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Date: April 27, 2024 Sat
Time: 1:43 pm
serbia and montenegro
Time: 1:43 pm
serbia and montenegro
Results for serbia and montenegro
78 total results foundAuthor: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction Title: Serbia: Country Overview 2009 Summary: This country overview provides a structured synopsis of the trends and characteristics of national drug problems in Serbia in 2009. It consists of a summary of the national drug situation presenting brief information in key areas - drug prevalence, prevention, harm reduction, drug laws, etc. Details: Luxembourg: Publications Office for the European Union, 2009. 16p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2009 Country: Serbia and Montenegro Keywords: Drug Abuse and Addiction Shelf Number: 119126 |
Author: Attree, Larry Title: SASP Test of North East Serbia: Evaluation Report Summary: The initial idea for the project was to implement a targeted SALW Awareness campaign around the town of Zrenjanin in North East Serbia. As well as aiming to have a positive effect on the attitudes of local people towards firearms possession and safety, the project was designed as a test for the principles of the SEESAC SALW Awareness Support Pack (SASP) in a project with limited resources at its disposal. The project also offered a local NGO, European Movement Zrenjanin, the opportunity to build capacities in carrying out an awareness campaign following the principles of SASP. The effects of SALW on the local area were made clear by a phase of initial information gathering. European Movement gathered the information from the local police department, a local hospital and the courts. Where information was confidential or not systematically collated to provide figures specifically useful to the campaign, informal methods were used to allow the initial profile of the problem to be as detailed as possible. The initial assessment identified a significant number of local casualties and criminal prosecutions related to the problems of weapons in local society. Details: Belgrade: SEESAC (South Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons), 2005. 71p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2005 Country: Serbia and Montenegro Keywords: Firearms and Crime Shelf Number: 118681 |
Author: Florquin, Nicolas Title: "A House Isn't A Home Without A Gun": SALW Survey, Republic of Montenegro Summary: The uncontrolled proliferation and illicit trafficking of small arms and light weapons (SALW) is a serious problem in South Eastern Europe. SALW proliferation has fuelled crime and insecurity, exacerbating conflict in the region and undermining post conflict peace-building. Problems related to SALW are likely to pose a serious constraint to economic and social development in South Eastern Europe. This SALW Survey examines the small arms situation in the Republic of Montenegro and seeks to shed light on the specifics surrounding a number of issues, including: firearms possession by both civilians and the government, the quantifiable impacts of weapons on Montenegro, perceptions about weapons in society, and the potential capacity of the government for future SALW control and weapon collection programmes. This study, commissioned by the UNDP and SEESAC, is designed particularly to inform a proposed SALW Control program to occur in Montenegro in 2004 and thus, provides a background for assessing the feasibility of collecting weapons in Montenegro. Details: Belgrade: SEESAC (South Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons; Geneva: Small Arms Survey, 2004. 53p. Source: Internet Resource Year: 2004 Country: Serbia and Montenegro Keywords: Firearms and Crime Shelf Number: 119427 |
Author: Nikolic-Ristanovic, Vesna, et. Title: Male Trafficking in Serbia Summary: In the last decades the problem of trafficking in persons came to the attention of the academic and professional public; important international documents were brought, and national mechanisms for combating this type of crime and for the assistance and protection of the victims were advanced. A great effort has been put into the improvement of uncovering and prosecuting of trafficking cases, as well as of identification, assistance and protection of the victims in Serbia as well. Nonetheless, similarly as worldwide, the emphasis in Serbia was on the research and the improvement of social responses related to trafficking in women and girls, while dealing with male victims was rather rare and marginal. However, in the last few years, in Serbia and world-wide, there has been an increase in the number of identified male victims of trafficking in persons, thereby enabling for a clear articulation for the needs to increase and systematize knowledge which would serve as a basis for designing a mechanism for more adequate combat, prevention, and protection and assistance of victims. With that, it is not a surprise that, in 2006, the U.S. Department of State – Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons - tendered a competition for research projects on the victimization of males by trafficking in persons, for which the Victimology Society of Serbia, along with a few more organizations from different parts of the world, received financial support for the implementation of the project whose results are presented here. Details: Belgrade: Victimology Society of Serbia, 2009. 300p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed October 20, 2010 at: http://www.vds.org.rs/FILE/TrgovinaMuskarcimaUSrbijiEng.pdf Year: 2009 Country: Serbia and Montenegro Keywords: Human Trafficking Shelf Number: 120033 |
