Human trafficking in the Western Balkans: From fake job offers to labor and sexual exploitation

Labor exploitation is on the rise across the Western Balkans, while experts interviewed by Kosovo Online point out that economic vulnerability remains the greatest risk factor for potential victims. They also warn that social media is increasingly being misused to recruit victims. In addition, they note that the region has become home to a significant number of victims of sexual exploitation and has evolved from a source of recruitment into a destination for human trafficking.

Written by: Jelena Novakov

The region drew international attention in 2023 following the indictment in Romania of influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate on charges of human trafficking, forming an organized criminal group for the sexual exploitation of women, and rape. Subsequent investigations were expanded to include allegations of child trafficking, money laundering, and other criminal offenses.

In February 2025, Romanian authorities allowed the Tate brothers to leave the country and travel to the United States, although the proceedings against them remained ongoing and they were expected to return to comply with judicial supervision measures, which were later lifted in April 2026. The decision allowing them to leave Romania sparked controversy, particularly due to allegations of lobbying and political pressure from circles close to the administration of Donald Trump. The Romanian prosecution, however, emphasized that the brothers remained under the jurisdiction of the Romanian judicial authorities.

The Tate brothers are currently being held in custody in the United States pending a court decision on their extradition to the United Kingdom, where an additional 38 charges were filed against them in July, bringing the total number of charges to 59.

At the same time, Kosovo's Regulatory Authority for Electronic and Postal Communications has warned that Kosovo continues to serve as a country of origin, transit, and destination for victims of human trafficking. One of the emerging forms of exploitation identified involves the provision of sexual services through online escort websites. The victims are most commonly between 18 and 30 years of age and are brought in an organized manner from countries including Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, and Peru.

According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, more than 70 profiles of women from Latin America offering sexual services in Kosovo were recently identified on a platform that the Kosovo Police recognized as being used for the sale of sexual services. Police data further show that between 2021 and 2024, 42 victims under the age of 18 were identified, including eight children between the ages of 12 and 14, the majority of whom had been subjected to sexual exploitation.

New methods of recruitment

Human trafficking remains a serious issue throughout the Western Balkans, while modern technologies and online platforms have created new methods for recruiting, controlling, and exploiting victims, according to Marija Todorovska, Program Director of the anti-violence and anti-human trafficking organization Open Gate – La Strada in North Macedonia.

"Human trafficking is definitely a reality in North Macedonia, but it remains largely invisible. It is often not recognized, which means that responses are frequently delayed," Todorovska told Kosovo Online.

According to her, 109 victims of human trafficking have been identified in North Macedonia over the past five years. Although sexual exploitation remains the most common form, labor exploitation has been steadily increasing.

"Forced and child marriage, forced begging, and, particularly over the past two to three years, cases involving organ trafficking and even illegal child adoption have also been identified," she said.

Todorovska emphasized that both the methods and forms of exploitation are changing and that the cross-border nature of human trafficking requires stronger regional cooperation.

"As an organization that has worked on this issue for 25 years, we have handled numerous cross-border cases in which a person was recruited in North Macedonia and exploited in neighboring countries such as Kosovo, Albania, or Serbia, and vice versa," she said.

Speaking about online escort advertisements, Todorovska noted that they can serve as a means of concealing human trafficking, although each case must be assessed individually.

"It is not always a case of human trafficking. We must always ask who is behind the operation and to what extent the person is being controlled. Nevertheless, I have to say that cases of human trafficking have indeed been identified," she said.

According to her, it is essential to determine whether women and girls appearing on such platforms are subjected to coercion, threats, blackmail, or other forms of control.

"Are they being forced to do this? Have threats been made against their lives or their families? Are they being blackmailed over unpaid debts or through intimate photographs and videos, which are frequently used as tools to exploit victims within trafficking networks?" Todorovska said.

She also warned that there are cases in which children are suspected of being victims.

"We have received reports through our SOS hotline from people concerned that some of these advertisements may involve children—boys and girls who are effectively part of trafficking networks. In such cases, we are clearly dealing with sexual abuse, the sexual exploitation of children, and, under certain circumstances, child trafficking," she said.

Todorovska stressed that human trafficking is concealed not only behind escort advertisements but also behind fraudulent job offers.

"It is quite common to encounter online advertisements for fake employment opportunities, such as seasonal work abroad in sectors including hospitality, tourism, domestic care, construction, and agriculture," she said.

Discussing the mechanisms of human trafficking, she explained that there is no single model, as traffickers increasingly rely on new technologies to target vulnerable groups.

