Migrant smuggling in the Western Balkans is no longer organised only through hidden routes and personal contacts. Increasingly, it relies on digital tools — encrypted messaging apps, social media and online platforms — making exploitation harder to detect and victims harder to protect. Before the project named Strengthening Regional Partnerships for Combating Irregular Migration Through Cybercrime Stronger Prevention in the Western Balkans, responses to these risks were fragmented: civil society organizations, institutions and frontline actors often worked in isolation, without shared tools, data or coordinated warning mechanisms.
The project implemented by Vaša prava BiH and regional partners – Civic Alliance Montenegro and Group 484 Serbia – set out to change that reality. Emir Prcanović, Director of Vaša prava BiH, explains the broader vision behind the initiative:
“With this project, we wanted to show that complex and constantly evolving forms of migrant smuggling cannot be addressed through isolated actions. What is needed is regional cooperation, trust between actors, and tools that connect human rights, technology and the real needs of people on the ground.”
Turning knowledge into action
Rather than focusing solely on awareness-raising, the project combined research, regional cooperation and practical technology. It brought together civil society organizations, law enforcement representatives, social services and migration experts from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro to analyze how digital technologies are used in migrant smuggling and where existing protection mechanisms fall short.
These findings were not left on paper. They became the foundation for a concrete solution.
A tool designed for real-life conditions
The project’s key outcome was Smuggle Alert — a digital platform designed as a low-bandwidth, user-friendly tool that allows anonymous reporting of smuggling risks, dangerous routes and abuses. Built with the realities of people on the move in mind, the platform enables migrants, witnesses and civil society actors to share information safely, helping prevent harm before it happens.
Dragan Vujanović, Program Manager, highlights the practical value of the tool:
“One of the project’s key results is that, together with partners from three countries, we developed a tool that works in real conditions — with limited internet access, the need for anonymity and the urgency of information exchange. Smuggle Alert enables civil society and institutions to identify risks earlier, respond in a coordinated manner and prevent serious human rights violations before they happen.”
Importantly, Smuggle Alert does not replace institutions — it strengthens them. By structuring and visualizing data from the field, it supports more timely responses and better coordination between civil society and public authorities.
Results that go beyond outputs
During the project, over 50 institutions and civil society actors across three countries were involved through regional trainings and consultations. Participants reported increased capacity to recognize digitally facilitated smuggling patterns and to respond in a more coordinated, rights-based manner.
In parallel, the project produced policy recommendations that entered national and regional discussions on migration management and digital safety, demonstrating how evidence from civil society can inform institutional processes.
A shift in how protection is approached
The most important change, however, was not technological — it was systemic. The project helped move the conversation from isolated interventions to regional cooperation, from reactive responses to early warning, and from viewing migrants as passive victims to recognizing them as rights holders whose safety depends on access to information and protection mechanisms.
By the project’s end, Smuggle Alert remained active, partnerships between organizations were strengthened, and a replicable model for combining technology and human rights was established.
A foundation for what comes next
Supported through the SMART Balkans program, the project demonstrates how targeted support to civil society can translate into lasting impact: stronger cooperation, practical tools, and better protection for some of the most vulnerable people in the region.
What began as a response to a growing digital risk has become a regional resource — one that continues to work long after the project has formally ended.