Author: Markovic, Zarko Title: Collection of Policy Papers on Police Reform in Serbia - Number 2 Summary: The second issue of the Collection of policy papers on police reform in Serbia is a result of the joint work of three researchers from the three NGO’s – the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights, the Centre for Civil-Military Relations and the Forum for Security and Democracy. In this Collection you will find three proposals for the police reform in Serbia with specific attention on current issues. At the beginning, Zarko Markovic briefly analyses the legal framework of the use of force by the police, especially the Rule Book on Technical Characteristics and Method of Use of Coercive Measures, taking also into account international legal standards. Afterwards, Sasa Djordjevic explains the importance of setting up the National Crime Prevention Council and underlines the importance of cooperation between Council and the regional police directorates, local youth offices and municipal safety councils. Finally, Jan Litavski explains the role of the police in fight against hooliganism and readiness and decisiveness of the police in fighting violence at sport events. At the end of the every policy paper you will find a list of general and/or concrete proposal for police reform process in Serbia. Details: Belgrade: Belgrade Centre for Human Rights, Centre for Civil-Military Relations, Forum for Security and Democracy, 2010. 73p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed February 14, 2011 at: http://www.ccmr-bg.org/News/3698/Second+issue+of+the+Collection+of+Policy+Papers+on+Police+Reform+in+Serbia.shtml Year: 2010 Country: Serbia and Montenegro Keywords: Police Reform (Serbia) Shelf Number: 120758 |
Author: United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime Title: Business, Corruption and Crime in Serbia: The impact of bribery and other crime on private enterprise Summary: This survey of businesses in Serbia reveals that corruption and other forms of crime are a great hindrance to private enterprise and have a negative effect on private investment. A significant percentage of businesses pay bribes to public officials repeatedly over the course of the year. Businesses in the Accommodation and Food service activities sector and the Transportation and Storage sectors combined are those most affected by bribery, followed by businesses in the Wholesale trade and Retail trade sector. The public officials with the highest risk of bribery in interactions with businesses are public utilities officers, police officers, municipal or provincial officers and customs officers. While indicators of corruption perceptions are undoubtedly useful for raising awareness, this survey measures the actual experience of corruption and crime through representative sample surveys of businesses in order to provide a more realistic, evidence-based assessment of corruption and crime affecting the business sector. In so doing it focuses on the extent and pattern of bribery by businesses from five different sectors (accounting for over 71.1 per cent of all businesses in Serbia) in their frequent interactions with the public administration. According to the survey, of all the businesses that had contact with a public official in the 12 months prior to the survey 17 per cent paid a bribe to a public official. The average prevalence of business bribery in Serbia is higher than the share of ordinary Serbian citizens (9.3 per cent) who experienced the same in UNODC's 2011 study on the general population. The examination of the experience of businesses that pay bribes to public officials underlines the fact that corruption plays a role in the daily business of many companies. Bribe-paying businesses pay an average of 7 bribes per year, or about one bribe every seven weeks. The prevalence of bribery is substantially higher among micro (up to 9 employees) businesses than among businesses of other sizes. A substantial share of all the bribes paid to public officials by businesses in Serbia are paid in cash (45.2 per cent), followed by the provision of food and drink in exchange for an illicit "favour" by the public official (25.5 per cent) and other goods (21.7 per cent). When bribes are paid in cash, the mean amount paid per bribe is 52,588 Dinar, or the equivalent of 935 EUR-PPP. As for which party actually broaches the subject of kickbacks, in 43.5 per cent of all bribery cases the payment of a bribe is offered by a representative of the business without a prior request being made, whereas in over half (56.1 per cent) of cases payment is either explicitly (16.2 per cent) or implicitly (22.4 per cent) requested by the public official or are paid after a third-party request (17.5 per cent). The most common purposes for paying bribes cited by businesses is to "speed up business-related procedures" (40.3 per cent of all bribes), "receiving better treatment" (19 per cent) and "making the finalization of a procedure possible" (11.3 per cent). At the same time, almost a quarter (23.4 per cent) of bribes paid serve for no specific immediate purpose for the businesses paying them, suggesting that these are "sweeteners" given to public officials to "groom" them for future interactions in the interest of the company. None of the businesses part of the survey had reported bribery incidents in the 12 months prior to the survey to official authorities in Serbia, which suggests that businesses often feel obliged to participate in bribery. This is also reflected in the main reasons cited for not reporting bribery: "it is common practice to pay or give gifts to public officials" (34.2 per cent), "it is pointless to report it as nobody would care " (30.8 per cent) and "the payment or gift was given as a sign of gratitude to the public servant for delivering the service requested " (21.6 per cent). Bribery in the private sector not only comprises bribes paid by businesses to public officials, it also takes place between