September in Vienna (see also chapter 2.2). The Ministry’s expert took an active part as one
of the twelve key-note panellists and gave an account of the situation in Serbia in terms of
the threat of cybercrime. The achievements of the Serbian Ministry’s Cybercrime Department
and its priorities in this sphere of policing were also presented.
On 29-30 November, the Mission, in co-operation with the TNTD/SPMU, organized and
delivered a regional expert seminar on “Digital Evidence in Investigating and Prosecuting
Child Pornography” in Belgrade. 31 experts from Bosnia and Herzegovina; Croatia; the
Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; Montenegro; and Serbia participated in the course,
sharing experiences and best practices.
In its efforts to support the capacity building of the public administration to address the
challenges of implementation of the revised CPC, the Mission, in co-operation with the MoI’s
Cybercrime Department, organized five one-day seminars on “Digital Evidence and its Value
in Court”. The seminars were delivered between 10-14 December to a total of 57
participants, namely judges from the Higher Court, public prosecutors and students of the
Judicial Academy. The Head of the Ministry’s Cybercrime Department presented digital
evidence in general through several case studies, addressing their value from a police
perspective, while the legal framework was presented by a judge and the deputy special
prosecutor for cybercrime. The seminars also entailed a technical component in terms of
identification and classification; the value of digital evidence in investigations; as well as a
presentation of the technical EnCase software for digital forensics used by many police
services including Serbia. In addition, the events aimed at improving communications
between police and judiciary in the investigation process.
As criminal activities are shifting more and more into cyberspace, and due to the fact that
prosecutor-led investigations were to be introduced to the general prosecution in 2013, the
Mission planned to follow up on this initiative in 2013.
Trafficking in Human Beings
Throughout 2012, the Mission continued to play an important role in policy-making and the
implementation of complex anti-trafficking activities in the country. This included the
implementation of the multi-year ExB project “Advancing Institutional Response to
Challenges of Trafficking in Human Beings in the Republic of Serbia”, supported by the
Austrian Development Agency. The implemented activities were divided into four thematic
groups: Prevention; Victim Protection; Law Enforcement; and Judiciary.
Under the Law Enforcement component the following activities were implemented:
The Mission initiated the development of a manual for police officers dealing with trafficking
cases with the aim of creating adequate training materials and a better understanding of the
phenomenon. The manual was prepared in the form of a case study and included lessons
learned and good practices in identifying, referring and protecting victims of trafficking. It
contains a number of recommended actions and gives concrete examples on lessons
learned in pre-trial, post-trial and court procedures. The manual was tailor-made for the
representatives of the MoI, as well as judges and prosecutors.
In view of a documented increase of the number of child victims of trafficking, the Mission
organized specialized training courses with the aim of strengthening the capacity of police
officers and social workers to detect and respond to child trafficking cases. These courses
also facilitated the implementation of two Ministerial Protocols on Child Protection: The
General Protocol for the Protection of Children from Abuse and Neglect of the Ministry of
Labour, Employment and Social Affairs; and the Special Protocol on the Conduct of Police
Officials in the Protection of Minors from Abuse and Neglect of the MoI, which had been
developed and adopted in line with international human rights instruments and standards.
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