Country Visit to Montenegro – Advancing the fight against human trafficking

Montenegro is refining its laws and systems to tackle human trafficking, as highlighted during the country visit conducted by the OSCE Special Representative and Co-ordinator for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, Kari Johnstone, on 2-5 November 2026.

Important achievements include a dedicated multidisciplinary team established to formally identify victims. This team follows a “social path” approach, meaning that victims can be officially recognized without a criminal investigation or prosecution. The introduction of a legal provision reflecting the Non-Punishment Principle foresees that victims should not be penalized for unlawful acts they were compelled to commit as a result of being trafficked. Recent legal amendments also extended support for foreign victims, offering them more time to recover and the right to be employed during this period. Additionally, Montenegro has strengthened its co-operation at the local, regional and international levels to enhance sharing information and identifying victims.

 “Montenegro has taken meaningful steps to strengthen its legislative framework and advance co-operation in the fight against trafficking in human beings”, said Special Representative Johnstone. ‘I hope that implementation of the recent reforms and collaborative initiatives lead to tangible improvements in victim identification and protection and boost its overall anti-trafficking response.”

Further efforts are needed to identify and offer long-term protection to victims of all forms of trafficking, including for sexual exploitation and criminal exploitation, and ensure traffickers receive sentences commensurate with the gravity of the crime they committed. Allocating more resources and building capacity to follow the financial and digital footprints of the crime would ensure criminal accountability for traffickers. The absence of an independent National Anti-Trafficking Rapporteur; gaps in oversight of recruitment intermediaries; and lack of ethical engagement with survivors in policy development and anti-trafficking mechanisms also require further attention.

The OSCE remains committed to supporting Montenegro in tackling these challenges in partnership with national authorities and civil society to further strengthen the country’s anti-trafficking response.