businesses themselves in order to secure business transactions. Though lower than the prevalence of bribery between the private and public sector, at 6.6 per cent the prevalence of business-to-business bribery indicates that the practice does exist in Serbia. None of the businesses in the survey reported such business to business bribery incidents to relevant authorities. Some 9.2 per cent of business representatives decided not to make a major investment in the 12 months prior to the survey due to the fear of having to pay bribes to obtain requisite services or permits, thus the impact of bribery on business activity can be substantial. The consequences of other more conventional crimes on a business's property and economic activities can also be considerable, both in terms of direct costs stemming from physical damage and indirect costs in the form of insurance premiums, security expenditure and lost investment opportunities. For instance, more than one third of businesses (35.5 per cent) in Serbia fall victim to fraud by outsiders in various different guises in a year and such businesses are victimized an average of 10.1 times in that time period. Annual prevalence rates for burglary (10.2 per cent) and vandalism (9.5 per cent) in the private sector are also significant, as are the average number of times businesses affected fall victim to those crimes (4.4 and 2.8 respectively). The prevalence rate of motor vehicle theft (MVT) is 1.7 per cent of all car owning businesses, with victims suffering an average of 1.4 incidents. Moreover, over the past 12 months 1 per cent of all businesses in Serbia fell victim to extortion, a crime that can be linked to organized criminal groups. In marked contrast to corruption, a larger share of conventional crimes (on average, 41.8 per cent for five crime types) is reported to the police by businesses in Serbia. While the majority of business representatives (76.2 per cent) consider that the crime risk for their company has remained stable in comparison to the previous 12 months, around one in six (17.1 per cent) think it is on the increase and 2.8 per cent on the decrease. The fear of crime plays a very important role in the decision-making process of business leaders when it comes to making major investments. Although there are some differences by economic sector, on average one out of ten (10.6 per cent) entrepreneurs in Serbia state that they did not make a major investment in the previous 12 months due to the fear of crime. Yet while about 93.2 per cent of businesses in Serbia use at least one protective security system against crime, only 44.8 per cent have any kind of insurance against the economic cost of crime. Together corruption and other forms of crime place a considerable burden on economic development in Serbia. Putting in place more and better targeted measures for protecting businesses against crimes, as well as for preventing corruption (such as effective internal compliance measures and other policies concerning corruption) could make that burden considerably lighter. Details: Vienna: UNODC, 2013. 76p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed January 27, 2014 at: http://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/statistics/corruption/Serbia_Business_corruption_report_ENG.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Serbia and Montenegro Keywords: Bribery Shelf Number: 131809 |
Author: Milojevic, Sasa Title: Youth and Hooliganism at Sports Events Summary: This publication covers the problem of youth and football violence in Serbia. It's making was supported by the Police Academy and the Interior Ministry of Serbia. It is based on a survey conducted in 25 secondary schools throughout Serbia on a sample of 3662 pupils. The survey addressed issues of football hooliganism, awareness of young people, involvement in fan groups, delinquent behaviour, alcohol and drugs abuse, and linkages to racism. This publication is produced only in Serbian. The English version is a courtesy translation. Details: Vienna: Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, 2013. 264p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 24, 2015 at: http://www.osce.org/serbia/118397?download=true Year: 2013 Country: Serbia and Montenegro Keywords: Antisocial Behavior Shelf Number: 136150 |
Author: Sluyk, Robin Philip Title: Strengthening the Enforcement Capacity of the Serbian Customs Administration Summary: This is the final evaluation report of a project aimed at strengthening the capacity of the Serbian Customs Administration, in further support of harmonisation with methodologies and operational standards of EU enforcement agencies. The project covered training as well as procurement of training tools for Custom Houses in Belgrade, Nis, Novi Sad and Kraljevo in the Republic of Serbia. Implementation ran from July 2009 to July 2010. The overall objective of this project was to contribute to enabling the Republic of Serbia to establish open and secure borders through efficient border control and management systems, based on EU best practices. Its project purpose was to provide technical support to build up capacity of the Serbian Customs Administration by institution building in order to improve efficiency and effectiveness of border control. The project sought to address this issue via achieving the following results: 1. Establishment of an overall specialised training programme; 2. Improved training programme of the Enforcement Division; 3. Enhanced insight in the specific technical needs of the Custom Units. The project is regarded as successful. Needs assessments were finished in support of the EU project fiche that this project belongs to. Specialist trainers designed and provided a training programme in line with EU standards (e.g. CAFAO), as well with beneficiary