NGO's report that traffickers frequently use intermediaries to bring clients to private apartments, motels, and gas stations where victims are held.
The government made clear progress in its anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts during 2009 by significantly reducing its use of suspended sentences and imposing stronger penalties for convicted traffickers.
[3] Although the government claimed compliance, the 2017 report noted the inability to fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but that it is making significant efforts to do so.
The Government of Bosnia prohibits trafficking for sexual and labor exploitation through Article 186 of its criminal code, which prescribes penalties of up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
[1] The government provided legal alternatives to the removal of foreign trafficking victims to countries where they face hardship or retribution through the provision of short- and long-term residence permits.
The government failed to protect the confidentiality of an alleged underage sex trafficking victim during 2009 by allowing some media to disclose her full name and photo.
[1] Prevention initiatives undertaken by the government is based on the implementation of the 2016-2019 national anti-trafficking plan, which prescribed specific efforts to identify trafficking incidents and the protection of victims in cooperation with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and NGOs.
The partnership with the OSCE also involved the training of prosecutors and judges to augment practical and theoretical knowledge on the elements of human trafficking as a crime as well as their role in addressing issues of victim and witness support within the judicial system.
OSCE, for its part, is focused on working with domestic institutions and international partners to enhance the legislative and policy framework for human trafficking in the country.
[8] The Bosnia and Herzegovina government continued to give specialized trafficking awareness training to Bosnian troops before their deployment on international peacekeeping missions.
In partnership with the Norwegian government, it developed a manual for police, prosecutors, social centers and health care officials on preventing child trafficking.