Actions taken:
Actions taken and key achievements in implementation of the Pledge by the Croatian Red Cross between 2015 and 2019:
Croatian Red Cross (CRC) has been active in responding to issues of human trafficking since 2005 in terms of education and awareness raising about risks of human trafficking; increasing capacities of frontline practitioners, multi-agency responders and local branches on early identification, referral and casework support; and direct assistance to and protection of potential and actual victims of human trafficking.
After signing the Pledge, CRC has significantly increased its response to assist vulnerable migrants and trafficked persons from migrant population. This has also been possible due to various EU-funded projects that the CRC had been granted and implementing between years 2014 and 2019.
• Explore strategies to improve the Croatian Red Cross response to the humanitarian consequences of human trafficking among migrants, in accordance with the RC/RC mandate, auxiliary role to States, and the Fundamental Principles:
CRC staff provides psychosocial and technical support in two reception centres for asylum seekers in Croatia, protection and RFL activities in the immigration detention and transit centres and assistance to migrants in the integration programme. In their daily work, the trained staff has included screening and awareness raising mechanisms into their psychosocial support activities, namely into the information sessions on risks of human trafficking and rights of trafficked persons and in the individual initial interviews.
At the policy level, the CRC is a member of the National Committee for the Suppression of Trafficking in Persons of the Government of the Republic of Croatia and a member of multi-agency Operational Team for Suppression of Trafficking in Human Beings established in order to coordinate implementation of the National Action Plan and led by the National anti-trafficking coordinator.
Responding to the needs of trafficked people remained a priority for the organisation going forward, also given to the funding through government-funded and EU projects (ISEC and AMIF funds). CRC will work towards securing new funding and resources for upcoming years in order to continue response to HT of migrants. In past few years, the CRC – also related to the latest migration movements in Europe – focused on migrant populations as vulnerable groups to exploitation and human trafficking. In the migrant premises where the CRC is present, the focus was on recognising signs of HT; referrals of potential victims and providing awareness raising information to migrant population.
CRC is one of the few organisation with experience and knowledge in working with both migrants and trafficking victims in Croatia, and therefore has been focusing on capacity building and education of governmental and non-governmental stakeholders.
CRC will continue in supporting other National societies to develop their response to human trafficking in terms of sharing knowledge, cooperate in trainings development and in raising awareness.
• Use a victim-centred approach in all responses:
In all work and approaches by the Croatian Red Cross, we make sure that we advocate for the victim-centred approach where wellbeing, safety and protection of the trafficked person is a priority. We always seek informed consent in all steps related to the case, referrals and coordination with the institutions and stakeholders. The victims are included in the dialogue to increase their empowerment and lower their future dependencies and vulnerabilities.
Upon identification of the trafficking victim it is taken into account that he/she is provided with gender sensitive provision of services. It is always taken into account that victim’s wishes are respected regarding gender of the service provider (psychosocial support, casework management, medical assistance). In the shelter there are separate premises for female and male victims to ensure safety, privacy and specificities in organisation of daily life.
Moreover, the Croatian Red Cross uses a focus group approach when developing its awareness raising response, i.e. asylum seekers and persons under international protection as well as our volunteers were consulted during the development of information session programmes and of awareness raising curriculum in migrants’ facilities. Our cultural mediators and interpreters who mostly come from the refugee background are also consulted in development of programmes and materials in order to best reach the populations that we plan to target.
• Engage in a dialogue with state and civil society organisations working in the field of human trafficking and strengthen cooperation with stakeholders that assist and/or protect (possible) trafficked persons:
CRC continued cooperating with other organisations and institutions, on the national, regional and international level. CRC is a participant in the EU Civil Society Platform against Trafficking in Human Being and will continue providing feedback for the strategies and EU level responses, exchange experience and enhance cooperation and networking with CSO in Europe.
On a national level, CRC was consulted to provide contributions to the National Action Plan on Suppressing HT 2018-2021. CRC advocated for a need to implement screening procedures for migrant flows to identify victims among vulnerable populations, including UASC and asylum seekers as well as seasonal workers and national minorities.
In a multi-disciplinary national referral mechanism cooperation CRC provides inputs for the further development of the standard operating procedures for identifying and referring victims to services and supported the governmental bodies (both in terms of finances and trainers) in trainings of stakeholders. This was especially important since 2015 changes in migration context and the need to strengthen collaborative appraoches and ensure protection and supportive services to all victims across the country and the region, regardless of their immigration status.
• Advocate that victims must be recognized as such and provided with appropriate support and protection, which should be unconditional and irrespective of their cooperation in criminal procedures and legal status:
Due to the neutral position of the Red Cross, CRC serves as an assistance, referral and coordination organisation without getting involved in any criminal proceedings. It provides psychosocial and emotional support to victims being in the procedural position to enable their rights and access to protection. This includes the ability to testify via audio-video link, logistical assistance to safely enter the court premises, and other measures to prevent re-traumatization and potential intimidation of the victim.
In recent years, CRC provided input to main legal documents adopted by the government as a part of working group. As for humanitarian diplomacy efforts, the CRC advocated for the development of guidelines on early identification indicators on recognising signs of human trafficking and implementation of trainings for relevent frontline practitioners including legal guardians working with UASC along the migratory route, further support to migrant victims in terms of economic, social and emotional empowement, safe access to labour market, taking into account gender dimension, a need for awareness raising on risks of human trafficking and provision of educative information sessions in facilities where asylum seekers, refugees and undocumented migrants are accommodated or provided with assistance.
• Bilaterally and/or through the European Anti-Trafficking Network share best practices on their response to human trafficking. This could include awareness-raising, assistance to and protection of victims, humanitarian diplomacy, and/or training of relevant staff and volunteers on identification of possible trafficked persons and assistance:
As one of the co-chairs of the European Action for Trafficked persons Network (ATN) between years 2014 and 2019, CRC facilitated learning and exchange of good practices on human trafficking in the context of migration between Red Cross Societies, both at annual meetings and by organizing webinars on relevant topics.
Provided peer support to European Red Cross Societies to help develop and strengthen their response to human trafficking of migrants based on the IFRC/ATN trainers toolkit of 2018 “Trafficking in Human Beings trainer toolkit: How to reduce the risks of trafficking for migrants, recognize signs and respond safely”.
The CRC entered into a partnership with the British and Netherlands Red Cross on the STEP Project (EU-AMIF funded). STEP was written in the context of the European refugee crisis and the new challenges this brought in both transit and destination countries across Europe. The project aimed to develop and promote a consistent approach to identification, protection and integration of victims of trafficking across the EU.
CRC as a member of the Centre for the Cooperation in the Mediterranean provided support during the development of Youth programme on awareness raising on human trafficking – training of trainers and training of educators undertaken after the 12th Mediterranean Conference of the RCRCS in the Republic of San Marino in 2015.