needs. Equipment to support training facilities was timely purchased and delivered, and enhanced insight in specific equipment needs was obtained through the preparation of a tender package that was intended to be executed via the donor, the EU Delegation in Belgrade. The weak point of this project was its design and its incidentally conflicting project documents - the EU Action Description and the UNODC Project Document. Baseline data were missing which led to weak indicators at the objective levels. The reporting frequency was rather low which hampered thorough monitoring, which means that some outputs could not always be measured against indicators. The development of 'master trainers' (via ToT) to provide sustainable capacity development should be exploited further. Training Modules were produced however not specifically for this project, rather in line with CAFAO methods. It is unclear to what extent the beneficiary units have adopted it. Additionally, the master trainers have conducted no training yet. Lack of experience may result in low confidence. The quality of training scored high, although a 'notable' number of participants stated not to use the learned material in their work. Survey feedback shows that the score for practical use is high in absolute terms, but on the low side of other scores. This deserves further analysis. Specifications for portal monitors and procurement of special equipment (e.g. night vision adapters, etc.) proved to be problematic. Night vision adapters had to be omitted from the project due to UN Procurement regulations (only eligible firm also dealt with landmine import-export). The tender for portal monitors took a long time to draft. Details: Vienna: United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2010. 44p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 10, 2015 at: https://www.unodc.org/documents/evaluation/Independent_Project_Evaluations/2011/SRBT82_Final_evaluation_report_30May2011.pdf Year: 2010 Country: Serbia and Montenegro Keywords: Border Patrol Shelf Number: 136378 |
Author: Jovanovic, Jelena Title: 'Vulnerability of Roma' in Policy Discourse on Combatting Trafficking in Human Beings in Serbia: Perspectives of the National Policy Actors Summary: This paper presents the results of research on national anti-trafficking policy actors' discourses on 'vulnerability of Roma' to trafficking in human beings in Serbia. According to most of the interviewed policy actors, Roma are one of the 'vulnerable groups', constituting at least half of all human trafficking victims. However, many of the interviewees argue there are no specific vulnerability factors that can be associated with Roma. Yet the analysis of their discourses suggests that institutional discrimination based on 'ethnicity' and racism can be considered the specific factors. It further suggests that these two factors do not only increase vulnerability of Roma, but also prevent local anti-trafficking policy actors from providing assistance and protection to Romani victims of trafficking. In addition, the analysis also indicates that reconstruction of the concept 'Romani culture' is another factor that prevents local anti-trafficking policy actors from helping Romani victims of trafficking. The research presented here was concerned with the different meanings embedded in the concept 'vulnerability of Roma'. The juxtaposition of policy actors' discourses alongside discourses represented through the national strategic policy documents reveals several problematic category making processes and conceptualizations. For instance, as we will soon see, the subtle conceptualization of 'trafficking in Roma' as a Romani problem and then, further to this, as a Romani women's problem. Details: Budapest: Center for Policy Studies, Central European University, 2015. 34p. Source: Internet Resource: Working Paper Series, 2015/4: Accessed October 20, 2015 at: https://cps.ceu.edu/sites/default/files/publications/cps-working-paper-osi-ttf-vulnerability-of-roma-2015.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Serbia and Montenegro Keywords: Human Trafficking Shelf Number: 137037 |
Author: Council of Europe Title: Impact Study on Civil Forfeiture Summary: From the late 1980s onwards, the imperative for those (at both international and national levels) seeking to combat serious organised crime and other transnational offences (including corruption, economic crime and drug trafficking) has been to deprive those benefiting from such criminality of the financial rewards that they thereby obtain. As a result, one of the key changes in approach has been a shift in sentencing policy both nationally and as expressed in international instruments from the traditional aim which centred on penal measures up to and including imprisonment, rather than denying criminals of their illicit gains. Although confiscation had been available to courts in a number of jurisdictions from much earlier on, it tended to relate to confiscation of items such as seizure and destruction of drugs, or to weapons if used as instrumentalities to commit crimes. To address the modern trend of increasingly acquisitive (and very often cross-border) criminality the traditional approach was found to be insufficient as the fruits of the offending were still available for a criminal's enjoyment at the end of a prison sentence. The criminal justice sector across regions came to recognize that, if the aim of sentencing policy was to be effective deterrence, then it needed to hit the true aim of such criminality: making a profit. International instruments such as the 1988 Vienna Convention on Drug Trafficking, as the pioneering instrument, introduced the mechanism of confiscation for drug trafficking. This paved the way for extending confiscation to all other acquisitive crimes, including