The aim of the conference is to improve the cooperation of the civil and government sectors in suppressing trafficking in humans.
Representatives of NGOs from Slovenia, Macedonia and Kosovo attended as guests.
The conference was opened by a representative of the organiser, the director of the CARE mission in the region, Gustavo D'Angelo, who said that trafficking in humans in the Balkans was one of the gravest problems of the countries in the region.
Trafficking in humans primarily represents a violation of universal human rights, to life, freedom and protection, and it has boomed in the Balkans over the last 15 years, with Balkan countries being countries of origin, transit and destination, he said.
He added, however, that the turn of the century had seen major changes as countries began prioritising the suppression of trafficking in humans by preparing national action plans.
The national coordinator for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Jasminka Djumhur, presented a report on the situation in the region.
She said trafficking in humans was the most profitable form of organised crime after drug trafficking and that women and children were the most frequent victims. She added there was still no uniform statistical data on victims.
The national coordinator for Croatia and chief of the government's Human Rights Office, Luka Madjeric, said that eight victims of human trafficking had been registered in Croatia this year, including five Croatian female citizens. Sixty-two victims have been registered since 2002, when Croatia began keeping records.
Madjeric pointed to the trend of the decreasing average age of victims, which fell to 18 last year.