A State Department report said that the Serbian government has not met the minimum standards to eliminate human trafficking but is investing significant effort towards that end.

The report on global human trafficking, presented by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, said that the Serbian government stepped up its efforts to combat trafficking compared to the previous year. Serbia’s efforts included a high number of convictions and the identification of a large number of victims as well as more resources for the Center to Protect Trafficking Victims (CPTV) with judges approving sensitive witness status for a number of victims as well as campaigns to raise awareness, the report said.

It warned that the minimum standards in several key areas have not been met and specified that the authorities are not being pro-active in identifying victims and that the CPTV did not get enough funding and personnel. The report said that the pandemic forced the closure of an emergency center for trafficking victims. The Serbian authorities also punished victims and did not safeguard their rights during court proceedings and warned of a worrying level of complicity of officials.

The report called Serbia to investigate, prosecute and condemn traffickers, including officials who acted as their accomplices.