for bribery and corruption (first in a limited way in the UN Convention on Transnational and Organised Crime (UNTOC) and then, in 2003, more comprehensively in the UN Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC)). Meanwhile, in Europe, both the Council of Europe and the EU led the way in taking decisive steps to obligate their respective member states to put in place a framework for the restraint/seizure and confiscation of illicitly obtained assets. This was achieved through, in particular, the Council of Europe Convention on Laundering, Search, Seizure and Confiscation of the Proceeds from Crime and on the Financing of Terrorism 2005 (the Council of Europe 2005 Convention) and four key EU Framework Decisions (2001/500/JHA; 2003/577/JHA; 2005/212/JHA; 2006/783/JHA). It should be noted, however, that the international instruments, although seminal to the development of asset recovery, have focused on post-conviction confiscation/asset recovery and have not, generally, addressed the subject matter of this study, civil forfeiture (sometimes referred to as confiscation in rem). They have certainly not discouraged it and, to that extent, they have left the way open to states to introduce it, but they have not taken the concept forward in any concerted way. The exception, and a powerful indicator of the importance of civil forfeiture in countering corruption, is UNCAC, which obligates each state party to consider whether civil forfeiture should be introduced within its jurisdiction . As a result of the (understandable and necessary) drive to establish a post-conviction confiscation framework in states, the reader is likely to be familiar with the legal mechanism for the recovery of illicitly obtained assets through criminal proceedings, where, at the end of a criminal trial, the Court, upon the application of the prosecution, or as a requirement of law, considers whether property derived from criminal activity should be forfeited so as to deprive the convicted person from enjoying the fruits of his criminality. This is the usual course of events and will, generally speaking, be the preferred option where the accused is found in the territory of a State and there is sufficient evidence to support a criminal prosecution. Indeed, this is, today, the position in most states. Details: Belgrade: Council of Europe, Belgrade Office, 2013. 96p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 9, 2015 at: https://www.coe.int/t/dghl/cooperation/economiccrime/corruption/Publications/CAR/Impact%20Study%20on%20Civil%20Forfeiture_EN.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Serbia and Montenegro Keywords: Asset Forfeiture Shelf Number: 137221 |
Author: Elek, Bojan Title: Towards More Effective Police Cooperation Between Serbia and Kosovo Summary: The process of normalisation of relations between Serbia and Kosovo has surfaced as a top priority for the EU's approach to enlargement in the Western Balkans. Belgrade and Pristina have embarked upon a laborious road to negotiate outstanding technical and political issues, under the auspices of an EU mediated dialogue. Although the EU's shiniest trophy thus far, the April 2013 Brussels Agreement, heralded a positive breakthrough in relations between the two sides, its implementation has met with significant obstacles on the ground. A number of issues are yet to be addressed at the bilateral level, including both political matters (to be negotiated under Chapter 35 of the accession talks) and technical questions stemming from the process of harmonising national legislation with the EU acquis. The most important issues are encapsulated by Chapter 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights) and Chapter 24 (Area of Freedom, Security and Justice). Within the latter the European Commission explicitly requested from Serbia to raise cooperation with Kosovo to the same level as with any other neighbouring country for a number of policy areas, including police cooperation. Although an elaborate web of mechanisms for exchange of information is in place, the establishment of direct police cooperation remains to be addressed as a part of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. Police cooperation is still at a nascent level, which significantly affects the ability of the competent authorities to enforce the law and fight organised crime, while also having detrimental effects on the level of human security in the region. Based on the analysis of the Serbian Government's strategic approach to the transposition and implementation of the best EU standards and practices in the area of police cooperation and also taking into account agreements already reached and mechanisms put in place, a set of recommendations is proposed to Belgrade and Pristina, as well as to the EU institutions. Details: Belgrade: Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, 2015. 13p. Source: Internet Resource: Policy Brief: Accessed November 16, 2015 at: http://www.bezbednost.org/upload/document/towards_more_effective_police_cooperation_between_.pdf Year: 2015 Country: Serbia and Montenegro Keywords: Organized Crime Shelf Number: 137290 |
