"In addition to sexual exploitation, there is a growing number of cases of trafficking in humans for the purposes of begging, forced labour or sale of body organs," the head of the Vukovar Women's Association, Ruzica Mandic, told a press conference.
The conference also discussed proposals for the successful identification of trafficking victims and the criminal prosecution of the perpetrators.
It was said that there were 14 cases of trafficking in humans in Croatia last year, most of which have been solved, while this year eight trafficking victims have been registered, five of whom were Croats. In Serbia, 62 victims of trafficking were registered in 2006.
The conference was attended by representatives of state institutions and non-governmental organisations from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia, as well as guests from non-governmental organisations from Slovenia, Macedonia and Kosovo.
The meeting was organised by CARE International, which has its headquarters in Sarajevo and offices in Belgrade and Zagreb. Since 2004 the organisation has been implementing trafficking prevention projects in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and Serbia in accordance with the existing national plans for the prevention of trafficking in humans.