Friday, 27.06.2025.
Building Capacities to Combat Migrant Smuggling: Highlights from Two Regional Multi-Sectoral Trainings within the STEP BY STEP Project
As part of the STEP BY STEP project aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and institutional capacities in the fight against migrant smuggling in the Western Balkans, two important multi-sectoral trainings have been successfully implemented, gathering representatives from state institutions, judiciary, law enforcement agencies, and civil society organizations from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia.
Training in Trebinje: Understanding the Risks of High-Tech Smuggling Operations
Held from November 20–22, 2024, in Trebinje (Bosnia and Herzegovina), the training titled “Risks of High Technology in Organizing Migrant Smuggling” focused on enhancing the ability of participants to recognize, prevent, and counter migrant smuggling operations supported by digital technologies. Through practical examples and case-based investigation simulations, participants explored how organized criminal groups exploit the internet, social media, and mobile apps to carry out illegal activities.
Special attention was given to the vulnerability of migrants and the role of investigative bodies in their protection. The training encouraged exchange between representatives of Ministries of Interior, prosecutors’ offices, and civil society partners, emphasizing the importance of regional cooperation in addressing shared challenges.
Regional Training in Sarajevo: Innovations and Cooperation in the Fight Against Smuggling Networks
The second training took place in Sarajevo on February 26–27, 2025, under the title “Combating Migrant Smuggling through Innovation and Cooperation.” The event gathered regional and international experts to discuss innovative approaches to investigating and prosecuting smuggling cases, with a focus on the use of high technology by criminal networks.
Over the two days, participants analyzed recent trends and shifts in the modus operandi of smuggling groups observed during 2024. Sessions addressed legal developments in the EU and Western Balkans and stressed the importance of intersectoral cooperation. The second day focused on how smugglers misuse ICT tools for recruitment, manipulation, and transportation of migrants, underlining the need for faster and more secure information sharing between institutions.
One of the key elements of the training was the collaborative development of the Smuggle Alert mobile application, designed to support real-time exchange of smuggling-related alerts and information. Participants were invited to contribute feedback on the tool’s functionalities to improve its future use by both institutional and civil society actors.
About the Project
The STEP BY STEP project is a joint initiative implemented by Vaša Prava BiH (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Group 484 (Serbia), and Civic Alliance (Montenegro), with support of the SMART Balkans – Civil Society for Shared Society in the Western Balkans regional project implemented by Centar za promociju civilnog društva (CPCD), Center for Research and Policy Making (CRPM) and Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM) and financially supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NMFA). Through a series of trainings, research activities, and innovative technological tools, the STEP BY STEP project aims to strengthen institutional responses to migrant smuggling, enhance human rights protection, and promote regional cooperation.
