A/HRC/44/45/Add.1 Anti-trafficking Coordinator under the Ministry of the Interior could be perceived as having lowered the priority of the fight against trafficking in persons in Montenegro. A public message must be sent from the highest governmental level to provide reassurance of the commitment of Montenegro in that area. 22. The Government adopted a national strategy against trafficking in persons for the period 2019–2024 and a national action plan for 2019. IV. Protection of trafficked persons A. Identification of victims or potential victims of trafficking 23. During her visit, the Special Rapporteur expressed concern regarding the low number of victims identified and supported and the low number of criminal proceedings conducted. 24. At the time of the visit of the Special Rapporteur, Montenegro was to adopt a set of standard operating procedures to improve identification of victims. The main objective of the standard operating procedures, developed in collaboration with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), is to change the identification and support model. Under the prior system, following the national referral mechanism set forth in the memorandum of understanding, in practice, only the police were given identification competencies. As a result, the identification of victims of trafficking was linked to the initiation of criminal investigations. However, according to officials, assistance was also provided to potential victims. The Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings noted in its 2016 report that the Montenegrin authorities continue to use the term “identified victim of trafficking” only in cases in which there is a final conviction for trafficking in persons. However, all persons who are recognized as victims of trafficking in persons by the police are assigned the status of “potential victim”. The status of “potential victim” gives the person concerned the right to assistance and protection, including a recovery and reflection period, which is comparable with the status of a formally identified victim of trafficking in other jurisdictions. 25. During the period 2017–2018, the Government identified four potential victims of forced begging, compared with one officially recognized victim, and one potential victim, of sex trafficking in 2017. All victims were underage girls. Police also identified 22 children who were victims of trafficking for the purposes of begging in 2018, and 107 in 2017, and accommodated most of the children at local social welfare centres until releasing them to their parents or guardians. 2 Despite those identifications, officials highlighted the difficulties in identifying trafficking for organized begging among non-domiciled Roma populations. The strategy of Montenegro for countering the trafficking of children for begging and unlawful marriage has been mainly focused on prevention activities centred on increasing access to education and awareness-raising among families at risk. 26. Several hotlines have been an entry point for early identification of victims of trafficking. The hotline for victims of trafficking in Podgorica, operated by the nongovernmental organization Montenegrin Women’s Lobby, reports possible trafficking situations to the police, but was usually not informed by the police about the follow-up actions taken, which underlines a lack of cooperation and coordination among referral organizations. Another hotline, based in Niksic, operating nationwide, targets victims of gender-based violence in general, but may also receive calls from victims of trafficking. 27. The Special Rapporteur welcomed the development of the new standard operating procedures, for its potential positive implications. In the new model, victim identification and early support would be the result of a collaborative process involving persons with different skills and backgrounds; assistance and support would be ensured to victims and potential victims of trafficking; and identification and early victim support would not 2 6 Concerns were raised as to the adequacy of the accommodations provided to those victims.