Nov 10, 2023

Workshop on fight against THB, Migrant Smuggling and counterfeiting of documents

Yesterday, 9th of November 2023, the Criminal Intelligence Service of Austria hosted the Workshop “SEPCA countries in the fight against Trafficking in Human Beings, Migrant smuggling and counterfeiting of documents”.

 The event was jointly organised by the Criminal Intelligence Service of Austria, Republic of Srpska SEPCA Presidency for 2023 and CSC WB IPA Project.

It is to mention that THB and Migrants Smuggling are core activities of serious and organised crime in the SEPCA Region, as well as in Austria and the EU. These types of crimes remain threats for the near future, with victims exploited by organized criminal networks. According to the latest SEPCA Threat Assessment Report, SEPCA countries are a transit region for illegal migration, but a new tendency is presently that the illegal migrants are also asylum seekers.

The Workshop brought together experts from Austria, Albania, The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Republic of Srpska and Serbia who highlighted the new trends in THB, Migrant Smuggling and presented the statistical data on this phenomenon.

Besides that, the experts from the Joint Operational Office against Human Smuggling and Human Trafficking (JOO) presented the role of JOO in the region and the impact of the Western Balkan route.

The Frontex Centre of Excellence for Combatting Document Fraud presented its mandate and shared best experiences and practices in fighting transnational crime at the external border with a particular focus on document and identity fraud as an engine of several other criminal activities.