On the seminar “Bosnia and Herzegovina: Challenges in combating human trafficking from a regional perspective”, the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to BiH Renzo Daviddi said that human trafficking violates human rights and that “we must combat it together”. He emphasized that BiH achieved progress in that regard which is very important for its path toward the EU integration.
“Today, we will face challenges with which BiH is faced in a regional sense in regard to human trafficking. The fight against human trafficking is something which must be done, not only within the EU but also outside the EU and regional cooperation is crucial,” Daviddi stressed.
He reminded about the important step the EU took to strengthen international coordination.
“The European Union appointed a coordinator for combating human trafficking which is responsible for the coordination in the European institutions, agencies and numerous countries,” he said.
He explains that the coordinator is in charge for developing existent and creating new policies of the EU in order to resolve the issue of human trafficking. Also, he added, that there is a comprehensive legal framework based on human rights and that there is a special focus on child victims.
Daviddi stressed the importance of not only internal but also external cooperation and that it is necessary to improve it.
“Regional cooperation is one of the most important paths in fighting human trafficking. It is necessary to improve regional cooperation in the prosecution among agencies for law enforcement as well as cooperation between border polices and preventing child begging,” he said.
He expressed hope that today’s event will enable a significant form for strengthening cooperation and synergy on a regional level.
The Italian Ambassador to BiH Ruggero Corrias said that Italy dedicated attention to initiatives which can raise awareness about this “awful plague”.
“We are trying to resolve issues in the best way possible and to raise awareness through an integrated approach. In international organizations and diplomatic circles we are using the concept of an integrated, holistic approach,” Ambassador Corrias said.
He said that in Italy with the IOM last year began a regional exploration to create a kind of law mapping in countries which are working on this issue and have suggested certain improvements.
(Source: Fena)