Author: Dordevic, Sasa Title: Corruption at the Serbian Border Police Summary: The main goal of this study is to assess corruption in the Serbian Border Police. Data has been collected on the basis of answers of the Border Police Directorate (UGP) and Internal Affairs Sector of the Police (SUKP) to a questionnaire which was made by the Centre for the Study of Democracy and modified by the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy. In addition to this, a focus group was made up of representatives of these two organizational parts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MoI), and four interviews were conducted with police employees and representatives of civil society organizations. The opinions of citizens, police employees and police trade union members on the level of corruption at the Serbian Border Police were analyzed in the first part of the text. After that, an assessment of corruption at the Serbian Border Police was presented. Then, anti-corruption mechanisms currently used by the Serbian Border Police Directorate were analyzed. As the author points out, the topic of corruption in the border police is important because Serbia is a transit country which borders four EU member-states. The consequences are multifold. The goal of many criminal groups is to conquer the market of the European Union, whose economy is improving after several years of economic crisis. Serbia is a part of the Balkan route, which is well-known to criminal groups. Also, a common feature of a vast majority of migrants is that they illegally cross several international borders to reach Serbia and enter this country in the same way. In the process, they use the services of organized groups of smugglers who charge them a high price in order to help them to cross the border and to secure accommodation in transit countries. One also needs to add to this a strong intensity of international traffic in Serbia, particularly during the summer period, which is favorable for "petty" corruption. All this helps to strengthen corruption pressure on the Serbian Border Police. Details: Belgrade: Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, 2014. 17p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed November 16, 2015 at: http://www.bezbednost.org/upload/document/corruption_at_the_serbian_border_police.pdf Year: 2014 Country: Serbia and Montenegro Keywords: Border Patrol Shelf Number: 137295 |
Author: Savic, Marijana, ed. Title: Local Communities in the Fight against Human Trafficking Summary: Publication Local communities in the fight against human trafficking is produced within the homonymous project, that was designed and implemented by the organization Atina, in partnership with Novi Sad's Humanitarian Centre, and in cooperation with the Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Team of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, with the financial support of the European Union, Office for Cooperation with Civil Society of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, and German Federal Government through the "Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH". The project is motivated by the need to strengthen the role of civil society organizations in decision-making process and, more specifically, their competence to monitor local strategies and action plans relevant to the field of human trafficking; empowering relevant stakeholders for intersectoral partnerships in order to provide support to vulnerable groups, and strengthening vulnerable groups to participate in decision-making process. Enabling better understanding of the protection of victims and prevention of human trafficking in the context of the reform of local social security system, the research should contribute to achieving these goals. In other words, the research has been fueled by recent changes in the area of human trafficking and in the area of social protection - a growing need to increase capacity and find answers to problems of the protection of victims and prevention of human trafficking at the level of local community, starting from local public policies, to everyday practice within disparate sectors. Research will continue to serve as a basis for improving local response to human trafficking and the networking of actors, working in the field of protection of vulnerable groups, in seven cities/municipalities involved in the project - Kraljevo, Kragujevac, Vranje, Nis, Novi Sad, Subotica, Sremska Mitrovica. The research activities include the analysis of relevant documents in the field of international standards, national legislative and strategic framework, as well as relevant local strategies and action plans in the field of social protection, that are of importance for human trafficking. The second segment of the research was carried out with professionals who have experience in direct work on protection of groups that are particularly vulnerable to the phenomenon of human trafficking, as well as in creating local policies. Details: Belgrade: Citizens' Association for Combat against Trafficking in Human Beings and all Forms of Violence against Women - Atina, 2013. 174p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 19, 2016 at: http://atina.org.rs/sites/default/files/Local%20communities%20publikacija.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Serbia and Montenegro Keywords: Human Trafficking Shelf Number: 139664 |
Author: Citizens' Association for Combat against Trafficking in Human Beings and all Forms of Violence against Women Title: Children on the Move: Status and programmes of support and protection of children on the move in the Republic of Serbiaa Summary: Although children and young people comprise a large share of all migrants in Serbia, state protection in this field is still minimal, according to this report, launched by Atina, Grupa 484, and Fund for Open Society, three NGOs working in collaboration with Norwegian Save the Children and Save the Children for North West Balkans. The study, focusing on children on the move in Serbia, was conducted between September and December 2012 and is the first such report in the region. The goal of the research is to gain an insight into and ensure a better understanding of the phenomenon of children on the move in Serbia, and to identify the existing services and practices. The study findings undoubtedly confirm that the current government response to the needs of these children is not adequate and that many of them do not get the support and protection to which they are entitled. The report includes specific recommendations to improve the national protection system for children in Serbia - a functioning system that is entirely based on the needs of children and which guarantees their protection and exercise of all their rights, irrespective of their migration status. The report also includes a snapshot of individual stories of children on the move in Serbia which reflect the experience and hardships of migration from the perspective of children themselves. Details: Belgrade: Citizens' Association, 2013. 248p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed July 20, 2016 at: http://resourcecentre.savethechildren.se/sites/default/files/documents/children-on-the-move-final1.pdf Year: 2013 Country: Serbia and Montenegro Keywords: Child Migrants Shelf Number: 139749 |
