[ Human Trafficking, Country-by-Country ]

MOTENEGRO (Tier 2 Watch List) – Extracted in part from the U.S. State Dept 2023 TIP Report

The Government of Montenegro does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so.  These efforts included prosecuting more defendants and identifying more trafficking victims.  The government adopted the NAP for 2022, and government coordinating bodies met consistently.  However, the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts compared with the previous reporting period, even considering the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, if any, on its anti-trafficking capacity.  The government did not convict any traffickers and reorganized the police office dedicated to investigating trafficking, which reduced its ability to conduct proactive investigations.  The government did not quickly act and establish alternative means of victim protection after experts published credible allegations of abuse by an employee with management duties of the government-funded, NGO-run anti-trafficking shelter (anti-trafficking shelter), including physical violence against victims, intimidation, and blackmail.  Following the misconduct allegations, civil society and international organizations ceased victim referrals to the anti-trafficking shelter.  While the state prosecution initiated an investigation against an employee of the shelter, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (MLSW) did not suspend the anti-trafficking shelter’s license and funding and continued to refer two child victims and allocate funding to the shelter until the grant ended in December 2022.  Thereafter, the MLSW did not renew the anti-trafficking shelter’s grant, and the government decided to start renovating a government-run shelter for child trafficking victims.  Consequently, there was no alternative shelter or specialized assistance for trafficking victims at the end of the reporting period.  The government attempted to organize accommodations for child victims in foster families; however, it did not develop a concrete plan to provide victim protection for adult victims.  Therefore Montenegro was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List.

Prioritized Recommendations

Establish and provide victim protection, including specialized accommodation, assistance, and support for adult and child trafficking victims.

Vigorously investigate and prosecute trafficking crimes and convict traffickers using Article 444 of the criminal code, rather than lesser offenses (when possible), including by ensuring adequate staffing and specialization among police officers.

Allocate sufficient resources for victim protection, establish standards and guidelines for victim protection, and hire and train staff to provide specialized victim assistance.

Increase proactive identification efforts for trafficking victims and screen for trafficking among individuals engaged in commercial sex, migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees, seasonal workers, and other at-risk populations.

Provide advanced training to judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement on trafficking investigations and prosecutions, including collecting evidence on subtle forms of coercion or the use of specialized investigative techniques.

Increase access to justice and victim-witness assistance for victims, including access to experienced attorneys and Romani interpreters.

Integrate Romani groups into decision-making processes regarding victim protection.

Create and finance an accessible compensation fund and inform victims of their right to compensation during legal proceedings.

Regulate and monitor labor recruitment agencies.