Support victims of human trafficking in Serbia

Over the past decade, Serbia has become a new destination for thousands of foreign workers. In 2012, there were just over 4,000 immigrants in the country. By 2023, that number had risen almost tenfold, reaching more than 41,000 people — the highest number ever recorded. Most come from Russia, China, Turkey, and India, often with the hope of building a better life for themselves and their families.

But behind these numbers lie untold stories of exploitation, fear, and survival. Official statistics are missing critical details: What jobs do these workers perform? How long do they stay? What are their living and working conditions? These gaps make it harder to protect people. At ASTRA, through direct support to workers, we have seen the reality — and it is far from safe.

Different risks for men and women

Exploitation does not look the same for everyone. For men, it often means withheld salaries, debt to recruitment agencies, unsafe housing, and the constant threat of deportation. Many pay thousands of euros in recruitment fees just to arrive in Serbia. Once here, they face contracts they cannot understand, restricted movement, and abuse from employers.

One worker from Burundi told us, “The agents kept talking about criminal activities. They showed me videos and pictures of other workers being beaten when they tried to leave. They bragged about their connections with the police. I was terrified. I didn’t dare ask for higher pay, better conditions, or legal status in Serbia.”

For women, exploitation carries an additional, gendered dimension. Beyond unpaid wages or threats, women often experience sexual harassment and gender-based violence. One woman who arrived with a work visa to perform household chores was forced by her employer to accept humiliating demands, including sexual harassment, out of fear of losing her job and residency status. Another woman, after leaving an exploitative workplace and finding a safer job, was subjected to intimate partner violence. Even after legal protection was granted, her employer insisted that she return to live in the same collective housing as her abuser.

These examples show clearly: women migrant workers face double vulnerability — as workers and as women.

How ASTRA helps

When workers come to us, they are often hungry, exhausted, and frightened. Our team provides urgent assistance:

• food and hygiene products,
• information on their rights in languages they understand,
• legal support and translation of documents,
• help in reporting cases to the authorities,
• field accompaniment to institutions,
• emotional and psychosocial support,
• connection to local communities.

But beyond practical help, we give them something just as vital: the knowledge that they are not alone.

Every number in the statistics hides a human face. A man too afraid to ask for his wages. A woman choosing between her safety and her job. A worker trapped by threats, debts, and fear.

With your support, ASTRA can continue to respond to these realities: to provide safety, dignity, and a way forward for people who came to Serbia in search of opportunity, but instead found exploitation.

In a year full of uncertainty, we found strength in small moments. Notes placed in a jar — kind words, shared successes, brave steps forward — reminded us why we keep going. Each message became a spark of hope, a quiet celebration of resilience, and a reminder: joy, when shared, multiplies.

Support ASTRA’s beneficiaries and help us keep filling the jar - with dignity, healing, and hope.

Last year began with many challenges. At a time when our organization was left without supervision support, trying to regroup, preserve strength, and avoid burnout, we discovered a surprisingly effective and meaningful tool.

We began writing short notes and placing them in a jar - each one a reminder of something good that happened through the joint efforts of our beneficiaries, partners, and our team. At the end of the year, we opened the jar and read the messages, recalling uplifting situations, good news, and inspiring moments.

We are incredibly proud of our beneficiaries - for their inner strength and resilience. We are equally grateful to our dedicated partners who consistently offer understanding, advice, and practical support. And we are proud of ourselves - for staying creative, finding reasons to smile, moments to rest, and the strength to keep going.

After one visit, a girl left us a note: “You have brought calm into my life, like a peaceful sea. I'm no longer alone - everything feels brighter.”

Some beneficiaries found employment; one became an entrepreneur and fulfilled her dream. Others achieved educational goals - completing or enrolling in school - or regained financial stability. Some began to heal after long and difficult medical treatments.

One young woman and one young man each found their own unique way of recovery. Through activities like scrapbooking, studying, writing a master’s thesis (with a heartfelt dedication - saved forever!), and eventually defending it successfully, they found ways to express themselves, reduce stress, and channel their energy into what truly strengthens them. We were there, witnessing their transformation and offering support when it mattered.

Midway through the year, our team also received much-needed support from a wonderful organization that recognized our needs and approved funds for supervision without unnecessary procedures. This renewed support re-energized our team and enabled us to continue our work.  Direct contact and being available by phone helped us stay close to our beneficiaries and understand the everyday challenges they face - both good and bad - especially in contact with institutions.

In a world that often feels unsafe, corrupt, and profit-driven, the solidarity and humanity that reemerged toward the end of the year lit up our path and reminded us that positive change is possible.

Reading these messages - celebrating small and big victories - became a ritual of resilience. It helped us stay focused on our shared goals, grounded in hope, and reminded of the reasons we continue.

We’ve started this year the same way - and the jar is already filling up again.

Dear reader, if you would like to support ASTRA’s beneficiaries, you can do so through one-time or recurring donations. Your generosity helps more than you know.

With heartfelt thanks,

The ASTRA Team