Street action “Between good work and modern slavery”

Within the project “Trafficking in human beings for the purpose of labor exploitation is happening – Recognize and protect yourself”, Foundation “Lara” from Bijeljina, in cooperation with the Association for Development and Education of Youth “Safe Step” and other members of the BiH Network for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings RING implements the campaign “Between good work and modern slavery – How does it happen and what can you do?”.

On that occasion, on September 16, 2020, the members of the association “Safe Step” conducted a street action with the aim of informing citizens about this problem.

The aim of this campaign is to encourage citizens to report suspicious job advertisements, find out about their rights and meet with the representative of institutions that they can turn to for help in situations when they encounter suspicious job offers or when they are employed in working conditions which are unacceptable in legal terms.

Trafficking in human beings for the purpose of labor exploitation has been an increasing phenomenon in the last decade, and according to the data of the International Labor Organization, there are almost 25 million victims of forced labor in the world. The risks of trafficking in human beings for the purpose of labor exploitation have also increased in Bosnia and Herzegovina due to the mass departure of the working age population, especially young people, in search of employment.

The campaign and the overall project action contribute to better informing of citizens about the most common forms and risks of human trafficking for the purpose of labor exploitation, but also connecting a wider range of actors from the NGO and government sector in joint activities to prevent labor exploitation and violations of labor rights.

The project is supported by the European Union and the Council of Europe through the joint program “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022” and the project “Prevention and Combating Trafficking in Human Beings in Bosnia and Herzegovina”.