. The paper gives a
brief summary of the criminal law aspect, namely the material law aspect. The problem is also
associated with increased migration and because of the complexity of the problem trafficking of
human beings, especially young women and girls for prostitution purposes is identified. This paper is
primarily leaded by these issues and seeks to investigate what happened in Kosovo in that area and
what are the steps needed by prosecution authorities and NGOs to prevent human trafficking in the
future.