Criminal justice practitioners from South-Eastern Europe and Moldova discuss role of women in organized crime at OSCE workshop

On 2 and 3 July, the OSCE’s Transnational Threats Department, in co-operation with the OSCE Mission to Serbia, organized a regional workshop to present and discuss the findings of the OSCE assessment report on “Understanding the Role of Women in Organized Crime” in the context of South-Eastern Europe and Moldova. The workshop took place in Belgrade, Serbia.

The event brought together more than 30 law enforcement and prosecution representatives from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia. The aim was to increase their understanding of how women are recruited into organized crime, the roles they play within these criminal networks, and how and why they leave organized crime groups in South-Eastern Europe and Moldova. The workshop also presented good practices from across the OSCE area on gender-sensitive initiatives to prevent and divert women from organized crime.

The workshop examined the findings from the OSCE assessment report on the role of women in organized crime and real-life case studies of women’s involvement in criminal networks across South-Eastern Europe and Moldova. It also facilitated a regional dialogue on emerging trends and challenges in the field of organized crime.

Stephan Nunner, Acting Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, stressed: “Data shows that, on average, 20% of all those arrested for organized crime are women, while in South-Eastern Europe, 20% to 25% of prosecutions and convictions for trafficking in human beings involve female perpetrators. However, the data also shows that women are often exploited and victimized by organized crime groups”.

“With this assessment, we can better understand women's agency in organized crime and provide concrete, actionable recommendations for criminal justice and law enforcement practitioners to end impunity and ensure women’s inclusion in prevention and exit initiatives,” Nunner added.

The workshop helped improve the exchange of information and good practices on gender-sensitive prevention and exit from organized crime among practitioners and policy-makers in the region, while also serving as a platform for discussion and identification of training needs.