What it is
In Serbian law, the core human-trafficking provision is Article 388 of the Criminal Code. In labor cases, it matters when a person is recruited, moved, isolated, or held so someone else can exploit their work. For adults, prosecutors usually also need to show how an employer, intermediary, or another person kept control: through threats, deception, debt, withheld documents, dependency, or abuse of a vulnerable position.
How it differs from a labor dispute
Unpaid wages, bad conditions, or breach of a labor contract do not automatically mean human trafficking. In labor-exploitation cases, the pattern matters: the person cannot leave freely, depends on an intermediary or employer, faces threats, was deceived about work or debt, has documents withheld, is isolated, or has housing and transport controlled. A situation that first looks like a labor-rights violation, fraud, or abuse may become a trafficking case only after the facts are assessed.
What is known now
On July 3, 2026, N1 reported Marija Andjelkovic of ASTRA saying that the organization sees a rise in trafficking for labor exploitation but not a matching number of court proceedings. The official 2025 statistics of the Centre for the Protection of Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings point in the same direction: the Centre received 242 reports of suspected trafficking, 31% more than the previous year; the largest group concerned labor exploitation, 115 reports, followed by sexual exploitation, 54 reports.
Current status
Victim status is established by the Centre for the Protection of Victims of Trafficking in Human Beings. That status gives a person access to social protection and support, but it does not by itself mean there is already a suspect, charge, or court case. In the Centre's 2025 statistics, 60 victims were identified from 242 reports, 59 reports were rejected, 9 cases were closed or stopped, and dozens were still under review. These are different stages: help for the person harmed, a possible police or prosecution response, and whether a court has found a crime proved.
Why it matters
For workers and migrants, the way a case is recognized matters: victim status opens access to protection, a support plan, coordination with social-work centers and NGOs, and, when needed, preparation for court. For the public, the point is that exploitation should not be reduced to a wage or contract dispute when coercion and control are present. In 2023, GRETA welcomed specialized investigators and prosecutors, but noted that trafficking cases are often treated as less serious offences, while the rise in foreign workers requires a stronger response to labor exploitation.
What remains unclear
It remains unclear how many new labor-exploitation reports will lead to investigations, indictments, and court decisions under Article 388. The main distinction is simple: an NGO warning or a report to the Centre shows risk, victim recognition opens support, and a prosecutor's decision or court judgment shows whether the case reached prosecution or criminal accountability.