Skopje, 27-28 February 2025
Statistics from 2019 to 2023 show that there are approximately 60 identified victims of human trafficking in North Macedonia, most of them children. Children who are victims of human trafficking most often come from disadvantaged social groups. Children without parental care are at higher risk of human trafficking due to their living conditions. In this context, the role of psychologists, social workers and pedagogues is crucial both in educating children about the dangers of human trafficking and in providing assistance to children.
To help prevent child trafficking, as well as in providing good care for child victims, the project "Strengthening Activities against Human Trafficking" in partnership with the Ministry of Social Policy, Demography and Youth conducted a two-day training on identifying, protecting and referring potential victims of child trafficking. Twenty-two psychologists, social workers and educators who provide care for children without parental care participated in the training and improved their skills on how to approach and identify potential victims of child trafficking, how to identify their needs and how to protect children from falling into the vicious cycle of child trafficking.
“Individuals become more vulnerable due to physical, psychological and sexual violence. Traffickers impose many rules on their victims. They are not allowed to eat or sleep without his/her permission. They are not allowed to go out unaccompanied, and even when they are out, someone is following their every step,” said Marika PODA CONOR, an educator in the field of human trafficking from Malta. She stressed that child victims are socially isolated, monitored and guarded 24/7, and trained to tell a fabricated story as a cover.
Using adult learning methodologies, including interactive methods, group work and discussions on video materials on the topic of human trafficking, participants were able to better understand the profiles of child victims as well as traffickers. Good practices from Malta in preventing and combating child trafficking strengthened the capacities of participants to use a proactive and victim-focused approach in their cases.
During the training, representatives from the NGO “For a Happy Childhood” had the opportunity to present their work and experience in assisting victims of human trafficking. They also shared with the participants effective models for the prevention of human trafficking and children.
The project “Strengthening Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings in North Macedonia” is part of the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe, the Horizontal Instrument for the Western Balkans and Turkey, co-financed by the European Union and the Council of Europe and implemented by the Council of Europe.