Decline, Change or Denial: Human Trafficking and EU Responses in the Balkan Triangle

摘要

From the late 1990s onwards, the western Balkan countries have been singled out as one of the main hotbeds of organized crime. As a result, EU policies towards the region have placed the fight against organized crime among their top priorities. Trafficking in persons—especially women and children—for the purpose of forced prostitution has been recognised as a major area of concern. However, in the past few years human trafficking from/via the Balkan Triangle (Albania, Kosovo, and Macedonia) seems to have decreased. This paper explores possible factors leading to this crime shift. It also evaluates to what extent EU top-down strategies have contributed to these developments. The paper is based on interviews with law enforcement officials, investigation of police files, and analysis of official crime statistics as well as internal police reports.