Author: Meitz, Eric Title: What About the Women? Understanding and Addressing the Problem of ISIS Female Recruitment in the Western Balkans Summary: In many ways, female recruits, both from the Western Balkans and other regions, are attracted to the Islamic State for the exact same reasons as men, highlights BCSP guest researcher Eric Mietz. This policy paper aims to bring attention to an oft-neglected security problem in the Western Balkans: women being recruited by and migrating to the Islamic State. The roles of women in the Islamic State and the messaging the group uses to lure women to migrate to Syria and Iraq are sufficiently different to warrant a gender-based perspective in countering violent extremism (CVE) policymaking. The first part of the paper looks at the numbers of women leaving from the Western Balkans to Islamic State-held territory, the profiles of women who migrate, and the roles they take on in the Islamic State. To explain why women are influenced to migrate, the second part examines the "push" and "pull" factors of Islamic State recruitment. The last part focuses on the efforts of Western Balkans governments to criminalize participation in or support of the Islamic State and the disadvantages of relying solely on this policy Details: Belgrade, Republic of Serbia: Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, 2016. 15p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed September 3, 2016 at: http://www.bezbednost.org/upload/document/women_and_isis.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Serbia and Montenegro Keywords: ISIS Shelf Number: 140145 |
Author: Dan, Aurelija Title: The Citizen’s Opinion of Police Force in Serbia: The Results of a Public Opinion Survey Conducted in Serbia Summary: he report examines five groups of questions: (1) the level of citizens' trust and confidence in institutions; (2) the perception of the police as an institution, but also of policemen and policewomen as individuals; (3) the perception of corruption in the society and the police force; (4) opinions of citizens regarding the fight against corruption; (5) opinions of citizens on the work of civil society organisations. Citizens are still divided over how much they trust the police. It is true that the level of trust has grown by 2% in 2016 in comparison to 2015: slightly more than half the population (54%) stated that they trust the police, while 44% do not have confidence in this institution. The problem however - just like last year - is in the fact that there is still a high percentage of those who believe that there is corruption in the police force. The percentage of those who believe that the police is corrupt has increased by 2% in comparison with the previous year, so now a total of 72% of citizens believe that corruption in the police is widespread. Citizens perceive the police in different ways, depending on their gender: they see policewomen are pretty and policemen as corrupt.The results of this survey show that citizens believe that the impact of politics on operational police work is high and that employment in the police force is usually gained through friends and relatives. Citizens still insufficiently perceive the police as a service to citizens, but it is good that more than a third of them (37%) do - which is increase from 27% as measured last year. It has already become a rule for Serbian citizens to think that corruption is most widespread among the representatives of the police force they most frequently come in contact with. This year too, they believe that corruption is most widespread in the traffic and border police. Citizens are not yet ready to report corruption in the police. It is notable that men (37%) are more willing to do so than women (31%) when required to disclose their personal information. The Anti-Corruption Agency still remains the first choice for reporting corruption. Compared to the previous year, a larger percentage of the population believes that sanctioning the perpetrators should be one of the main measures to combat corruption in the police. The number of people who believe that the political will of the Minister and officials is necessary to solve the problem of corruption in the police has decreased. One quarter of the citizens believe that the internal police control should be the main body to fight corruption in the police (24%). A quarter of the respondents see the role of civil society in the direct fight against corruption, as well as in their cooperation with the state. The research in Serbia was conducted in April 2016 by IPSOS Strategic Marketing on are presentative sample of 1,000 adult citizens. A questionnaire created by the POINTPULSE network was used as a research instrument and interviews were conducted using the “face to face” technique, which involves direct contact with respondents. Details: Belgrade, Serbia: Belgrade Centre for Security Studies, 2016. 29p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed March 10, 2017 at: http://www.bezbednost.org/upload/document/the_citizens_opinion_of_the_police_force.pdf Year: 2016 Country: Serbia and Montenegro Keywords: Police Corruption Shelf Number: 144450 |
