Child trafficking has increased during the COVID-19 crisis and neither new laws nor the measures undertaken have curbed it, it was said in Sarajevo on Wednesday at a regional conference organised by the EU and the Council of Europe.

The pandemic has made children even more vulnerable to human trafficking because of growing economic uncertainty, unemployment, and restricted movement, it was said on the first of the two-day conference on combating child trafficking in Western Balkans.

The event drew more than 130 participants from the region.

Child trafficking in the Western Balkans continues to increase, despite numerous legislative and practical measures taken over the years to crack down on it.

An official of the European Commission’s unit for organised crime and drugs policies said preventing and curbing child trafficking was one of the Commission’s priorities.

Thousands of individuals are victims of human trafficking every year and the COVID pandemic has increased the risk of victimisation and exploitation. Despite all our efforts, there are still significant shortcomings, she said.

The Commission has adopted a new strategy against human trafficking which envisages actions ensuring that perpetrators are brought to justice and that victims get the protection and support needed, she said.

The conference heard that in the Western Balkans children are trafficked for sexual exploitation, forced marriages, labour exploitation, forced begging, and forced inclusion in criminal activities.

Petya Nestorova, Executive Secretary of the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, said measures to curb human trafficking should be integrated into a general child protection system, bringing together social, healthcare and educational services.