Among the findings presented in the report, there is a focus 2. Monitoring implementation of OSCE commitments and national action plans on the lack of protection or legal support for trafficking victims who agree to testify against their traffickers. Instead of receiving protection, the ordeal of many women and children often continues during the assistance and repatriation Upon request, the ODIHR and OSCE field missions have process. They are left without sufficient support and are been active in assisting participating States with the devel- often stigmatized upon their return. This report blames the opment of national action plans. Furthermore, the ODIHR lack of minimum standards for agencies assisting victims of structured a Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting on trafficking, the limited options available to women and chil- trafficking in human beings in 2000 and has contributed to dren who have been trafficked prior to repatriation, and the yearly Human Dimension Implementation Meetings gaps in services for trafficking victims in both the country of with the aim of providing a forum for reviewing the imple- destination and origin. mentation of commitments in this field. As a complement to the 2002 HDIM, the ODIHR supported the Co-Chairs of the Permanent Council’s Informal Group on Gender Equali- 3. Development of a handbook on National Referral Mechanisms ty and Anti-Trafficking in Human Beings in soliciting country reports from participating States. These reports are now available on the ODIHR website. As the fight against trafficking is still a relatively new area in In addition to supporting and organizing human dimension the human rights field, there is much work to be done in de- meetings, the ODIHR has also designed and implemented veloping and refining standards and policies. Upon request projects with a significant monitoring and assessment com- from participating States and in consultation with OSCE field ponent. The most developed model is the SEE RIGHTS proj- missions, the ODIHR provides expertise for these processes, ect, which the ODIHR implements in co-operation with which should result in a more consistent, human rights- UNICEF and the United Nations Office of the High Commis- based response. sioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR). The model and methodology used in this joint initiative will be adapted and In the short term, the area that demands the most urgent applied in other OSCE regions to provide an up-to-date in- and effective response is the need for better human rights ventory, needs assessment, and gap analysis with respect to protection for victims and at-risk groups, e.g., women, anti-trafficking activities. youth, and migrant workers. A common starting point is the definition of trafficking as found in the UN Anti-Trafficking As a result of the SEE RIGHTS project, an updated report Protocol. In practice, however, a common definition is not Trafficking in Human Beings in South Eastern Europe was enough to clarify the responsibilities and competencies of published in November 2003. The report examines the situ- law-enforcement personnel, non-governmental organiza- ation in Albania; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; Croatia; tions, and others who may come into contact with a victim the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; Serbia and of trafficking. Montenegro, including the UN-administered province of Kosovo; Moldova; and Romania from November 2002 to There is a compelling need for clearer guidance on how to April 2003. It is published by UNICEF, the Office of the UN identify victims, how to investigate related crimes, and how High Commissioner for Human Rights, and the ODIHR with- to co-ordinate assistance. In order to respond to human in the framework of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Eu- rights violations and break the cycle of abuse, the ODIHR rope and its Task Force on Trafficking in Human Beings. has supported the development of National Referral Mech- 34