Number of human trafficking cases up in BiH in 2020

SARAJEVO, May 5 (Xinhua) -- Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) registered a slight increase in the number of human trafficking cases in 2020, the country's Council of Ministers said on Wednesday.

Seventy victims of human trafficking were identified in BiH in 2020 in legal cases mostly related to organized sexual abuse and exploitation of minors in begging activities.

In a report to the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Security said the number of victims slightly increased from 2019, when 61 victims were reported.

In 2020, the country's prosecutors launched 38 criminal investigations and charged 25 suspects. Thirty people were convicted for human trafficking in Bosnian courts, according to the report.

The number of court cases decreased compared to 2019, when 31 people were charged and 34 convicted for human trafficking.

Coordinators and coordinating teams for countering human trafficking were appointed on all levels of the government in 2020 in line with the country's 2020-2023 Strategy to Counter Trafficking in Human Beings.

BiH continues to fight human trafficking by improving the legal and institutional framework, streamlining the judicial procedures, improving the coordination of competent institutions and civil society organisations, and building a mechanism for identifying and protecting the victims of human trafficking.