Non-profit association Open Gate – La Strada. © UNODC
Skopje (North Macedonia) 16 January 2024 – “The knowledge gained from our workshops doesn’t stay in the meeting room,” says Stojne Atanasovska Dimishkovska, as she wraps up a regional meeting on child exploitation in South Eastern Europe and prepares for the mock trial of a trafficking case.
The Programme Officer at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in North Macedonia organizes regular events for national, regional and international experts on a wide range of issues relating to the crime of human trafficking.
“Our activities lead to the creation of networks of professionals who are dedicated to the fight against human trafficking and to getting justice for the victims,” she adds.
“Insights gained can inform policy changes, improve legal frameworks and victim protection and support mechanisms.”
The former social worker spent twenty years assisting victims of human trafficking and implementing prevention and education programmes before she joined the United Nations.
Today, she uses her vast experience to coordinate and conduct workshops on the appropriate approach to interview victims, the right procedures for collecting evidence in trafficking cases, and the necessary steps to ensure successful prosecutions of the traffickers.
“In line with our mandate, UNODC focuses on the criminal aspects of human trafficking,” says Dimishkovska. “But at the same time the needs, wellbeing and safety of the victims are central to our work, before, during and after court proceedings.”
No country is immune to human trafficking, and within North Macedonia, national and foreign men, women and children, including refugees, are exploited for different purposes.
Sexual exploitation most often occurs in bars and nightclubs while cases of forced labour are detected in the construction, agricultural, textile, hospitality and cleaning sectors.
North Macedonia is also experiencing a rise in child trafficking, especially in cases of forced begging and forced marriage where the perpetrators are close family members.
There is only one shelter for the accommodation of victims of trafficking in the country, run by Open Gate – La Strada.
The non-profit association also campaigns for the prevention of human trafficking and provides services for the protection and rehabilitation of victims of this crime.
Its Coordinator, Lence Markovic, attends training events organized by UNODC. With over 18 years’ experience, she says she is “positively surprised” when she realises how much she can still learn.
“UNODC brings together the best experts who can transfer knowledge on the topic of human trafficking. It gets everyone in one room and makes the connections between social workers, police, prosecutors and judges.”
She adds that before working with UNODC, her organization had limited interaction with the judiciary.
Now a network has been established in which all members support each other to achieve the best possible outcomes for the victims.
“From the practical training, we learnt that criminal justice officials often lack awareness about the emotional distress of the victims,” says Markovic.
“By including La Strada in events with judges and prosecutors, we can explain what the victims are experiencing during a legal process and before giving testimony in court and how to properly address this.”
Due to its location at the centre of South Eastern Europe, North Macedonia is a key transit route for migrants and refugees who are trying to reach European Union countries.
Experts from the Macedonian Young Lawyers Association (MYLA), a non-profit organization which provides legal aid to protect human rights, support refugees and migrants in transit centres on the borders with Greece and Serbia.
MYLA Attorney, Irena Cvetkovska, says: “We know that migrants and refugees are at risk of being trafficked when en route to North Macedonia or in the country. We have learnt about cases of forced labour in the agriculture and manufacturing sectors, sexual exploitation and even organ removal.”
She adds that although it is important to speak to suspected trafficking victims in order to refer them to the relevant authorities and provide the appropriate assistance, it is not an easy task.
“They’re scared and may have been victimized. Many of them are in transit and don’t want to delay their journey through being questioned about possible exploitation,” says Cvetkovska.
“Sometimes minors lie about their age because they know we need to wait for a guardian to arrive before we can talk to them.”
Through working with UNODC, the attorney says her knowledge has improved: “I’ve learnt about the correct procedures for interviewing suspected victims of human trafficking and how to implement them properly.”
Sofce Gavrilova Efremova has been active in the judiciary in North Macedonia for 11 years. The criminal judge specializes in cases of organized crime and corruption and regularly attends events organized by UNODC.
“Through our cooperation with UNODC, we have a better understanding of human trafficking and issues surrounding the protection of a victim’s rights and compensation,” she says.
The judge adds that at UNODC workshops, she has the opportunity to meet her counterparts from other countries and can learn how they respond to the crime.
“At a recent meeting, a Croatian prosecutor explained that the courts in her country have employed psychologists and social workers who help the judges to work with victims,” says Efremova.
“Working with trafficking victims is very different from working on a case that relates to other objects of crime, like drugs,” she adds.
“Sometimes, I’m working with a little child who has suffered very much, so I think our judges and prosecutors could benefit from similar support.”
UNODC’s Stojne Atanasovska Dimishkovska says during the two decades she has been active in the anti-human trafficking field, she has observed many changes in the modus operandi of the traffickers and in the profile of the victims.
“But what persists is the way traffickers exploit the vulnerabilities of people who are struggling with poverty, exposure to violence, unemployment, childhood trauma, neglect and lack of information,” she adds.
“Only by cooperating closely on a national, regional and international level with all authorities involved, whether on the victim protection, crime prevention or judicial side, can we effectively combat this crime,” concludes Dimishkovska.
