Women and Children in BiH at Risk of Human Trafficking

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, a significant number of individuals are at risk of falling victim to human trafficking due to their lack of legal residency. The non-governmental organization Faros has highlighted that vulnerable groups, including women—particularly mothers with multiple children—and members of the Roma community are most affected. Many citizens from neighboring countries such as Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Croatia reside in Bosnia without proper documentation, which leaves them exposed to exploitative criminal factions. The absence of legal residency severely restricts these individuals' access to essential services such as healthcare, work opportunities, and social support, contributing to their vulnerability. Ingrid Halbritter from the association Faros emphasizes that without residence permits, affected individuals cannot legally work or obtain health insurance, which hampers their ability to support themselves and their families. The gravity of the situation is exacerbated for those lacking personal identification documents, as they cannot secure the necessary support from their home countries. For families, the implications of statelessness are dire, including the inability to register children in civil registries, rendering them practically stateless. Faros has been actively working to assist these individuals, not only by providing support in navigating the legal framework to obtain residency but also by raising awareness of the potential for them to be victims of trafficking rather than mere lawbreakers. It is crucial for both local and international communities to increase their support for these individuals, recognizing their plight in the spectrum of human trafficking which remains a pressing issue in Bosnia and Herzegovina today.