Human Trafficking Manual For Journalists

This Manual was created with the intention to offer all those who write or wish to write on the phenomenon of trafficking in women fundamental information on the problem itself, and give recommendations for writing, all for the purpose of the most precise presentation of the problem to the citizens, in the interest of women victims of trafficking and all the persons dealing with them.

The second edition of the Manual provides a cross section of the most significant aspects of the problem of trafficking in women as experienced by an organization from Serbia. NGO ASTRA, the publisher of the Manual, is a women’s on-governmental organization which works on the prevention of human trafficking and offers direct assistance to the victims. This Manual has been created on the basis of our eight year long experience in fighting human trafficking in Serbia. In the period between March 2002 and November 2008, ASTRA SOS Hotline received 8,533 calls. During the same period, 275 trafficking victims were identified, of whom 41% were children.

The second, extended edition of the Manual for Journalists, besides offering a definition and historical outline, also provides a general overview of the situation and new trends in human trafficking in the world. The Manual presents the fundamental information on the problem of trafficking in women, on who the victims of trafficking are, how they are recruited, and on the causes of trafficking in women. It speaks of trafficking in women as another form of violence, on the difference between trafficking in women, prostitution and illegal migration, on the violence a woman experiences as a victim of trafficking, and on prejudices we often hear concerning the problem of trafficking.

In the second section, the Manual speaks of the extent of trafficking in women in Serbia, the mechanisms developed to this day for the purpose of suppressing trafficking; it stresses the data collected by means of the SOS hotline for victims of trafficking; it presents national legislation that governs the problem of trafficking in women, as well as the data on trafficking in children. Moreover, in this section the thoughts and level of knowledge of the citizens of Serbia about this topic is presented.
In order to reach out to as many journalists as possible, experts, excellent journalists were asked to contribute. They have been practising investigative journalism in the area of trafficking in women for years or who have otherwise been contributing to the prevention and suppressing of this problem. The idea was that it would be most useful for journalists to read about the experience of their peers working in the area of radio, TV, documentary journalism, print media and marketing. This section also contains a comparative analysis of the print media in the period May-October 2008 and throughout 2003, in order to assess qualitative progress in the reporting by Serbian media on the problem of human trafficking.

Also, the used terminology has been analysed, the intensity of writing and the visual presentation of the problem of trafficking in women as it appeared in the print media, as well as recommendations given to all those who write or are preparing to write on the topic of trafficking in women.

The last section contains additional references and contacts of relevant institutions, international and non-governmental organizations in the country and abroad that may be of use for all those who are doing in-depth research of this problem.