The issue of human trafficking, the US ranks a mountain with warnings for Kosovo
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Express Newspaper
20/10/2026 10:35
The US Department of State has published the Report on Kosovo in terms of addressing the problem of human trafficking. According to the assessment, Kosovo remains at level 2 and DASH finds that Kosovo is making efforts to combat human trafficking, but does not fully meet the minimum standards. The report highlights shortcomings in the criminal prosecution of suspects, sentences imposed and long-term support for victims.
Kosovo does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking, although the government has increased efforts in this direction.
This is how it is assessed in the report of the American State Department on human trafficking, where Kosovo continues to be ranked at Level 2.
“The Government of Kosovo does not fully meet the minimum standards for eliminating trafficking, but is making significant efforts to do so. The Government demonstrated increased efforts compared to the previous reporting period; therefore, Kosovo remained at Level 2. These efforts included sentencing more traffickers and sentencing more traffickers to prison. The Government increased funding for victim assistance and prevention efforts. The Government conducted an evaluation of the implementation of the national action plan 2024-2025 and found that almost half of the targets were met. However, the government prosecuted fewer suspected traffickers and, while the courts handed down the minimum sentence under the trafficking law, the Kosovo authorities did not investigate all cases of child begging “due to insufficient procedures to identify those who are forced to beg, the government did not effectively prevent the inappropriate penalization of potential victims only for illegal acts committed as a direct result of being trafficked. The government did not offer reintegration efforts and other long-term assistance, especially for children and victims who require psycho-social support,” states the DASH report.
