Summary

During her country visit to Montenegro, the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Maria Grazia Giammarinaro, examined the main forms of trafficking in persons, at the domestic and international levels. She commended the efforts of Montenegro in the prevention of specific forms trafficking, especially the trafficking of children for the purposes of begging and unlawful marriage, through inclusion strategies aimed at affected communities. She welcomed the establishment of a new operational unit to identify, investigate and prosecute cases of trafficking, with a view to establishing a multidisciplinary approach to identification and protection. However, she raised concerns about weaknesses in the support system, in particular insufficient funding for service providers of assistance to trafficked persons. The Special Rapporteur also analysed the situation of Montenegro as a transit country on the Balkan route and the need to increase efforts in support of vulnerable migrants and the early identification of trafficked persons among them.