"Today, traffickers make extensive use of the internet and information and communication technologies because these tools facilitate access to vulnerable groups who, unfortunately, in our experience are still primarily women and children," Todorovska said.

Rising labor exploitation

Jovana Markulic, consultant with ASTRA, an organization supporting victims of human trafficking, said that labor exploitation and the misuse of digital platforms to recruit victims are increasing. She also noted that the largest group of trafficking victims identified in Serbia today consists of foreign nationals, mainly from Asia and Africa, but also from European countries such as Belarus.

According to her, available data indicate a growing trend in labor exploitation and an increasingly widespread abuse of digital platforms to recruit victims.

"During the past year, ASTRA provided assistance to 53 presumed and identified victims of human trafficking—23 women and 30 men. The data further show an increase in labor exploitation and an increasingly widespread misuse of digital platforms for recruiting victims," Markulic told Kosovo Online.

According to ASTRA's 2025 data, foreign nationals accounted for the majority of identified trafficking victims in Serbia. Of the 53 victims identified, 39 were foreign citizens and 14 were Serbian nationals.

"The majority of foreign nationals were exploited within Serbia itself, indicating that Serbia is increasingly becoming a destination country for human trafficking, particularly in cases of labor exploitation," Markulic said.

The identified victims came from Egypt, the Philippines, Turkey, Bangladesh, Sierra Leone, China, Azerbaijan, India, Belarus, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Most Serbian nationals were exploited within Serbia, while two cases were recorded in Germany.

Speaking about the main risk factors for human trafficking, Markulic highlighted economic insecurity, the search for employment, migration, and insufficient awareness among workers regarding their rights.

She also noted the growing misuse of the internet and social media to establish contact with potential victims through fake advertisements, fraudulent websites, and unrealistic promises.

"Although the increase in preventive calls during 2025 shows that people are increasingly seeking information before making decisions about employment or moving abroad—which is an important step in preventing human trafficking—it also demonstrates the need for continued public awareness and broader access to support services so that potential risks can be recognized in time and exploitation prevented," Markulic concluded.

The region as a hub for sexual exploitation

Former Director of the Albanian State Police and security expert Fation Softa believes that human trafficking networks have become far more organized than in the past, warning that Albania has transformed from a country from which women were trafficked abroad for prostitution into a destination where women are brought from other countries for sexual exploitation.

Softa explained that Albanian criminal groups cooperated with the Italian mafia for many years, particularly in prostitution and human trafficking, and have since become integrated into much broader international criminal networks.

"Albanian criminal groups, especially those operating in Italy, cooperated with the Italian mafia for many years. At that time, Albania served as a transit country for human trafficking across the Strait of Otranto, through which women and minors from Ukraine, Russia, and other Eastern European countries were transported for sexual exploitation," Softa told Kosovo Online.

According to him, the closure of the speedboat routes did not eliminate human trafficking but merely made it much more sophisticated. He believes Albania's role in the trafficking chain has fundamentally changed.

"Albania has gone from being a country exporting prostitution to becoming a country where women are brought from abroad for prostitution. This is the result of the activities of organized criminal groups," he said.

Speaking about regional criminal cooperation, Softa said that these organizations operate through what is often referred to as the Balkan network.

"These are the same criminal groups that periodically operate in different countries. We are talking about the Belgrade–Montenegro–Tirana axis, through which cooperation in human trafficking is carried out," Softa said.

He added that criminal organizations increasingly rely on the internet, social media, and short-term accommodation rental platforms.

"Albania is already familiar with the escort phenomenon. Numerous websites continue to advertise these services despite repeated warnings from experts and the media. Criminal organizations exploit the fact that Albania has become a major tourist destination, meaning that human trafficking reaches its highest intensity between May and October," he said.

He also noted that Kosovo continues to serve as an important transit corridor because of the free movement of people and the difficulty of inspecting all vehicles.

According to Softa, the main factors driving the increase in human trafficking are corruption, insufficient oversight of short-term rental properties, and the enormous profits generated by organized criminal groups.

"Some estimates indicate that more than €800 million leaves Albania each year as a result of this phenomenon. That illustrates the enormous financial resources generated by international criminal networks," Softa said.

SOS helplines for victims of human trafficking

* Serbia: 0800 101 201 / +381 11 785 0000 (ASTRA)
* Kosovo: 0800 11 112
* North Macedonia: 0800 111 11
* Albania: 116 006
* European Union: 116 006 / 112