Kosovo
State Department trafficking report: Kosovo stays at Tier 2, criticism over victim protection
Authorities convicted more traffickers, but most sentences were below the legal minimum, and children forced to beg still go unidentified.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 20, 2026, 14:30 · Updated 12:21 · 1 min read
In brief
- The State Department keeps Kosovo at Tier 2: it does not meet the minimum standards but is making significant efforts.
- Prison sentences and funding for victims increased, but prosecutions declined.
- The report criticizes the lack of long-term reintegration and poor identification of children exploited for begging.
The U.S. State Department has published its annual report on human trafficking, which again keeps Kosovo at Tier 2. This means the government does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so.
According to the report, which covers 2025, the authorities convicted more traffickers, handed down more prison sentences and increased funding for victim assistance and prevention. The government also evaluated its 2024–2025 National Action Plan and found that nearly half of the objectives had been met.
Where Kosovo falls short
However, the number of suspects prosecuted fell, while most prison sentences were below the minimum set by law. The report notes that the authorities did not investigate all cases of children forced to beg as trafficking and that identification procedures remain inadequate, especially for children.
The government did not provide reintegration or long-term assistance, particularly for children and victims in need of psychosocial support. According to the report, traffickers lure women and girls with false promises of marriage or work and sexually exploit them in private homes, nightclubs and massage parlors, while Kosovars are also trafficked across Europe for sexual exploitation and forced labor.
Article 165 of Kosovo's Criminal Code provides for 5 to 12 years in prison for trafficking adults and 5 to 15 years when the victims are children. The report considers these penalties sufficiently stringent but notes that courts often impose sentences below this minimum.
