SEMINAR ON PREVENTING PEOPLE TRAFFICKING STARTS IN ZAGREB

ZAGREB, April 2 (Hina) - Croatian Justice, Administration and Local Self-Government Minister Ingrid Anticevic Marinovic on Wednesday opened a seminar on the reform of the penal code in the struggle against and prevention of people trafficking in Southeast Europe, the ministry reported. #L# The closed-door seminar is being held in Zagreb from today until Friday under the organisation of the Council of Europe, in cooperation with the justice ministry. It is being held as part of a project called "Lara". Some thirty participants of the seminar, experts on people trafficking from Southeast European countries, will discuss their experience and results in the field. The announced amendments to the Croatian Penal Code will incorporate incriminations of people trafficking which include international conventions and protocols, as well as bilateral agreements, Marinovic said. By applying the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union, Croatia will provide the victims of people trafficking with the necessary help, accommodation, repatriation, social, material and health assistance, employment possibilities, education and the protection of internationally recognised human rights and freedoms, the minister said. According to some estimates, some four million people fall victims to people trafficking around the world each year. Last year's study which was drafted by the UNICEF, the U.N.'s human rights department and the OSCE, notes that official statistics speaks about 23 cases of people trafficking in Croatia in the past three years. (hina) lml sb