Author: Mandic, Danito Title: Separatists, Gangsters and Other Statesmen: The State, Secession and Organized Crime in Serbia and Georgia, 1989-2012 Summary: What role does organized crime play in determining the success of separatist movements? I explore the role of organized crime in the separatist movements of Kosovo in Serbia and South Ossetia in Georgia, two most similar cases that have generated different outcomes in levels of separatist movement success in 1989-2012 (inclusive). Through the comparison, I argue in six propositions that organized crime can both promote and retard separatist movement success. The explanatory propositions are: (1) organized crime can be formative of state structure, capacity and stability; (2) popular support for the separatist movement can directly depend on organized criminal activities; (3) organized criminal capacity can - through its relations to the host state and separatist movement - hinder or advance separatist success; (4) the ethnic heterogeneity/homogeneity of organized crime may determine its capacity and willingness to promote separatist success; (5) organized crime contributes to separatist movement success when it is (a) prepared and (b) predisposed to divert regional smuggling opportunities towards movement goals; and (6) whether host state repression helps or harms the separatist movement depends on the role that organized crime is fulfilling vis-a-vis the state and separatists. The argument is developed in four steps. First, I examine regional indicators of a connection between separatist success and organized crime, justifying a comparison of Serbia/Kosovo and Georgia/South Ossetia as most similar cases. Second, I process-trace changes in the relational triad of host state, separatist movement and organized crime over the 24-year history, contending that different trajectories in these relations account for different levels of success for the two separatist movements. Third, I examine under what conditions aggregate regional smuggling trends before critical junctures of movement success in fact contribute to that success; I model criminal "filtering" of the aggregate criminal flows as a determinant of whether separatist goals are advanced or hindered. Finally, I compare two nefarious criminal episodes - organ smuggling in Kosovo and nuclear smuggling in South Ossetia - that harmed the separatist movements; I show that superior organized criminal capacity in Kosovo (reflected in its infrastructure, autonomy and community) managed to contain the harm of exposure from the nefarious episode. Details: Cambridge, MA: Harvard University, 2015. 390p. Source: Internet Resource: Dissertation: Accessed Dec. 12, 2018 at: https://dash.harvard.edu/bitstream/handle/1/17467287/MANDIC-DISSERTATION-2015.pdf?sequence=8 Year: 2015 Country: Serbia and Montenegro Keywords: Corruption Shelf Number: 154008 |
Author: Economist Intelligence Unit Title: The Global Illicit Trade Environment Index: Serbia, Bosnia and Montenegro Summary: Geography, history and political culture (characterised by high levels of corruption) combine in the economies of the former Yugoslavia (and the Balkans in general) to create a range of issues when it comes to combatting illicit trade. Serbia, for one, lies on a major trade corridor known as the Balkan route, which is used by criminal groups for various activities, including human trafficking and the trafficking of drugs coming from Asia and South America. Montenegro's ports are similarly used as transit points for the unloading and reloading of illicit cargo destined for Central and Western Europe. Bosnia's porous borders with the former two economies, as well as with neighbouring Croatia, enable easy transit from Eastern Europe and the Balkans region to economies in Western Europe. This could be made worse by the adoption of a Visa Liberalisation Agreement between the European Union's (EU) Schengen zone and Kosovo (which lies in an area considered by Serbia to be vulnerable to trafficking), expected by the end of the year. Compounding the problem, the disintegration of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, and the accompanying conflicts, is thought to have led to an increased risk of terrorism in the region - with an increase in Islamic radicalisation and in nationals of countries and territories in the region joining the so-called Islamic State (IS) as foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq. Ethnic separatist and religious extremist groups are active in some southern regions of Serbia and Kosovo, whose declaration of independence in 2008 was not recognised by Belgrade. These factors lead to increased terrorist financing and thus money laundering. Bosnia's complex and decentralised government structure has also been an obstacle to reforms, and corruption is prevalent in all three economies. This briefing paper will look at the illicit trade environment in Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro across the four categories of the index: government policy, supply and demand, transparency and trade, and the customs environment. It will consider how these economies compare at global and regional levels, as well as looking at some of the details particular to each. Details: New York: Transnational Alliance to Combat illicit Trade (TRACIT), 2018. 22p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 21, 2019 at: https://www.tracit.org/uploads/1/0/2/2/102238034/eiu_serbia_bosnia_and_montenegro_illicit_trade_paper_final.pdf Year: 2018 Country: Serbia and Montenegro Keywords: Drug Trafficking Shelf Number: 156582 |