PROTECTION
The government significantly increased efforts to protect victims of trafficking after victim identification dropped to its lowest point ever during the previous reporting period.The government identified 48 victims of trafficking in 2014, triple the 16 victims identified in 2013.Thirty-seven of the identified victims were minors.Thirty- five victims were subjected to forced begging, 10 victims were subjected to sex trafficking, and three were subjected to forced labor.The state coordinator acknowledged there were likely to be additional victims that did not come to the attention of authorities. Sub-state laws against enticement to prostitution permitted law enforcement to treat minors 14 years and older as juveniles engaged in prostitution instead of victims of rape or trafficking in persons. Bosnian law enforcement used a screening questionnaire to evaluate potential victims, and authorities followed a formal referral mechanism for assisting victims. Authorities referred 14 victims to three NGO-run shelters and one victim to an orphanage for assistance; government-run social welfare centers assisted 21 victims, and 13 victims did not receive any assistance because they did not request it. Authorities provided assistance to victims only if they proactively requested it. Decisions regarding assistance to child trafficking victims were made by the respective guardians or social welfare officials, depending on the circumstances. The Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees distributed small grants totaling 60,000 marks ($37,200) to two NGOs for assistance to domestic trafficking victims, including shelter, clothing, counseling, education, and job training. Domestic victims did not have to stay at the shelters to receive reintegration assistance. The security ministry provided 120,000 marks ($74,400) to two NGOs to assist foreign victims, including shelter, medical and psychological support, and repatriation services. Shelters accommodated male trafficking victims but did not offer them specialized services. Shelters did not permit victims to leave without a chaperone.
Foreign victims were eligible for a humanitarian visa that allowed them to temporarily live and work in Bosnia. The government issued one trafficking victim a residence permit in 2014.Victims were permitted a 30-day reflection period to determine whether they wanted to request a visa, though in practice temporary residence permits were granted only to victims whose cases were prosecuted. Observers reported when prosecutors determined a victim’s testimony was not needed, or when they closed a case, the government often initiated deportation procedures without providing adequate assistance or arranging for the victims’ safe repatriation. The government rarely referred foreign victims to legal service providers, despite agreements with an NGO to do so. Experts expressed concerns about interview techniques used with child trafficking victims, noting a victim was interviewed in front of the suspected exploiter. Furthermore, GRETA documented child victims were intimidated during trials, and authorities did not use available legal protections to shield them from threats. Officials acknowledged the need to strengthen continuity of victim

care throughout trials and improve protection of marginalized populations, such as Roma.Trafficking victims could seek restitution, and an NGO filed the first lawsuit for non-material compensation on behalf of four trafficking victims in September 2014. There were no reports of victims detained, fined, or otherwise penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being subjected to human trafficking. Only Brcko District contains a provision exempting trafficking victims from prosecution for such acts.

PREVENTION
The government continued efforts to prevent trafficking. The government had in place a 2013-2015 national anti-trafficking action plan and a team of national, sub-state, and Brcko District officials, and NGOs monitored its implementation. A nationwide interagency investigative taskforce met monthly and adopted a 2015-2017 work program.The national anti-trafficking coordinator published its annual trafficking report during the reporting period. The government allocated 10,000 marks ($6,200) for activities associated with the 2014 European Anti-Trafficking Day, including a public awareness campaign aimed at preventing child labor. The government trained labor inspectors on trafficking and integrated them into the regional monitoring teams that coordinated implementation of the national referral mechanism. The government continued public prevention campaigns targeting the demand for commercial sex acts, although a 2013 GRETA report concluded these efforts were inadequate.The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for forced labor. The government did not provide anti-trafficking training or guidance for its diplomatic personnel.

BOTSWANA:  Tier 2 Watch List
Botswana is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking.There has been no comprehensive international or domestic study of trafficking trends within the country. Residents of Botswana most susceptible to trafficking are unemployed women, those living in rural poverty, agricultural workers, and children. Some parents in poor rural communities might send their children to work for wealthier families as domestic servants in cities or in agriculture and cattle farming in remote areas. Young Batswana serving as domestic workers for extended family may be denied access to education and basic necessities or subjected to confinement or verbal, physical, or sexual abuse—conditions indicative of forced labor. Batswana girls and women are exploited in prostitution within the country, including in bars and along major highways by truck drivers. Experts in Botswana believe a significant minority of persons in prostitution are children. Some women are subjected to trafficking internally or transported from neighboring countries and subjected to sexual exploitation. One previous NGO report indicated members of the Botswana civil service, including police officers, soldiers, and teachers, were among the clients of children in prostitution. NGOs report labor conditions on private farms and cattle posts in Botswana’s rural west might rise to the level of forced labor for both adults and children of the San ethnic minority group, and labor inspectors investigated rural farms for child labor in 2014. While labor inspections on rural farms found no instances of children working in 2014, the inspections were not comprehensive. Undocumented migrant children might be vulnerable to trafficking in Botswana.

The Government of Botswana does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. During the reporting period, the government enacted the 2014 Anti-Human Trafficking Act, which came into effect on January 1 and included specific penalties for trafficking and created an inter-ministerial committee to serve as a national coordinating body. Despite these efforts, the government did not demonstrate evidence of overall increasing anti-trafficking efforts compared to the previous year; therefore, Botswana is placed onTier 2 Watch List. The government investigated potential incidents of human trafficking and sexual exploitation of adults and children under existing laws. However, the government has not yet criminally prosecuted or convicted a trafficking offender under the new law. During the reporting period the government continued to conflate transnational movement with trafficking, thereby undermining its capacity to vigorously investigate potential trafficking cases and implement the new anti-trafficking law. The government also conducted one anti-trafficking awareness campaign and continued its training of law enforcement officials.