Implementing organizations:
- Association “Vaša prava BiH” – Legal Aid Network, Lead applicant, B&H
- Građanska alijansa / Civic Alliance, Partner, Montenegro
- Grupa 484 / Group 484, Serbia
Summary of the project
The project will address the growing security risks of the use of high technology by OCGs for SoM by developing strong regional partnerships between CSOs from the WBs themselves and with their EU counterparts and public authorities. It will promote the importance of the fight against regional organised crime, cyber security, and human security. Additionally, the project will influence the WB countries to enforce EU standards as it will enhance the capacities of the CSOs to impact policies and monitor the performance of relevant institutions, especially related to security policy.
Project goals
Overall project goal is to: Contribute to regional integrations and EU approximation processes by strengthening the response to the use of ICT by organised regional criminal groups for migrant smuggling in the Western Balkans through the active role of CSOs in participatory democracy processes.
Specific objectives are:
(1) Strengthened the capacities and partnership of CSOs and law enforcement for combating migrant smuggling with the use of ICT and the protection of migrants’ rights in the WBs;
(2) Initiated changes to relevant laws that will improve the cooperation at the regional level in combating migrant smuggling with the use of ICT and the protection of smuggled migrants;
(3) Increased public awareness of the social danger brought by the smuggling of migrants by OCGs with the use of ICT in the WBs.
Target groups and beneficiaries
- CSOs active in the fields of security, human rights, migration, child protection, and human trafficking
- Relevant institutions in the WB countries
- Relevant international and regional organisations, initiatives, and cooperation frameworks
- The citizens of BiH, MNE and SRB
- Media
The final beneficiaries will be migrants, especially smuggled ones, passing and staying in SRB, MNE and BiH, as well as migrants hosted in other countries of the WB.
Main activities
The project will consist of three key activity clusters:
- Capacity building activities – include field research, three regional training courses and developing a mobile application.
- Advocacy activities – involve conducting research on the relevant legal framework, participating in relevant national public discussions and organising a regional conference on migrant smuggling committed by using ICT and improving the protection of smuggled migrants.
- Public awareness-raising activities – include a social media campaign and cooperation with media, with the aim to raise the level of understanding of the social danger from the use of ICT, the consequences and risk of OCG who are active in the region, the risks for smuggled migrants and criminal liability for helping migrants to use smuggling services.
