Serbia registers 95 victims of trafficking

Eighty of the 95 victims are women, while 46 are younger then 18 years, Beta news agency reported.

Serbia registered 95 victims of human trafficking since January, almost half of them under age, officials said Thursday.

Eighty of the 95 victims are women, while 46 are younger then 18 years, Beta news agency reported, quoting the anti-trafficiking group in charge of overseeing activities aimed at preventing human smuggling.

While 51 victims have been sexually exploited, the others were forced to beg or illegally work without pay or official registration, the data showed.

Most of the victims are Serbian but they also invclude citizens of Romania, Albania, Moldavia, Montenegro and Bosnia, the agency reported.

In 2008, the authorities registered 55 victims of human trafficking. The Interior Ministry officials said the increase was due to tougher measures aimed at halting illegal smuggling of people.

The data were presented as the representatives of several ministries signed an accord on cooperation in a fight against human trafficking.

Serbia has stepped up its fight against trafficking as part of its effort to obtain the easing of visa requirements for its citizens to travel to the European Union, which the country hopes to join in the coming years.