Human Trafficking in Western Balkan: Case Study of Kosovo
Authors: Berisha Fidair , Dema Astrit , Ademi Mensut , Qerimi Islam 
Published: November 2023

Background: The object of this paper is the criminal offence of human trafficking in Kosovo, addressing the negative and illegal phenomenon of this activity. It aims to pay special attention to the detection and prosecution of the perpetrators and the imposition of sentences and other criminal sanctions against them, with the sole purpose of combating and preventing it in society. Also, in this paper, some basic legal-criminal and criminological features of the criminal offence of human trafficking are analysed and treated. Given that this criminal offence represents a serious type of criminality, this study explores how it manifests itself in its consequences on the individual and society. This research conducted on human trafficking in Kosovo is of crucial importance because by studying this negative phenomenon, we can slowly conclude whether the victims were innocent or contributors to the issues leading to their trafficking.
Methods: In preparing this research-scientific paper, very significant content for our country is presented using the following methods: comparative, statistical, graphic, historical, analytical, survey and case studies from 1999 to now. Through these research methods and techniques, we have recognised and addressed multiple aspects of the crime of human trafficking. Contrary to the common belief that there are enough studies on the victims of human trafficking and other criminal acts, this is not true. In many cases, the states have quantified the victims of various crimes and other criminal acts solely through numerical measures. The extracted statistics form the basis of data identification and conclusion, as well as determining the recommendations contained in this paper.
Results and Conclusions: Trafficking in human beings is one of the most significant crimes of our time and a violation of human rights in itself, and in our work, we have encountered difficulties in coming up with the most adequate and concrete data to prevent and combat this. Phenomenon. Human beings are trafficked for the purpose of forced labour, illegal employment, the entertainment industry, forced and fake marriage, forced prostitution, etc. and this, in our case in the Western Balkans countries, is generally encountered because of socio-economic problems and freedom of movement. Human trafficking is a form of profitable organised crime and is believed to be important because the risk is low and the payoff is high; after drug and weapons trafficking and the prostitution trade comes as a great benefit, in our case, Kosovo, we have come across data from 1999 on how war refugees are abused and how narcotic substances are trafficked and used. The most common form of human trafficking is the trade of human beings for sexual exploitation or the purposes of forced prostitution. This is a challenge in our country because we do not have an adequate law to legalise prostitution. In this case, we have a lot of good organised in the region and Kosovo that abuse, especially minors, for prostitution and the purpose of the work is to issue an adequate law regarding the decriminalisation of prostitution to manage, control, prevent and combat human trafficking. The most frequent victims of this form of trafficking are children and women, who belong to the most vulnerable social groups, according to the data presented in the paper.